John L. Hamilton, MD, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at Rush University Medical Center. His research program focuses on advancing the prevention and treatment of periprosthetic joint infection (PJI), with an emphasis on biofilm-targeted therapeutics that address fundamental barriers to infection eradication.

Dr. Hamilton earned his MD and PhD in Biochemistry from Rush Medical College, where his NIH NRSA–supported doctoral work defined VEGF-driven mechanisms of joint degeneration and pain. He subsequently completed NIH T32 postdoctoral training at Rush University Medical Center, focused on innate immune pathways and their pharmacologic modulation in implant-associated infection.

He leads a multidisciplinary laboratory that integrates murine models of PJI, antibody-based biofilm disruption strategies, and advanced imaging and analytic technologies to define how bacteria persist on orthopedic implants and how these infections can be more effectively targeted. His group integrates scientific, clinical, and industry partnerships to accelerate anti-biofilm therapeutic development. His broader immunology work examines immune-cell and vascular responses to pharmacologic agents in inflammatory disease.

His research has been supported by NIH F-, T-, and R-series funding; industry partnerships; the Orthopaedic Research Society and the Orthopaedic Research & Education Foundation; and the Institute for Translational Medicine. Dr. Hamilton’s goal is to convert fundamental biological insight into tangible therapies that meaningfully reduce the burden of musculoskeletal infection.