Dr Matthew BroadheadOrthopaedic Surgeon — Sydney & Coffs Harbour

Research

Research

Dr Broadhead's research in joint replacement outcomes, national registry analysis, and orthopaedic oncology — the questions being studied, the groups involved, and selected publications.

Journal Club · July 2026

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Summary card for the 2026 systematic review comparing surgical approaches for hip replacement

A patient's plain-English guide

Does the hip replacement approach matter?

A 2026 review compared the main ways surgeons reach the hip during a replacement. The front (anterior) approach may speed early recovery, but by a year the approaches even out — and the surgeon's experience matters more than the route.

Research is a continuing part of Dr Broadhead’s work. His clinical practice sits alongside an active interest in measuring what actually happens to patients after surgery — which operations last, which patients do well, and how access and circumstances change outcomes. He holds a PhD from the University of Melbourne in orthopaedic oncology and a Master of Surgery from the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, and is a Conjoint Senior Lecturer at the University of New South Wales.

He is a General Director and Research Advisory Committee member of the Australian Orthopaedic Association Research Foundation, and works with the Surgical Outcomes Research Centre (SOuRCe) and the RPA Bone & Soft Tissue Sarcoma Unit.

Current themes

Joint replacement outcomes from the national registry. Australia records almost every joint replacement in the AOANJRR, which makes it possible to ask precise questions of real-world data. Recent work with collaborators has examined which patient characteristics are associated with a higher risk of revision after cementless total knee replacement, drawing on the registry’s national dataset.

Care away from home. A related registry study asked whether patients who travel away from their home region for lower-limb joint replacement have different outcomes from those treated locally — a question that matters directly to the many regional and rural patients seen in this practice.

Predicting who benefits from knee replacement. As part of a multidisciplinary group, Dr Broadhead has contributed to research using biopsychosocial data and machine-learning models to predict which patients are most likely to improve after total knee replacement — work aimed at setting realistic expectations and choosing surgery for the people it will help most.

Orthopaedic oncology. His doctoral research investigated novel therapies for osteosarcoma using advanced medical imaging, including the role of pigment epithelium-derived factor (PEDF). He continues to contribute to sarcoma outcomes research, including studies of high-grade sarcoma in older patients.

Supervision. He supervises medical-student research projects at UNSW on topics including surgical approaches for hip replacement, regional versus metropolitan joint-replacement outcomes, and patient-reported outcome measures.

Grants and awards

Dr Broadhead’s research has been supported by competitive grants including a National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Medical Postgraduate Scholarship, the Johanna Sewell and Xavier Krikori Sarcoma Research Grants (Australian Sarcoma Group), and a Research Foundation grant from the Australian Orthopaedic Association. He was awarded the Peter Ryan Prize for Surgical Research and an Asia-Pacific Orthopaedic Association Young Ambassador Award.

Publications

Peer-reviewed journal articles, most recent first. Each title links to the abstract.

