Dr. Meals grew up in Shawnee Mission, Kansas. He attended Rice University, majored in biology, and gained a deep appreciation for the diversity and adaptations of animal life. At Vanderbilt University Medical School, he further explored the workings and failings of human tissues, especially bone.An orthopedic surgery residency at Johns Hopkins Hospital gave Dr. Meals the opportunity to drill down, both literally and figuratively, on living bone. Following a hand surgery fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital, Dr. Meals joined the faculty at UCLA where he is currently a Clinical Professor of Orthopedic Surgery. He has served as President of the American Society for Surgery of the Hand and has also been on the editorial board of the Journal of Hand Surgery for most of his career. This included a five-year term as Editor-in-Chief.Along the way, Dr. Meals lived in Turkey for two years and took the opportunity to travel extensively in the Middle East, Europe, and Africa. These trips expanded his interest in the historical and cultural aspects of bone. He continues to be an ardent traveler and has discovered interesting information about bone during his visits to 48 states and 49 countries.Dr. Meals has authored two books, One Hundred Orthopedic Conditions Every Doctor Should Understand and The Hand Owner’s Manual. A Hand Surgeon’s Thirty-Year Collection of Important Information and Fascinating Facts. Now he has turned his attention to extolling the many virtues of bone in his blog www.aboutbone.com, which will eventually expand into a book.When not seeing patients, teaching, traveling, or writing, Dr. Meals is likely strengthening his bones by gardening, cycling, or jogging.

Dr. Meals provides content regarding bone health, bone pathology, and orthopedic treatments for DoveMed. He shares these on his blog www.aboutbone.com.

Dr. Meals is an inveterate learner and gets excited when he finds something new to teach others. He also understands that learning should be fun and unfettered with ambiguity, bias, or hidden agendas. DoveMed is such a source and indeed a refreshing one.