Johnny Huard, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer of Steadman Philippon Research Institute (SPRI) Receives Second Annual Arnold I. Caplan Award
Award for distinguished research in orthobiologics presented by the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) at the organization’s annual meeting in New Orleans
Johnny Huard, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer and Director of the Linda & Mitch Hart Center for Regenerative and Personalized Medicine at Steadman Philippon Research Institute (SPRI), has been honored with the Arnold I. Caplan Award at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons’ annual meeting in New Orleans on March 4.
The Caplan Award for Distinguished Research in Orthobiologics recognizes researchers whose work has significantly advanced the development of new therapeutic solutions in orthobiologics and Medicinal Signaling Cells (MSCs). Established in 2025 through the generosity of the Caplan family and administered by the Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation (OREF), the award celebrates the legacy of Arnold Caplan, Ph.D., a pioneer in the field.
Dr. Huard was recognized for his manuscript, “Mesenchymal Stem Cells or Medicinal Signaling Cells (MSCs): Origin, Mechanism of Action(s) & Clinical Application of MSCs.” The work reflects nearly three decades of research into adult stem cells, including one of his most influential discoveries: the isolation of MSCs from adult skeletal muscle, known as muscle‑derived stem cells (MDSCs). These cells exhibit stem‑cell‑like properties and have become a foundational tool in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, with applications spanning injuries, disease and age‑related degeneration.
“This is an incredible honor and one I will never forget,” said Dr. Huard. “The Caplan Award is still very new and to be only its second recipient, chosen from the long list of outstanding scientists and researchers in the field, is extremely rewarding.”
“It takes years of sustained effort to advance tangible and effective research in our field,” continued Dr. Huard. “I am humbled that the AAOS has rewarded nearly 35 years of my work with this prestigious award named for Dr. Caplan. I want to thank the selection committee for its recognition of this study. This research has allowed SPRI to broaden its scope of research and expand its biologic investigations into extracellular vesicles. As always, the research continues to evolve, and the world of biologics teaches us more with every new discovery.”
Dr. Huard’s reputation as an elite scientist and researcher is widespread in his field and especially close to home in Vail.
“Dr. Huard has helped put SPRI among the very top of research institutes across the world,” said Marc J. Philippon, M.D., Chair of SPRI and Managing Partner of The Steadman Clinic. “His leadership has allowed our institution to move toward the clinical translation of stem cells in numerous clinical trials that are currently funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Department of Defense (DoD). He has assembled one of the finest research teams in our field and has led them on some exceptional and groundbreaking studies and clinical trials.
“Johnny is most deserving of the Caplan Award and all of us at SPRI congratulate him and thank him for his leadership,” continued Dr. Philippon.
Dr. Huard has served as the leader of SPRI’s scientific efforts since arriving in Vail in 2015. SPRI’s groundbreaking research and breakthroughs in medical studies and practices have been plentiful, with support and funding from NIH and the DoD, among numerous others. Just three months after his arrival in Vail in the spring of 2015, Dr. Huard organized and directed a major scientific meeting—the Vail Scientific Summit (VSS)—which attracted hundreds of noted doctors, clinicians and researchers to Vail for a four-day event, including some of the globe’s most highly-regarded practitioners in the fields of regenerative and translational medicine. This event helped to make Vail, Colorado a global destination for innovative science.
“The Caplan Award is designed to recognize career achievements in orthopaedic research and Dr. Huard’s accomplishments in that area are quite noteworthy,” said Dan Drawbaugh, CEO of SPRI. “The most recent decade of his outstanding career has been with us here at SPRI and he has grown our institute and its global reputation to extraordinary heights in that time.
“Dr. Huard has stood at several podiums, receiving major awards over the past few years,” continued Drawbaugh. “It is an honor for us at SPRI to have him serve as Chief Scientific Officer and lead our world-class laboratories.”
The Caplan Award is not the first major honor bestowed upon Dr. Huard by the AAOS. In 2018 he received the prestigious Kappa Delta Award, given to persons who performed significant and highly impactful research in orthopaedic surgery.
For further information, contact SPRI’s Director of Marketing & Communicaitons Marianne Kipp (mkipp@sprivail.org, 970/401-8734)