  1. Collins W, et al. The Reconstructive Pelvic Anatomy Classification System: a valid and reliable classification system for pelvic reconstruction. Bone & Joint Open 2026 (in press).
  2. Ribbons K, Cochrane J, Johnson S, et al. Biopsychosocial-based machine learning models predict patient improvement after total knee arthroplasty. Scientific Reports 2025;15:4926.
  3. Scholes C, Holder C, Vertullo C, Broadhead ML. Outcomes of lower-limb arthroplasty in patients travelling away from home for surgery: a cross-sectional analysis of the AOANJRR. Archives of Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgery 2025;145:343.
  4. Kang L, Helms E, Broadhead ML. Bilateral ankle syndesmosis injury: a rare case report. Orthopaedic Reviews 2022.
  5. Imanishi J, Chan LWM, Broadhead ML, et al. Clinical features of high-grade extremity and trunk sarcomas in patients aged 80 years and older: why are outcomes inferior? Frontiers in Surgery 2019.
  6. Hoswell R, Broadhead ML, Tewari S. Bilateral neck of femur fractures in a paediatric patient with Graves’ disease. Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health 2017;53(7):726–727.
  7. Thurairajah K, Broadhead ML, Balogh ZJ. Trauma and stem cells: biology and therapeutic implications. International Journal of Molecular Sciences 2017;18:577.
  8. Broadhead ML, Singla AA, Broe D, Bertollo N, Walsh WR. A biomechanical comparison of 4-strand and 5-strand anterior cruciate ligament graft constructs. Orthopaedic Reviews 2017;9:6989.
  9. Broadhead ML, Lokmic Z, Tan ML, et al. Applying advanced imaging techniques to a murine model of orthotopic osteosarcoma. Frontiers in Surgery 2015;2:36.
  10. Ghoz A, Broadhead ML, Morley J, Tavares S, McDonald D. Outcomes of dual modular cementless femoral stems in revision hip arthroplasty. Orthopaedic Reviews 2014;6:5247.
  11. Broadhead ML, Lim HK, Chia A, Ek ETH. Multiple femoral and tibial avulsion fractures in a skeletally mature patient secondary to knee dislocation. JBJS Case Connector 2013.
  12. Broadhead ML, Choong PFM, Dass CR. Efficacy of continuously administered PEDF-derived synthetic peptides against osteosarcoma growth and metastasis. Journal of Biomedicine and Biotechnology 2012.
  13. Broadhead ML, Dass CR, Choong PFM. Systemically administered PEDF against primary and secondary tumours in a clinically relevant osteosarcoma model. British Journal of Cancer 2011.
  14. Broadhead ML, Babazadeh S, Ng KW, Choong PFM, Stoney JD. Atraumatic bilateral femoral neck fractures during pregnancy: a missed diagnosis. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology 2011;51(6):563–564.
  15. Babazadeh S, Broadhead ML, Schlicht SM, Powell GJ, Tymms GM. Pathologic fracture of a calcaneal aneurysmal bone cyst. Journal of Foot and Ankle Surgery 2011;50(6):727–732.
  16. Broadhead ML, Clark JCM, Myers DE, Dass CR, Choong PFM. The molecular pathogenesis of osteosarcoma: a review. Sarcoma 2011;2011:959248.
  17. Broadhead ML, Clark JCM, Dass CR, Choong PFM, Myers DE. Therapeutic targeting of osteoclast function and pathways. Expert Opinion on Therapeutic Targets 2011;15(2):169–181.
  18. Babazadeh S, Broadhead ML, Schlicht SM, Slavin JL, Choong PFM. Giant cell tumour of the metacarpal diaphysis. European Journal of Radiology Extra 2010;75(1):e31–e36.
  19. Broadhead ML, Babazadeh S, O’Brien B, Choong PFM. Thigh enlargement and the art of misdirection. ANZ Journal of Surgery 2010;80(11):839–840.
  20. Broadhead ML, Clark JC, Dass CR, Choong PFM. Microarray: an instrument for cancer surgeons of the future? ANZ Journal of Surgery 2010;80(7–8):531–536.
  21. Broadhead ML, Clark JC, Choong PFM, Dass CR. Making gene therapy for osteosarcoma a reality. Expert Review of Anticancer Therapy 2010;10(4):477–480.
  22. Broadhead ML, Dass CR, Choong PFM. The pathophysiological role of PEDF in bone diseases. Current Molecular Medicine 2010;10(3):296–301.
  23. Broadhead ML, Becerra SP, Choong PFM, Dass CR. The applied biochemistry of PEDF and implications for tissue homeostasis. Growth Factors 2010;28(4):280–285.
  24. Dowsey MM, Broadhead ML, Stoney JD, Choong PFM. Outcomes of total knee arthroplasty in English- versus non-English-speaking patients. Journal of Orthopaedic Surgery 2009;17(3):305–309.
  25. Broadhead ML, Dass CR, Choong PFM. In vitro and in vivo biological activity of PEDF against a range of tumours. Expert Opinion on Therapeutic Targets 2009;13(12):1429–1438.
  26. Babazadeh S, Broadhead ML, Slavin JL, Choong PFM. An interesting diagnosis for a presacral mass. International Seminars in Surgical Oncology 2009;6:18.
  27. Broadhead ML, Dass CR, Choong PFM. Cancer cell apoptotic pathways mediated by PEDF: prospects for therapy. Trends in Molecular Medicine 2009;15(10):461–467.
  28. Babazadeh S, Broadhead ML, Choong PFM. If you are called to lead, you are called to serve. ANZ Journal of Surgery 2011;81:401–403.

Book chapter

Broadhead ML, Sivaji S, Balogh ZJ, Choong PFM. Osteosarcoma pathogenesis: from molecular biology to mesenchymal stem cells. In: Osteosarcoma — Biology, Behaviour and Mechanisms. IntechOpen, 2017. ISBN 978-953-51-4915-6.

A current list is also available on PubMed.

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