Dr. Chahla’s Research Team 2024 – 2025
Juan Bernardo Villarreal
Research Fellow
Juan Bernardo Villarreal is a post-doctoral research fellow for Dr. Jorge Chahla at Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush. He received his medical degree in 2022 from Tecnológico de Monterrey (ITESM/Tec de Monterrey) in Monterrey, México. Additionally, concomitantly while in medical school, he pursued extracurricular research assignments leading to attainment of a minor in research. Through these achievements, he has been able to learn the fundamentals of basic, biomechanical, translational, and clinical research while garnering experience at several institutions including Mayo Clinic, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, and now Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush. He considers himself as an individual who enjoys being around his family and friends, spending time with his dog, watching sports, as well as outdoor grilling while having a cold Corona.
Melissa Carpenter
Research Fellow
Melissa Carpenter is a clinical research fellow for Dr. Jorge Chahla at Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush within the sports medicine division. She is an alumnus of the University of Southern California where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry as a QuestBridge Scholar and is now in between her third and fourth year of medical school at the University of Colorado. Before matriculating into medical school, Melissa pursued a Postbaccalaureate Fellowship through the Intramural Research Training Program at the National Institutes of Health. During this time, she worked in the Translational Gerontology Branch at the National Institute on Aging where she contributed to publications in Nature investigating the impact of dietary interventions on age-related diseases. During medical school, Melissa was accepted to the Research Track and awarded the School of Medicine Research Scholarship for her work in developing a novel angular measurement for surgical optimization of the Zadek Osteotomy. Melissa has yet to refine her research interests but hopes to obtain a better understanding of orthopedic surgical outcomes and factors that affect these outcomes across the life cycle. In her free time, Melissa enjoys running and training for her next marathon, listening to a variety of music (from Toro y Moi to Future), baking, and watching Gilmore Girls (for the 3rd time). Melissa aspires to increase diversity within the field of orthopedics while improving evidence-based care as an academic orthopedic surgeon.
Udit Dave
Research Fellow
Udit Dave is a clinical research fellow for Dr. Jorge Chahla at Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush University, Department of Sports Medicine. Udit recently completed his fourth year at the Tulane University School of Medicine. Udit is from Long Island, NY and completed his undergraduate degree in Biology of Global Health at Georgetown University. As an undergraduate student, Udit participated in basic science research investigating embryological innervation of the inner ear. Prior to beginning medical school, he contributed to sports medicine research at the Hospital for Special Surgery, focusing on sex-based disparities in concussion incidence across multiple sports. Udit is also the author of Hidden Heroes: The Role of Physicians in Sports, a print book that explores the role of orthopedics in empowering professional athletes to return to the top of their sports after suffering major injuries. The book was an Amazon #1 New Release, and Udit was featured on ESPN twice to discuss his book writing process. As a medical student at Tulane, Udit contributed to research in a variety of orthopedics topics including trauma resource allocation, shoulder arthroplasty, knee arthroscopy, and the use of social media in residency training. As a medical student, he participated in an additional research fellowship at the Hospital for Special Surgery to build upon his work with sex-based disparities in sports medicine. His current research interests include disparities in clinical outcomes, knee arthroscopy, and healthcare economics. In his free time, Udit enjoys playing basketball, weightlifting, travelling, and continuing his search for the best slice of pizza in the United States.