João Espregueira-Mendes, MD, PhD, is the Chairman of Clínicas Espregueira – FIFA Medical Centre of Excellence. As an orthopaedic surgeon, he specializes in knee surgery and orthobiologics. He is a consultant of the FC Porto and has operated on many professional athletes from all over the world. Currently, his education activities are mostly centralized in Minho University, where he is the Chairman of the Orthopaedic Department.
He has received 15 awards and distinctions and serves many leading roles in European and International orthopaedic-related societies, of which stand out: President of Portuguese Society of Arthroscopy and Sport Traumatology – SPAT (2004-2008); President of European Society of Sports Traumatology, Knee Surgery & Arthroscopy – ESSKA (2012-2014); President Founder of ESSKA Foundation (2013); Member of the Editorial Board of the Knee Surgery Sports Traumatology and Arthroscopy – KSSTA Journal (2003-2021); Elected President of International Society of Arthroscopy, Knee Surgery and Orthopaedic Sports Medicine – ISAKOS (2025-2027); Member of Board of Trustees of Journal of ISAKOS and Journal of Experimental Orthopaedics (current); Associate Editor of Journal of Cartilage & Joint Preservation (current); Board Member of the Patellofemoral Foundation (current); Advisory Board of FIFA Medical Centre of Excellence (current). He is also an honorary member of The Bulgarian Orthopaedics and Trauma Association (BOTA), SPAT and Spanish Society of the Knee (Sociedad Española de la Rodilla – SEROD), and a Life Member of ESSKA.
He has lectured more than 700 communications worldwide and published more than 300 works (over 5000 citations) in the area of Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine mostly focusing on anterior cruciate ligament injuries, knee cartilage injuries, instrumented-assisted imaging evaluation (knee ligaments and patellofemoral joints) and tissue engineering and regenerative medicine (orthobiologics, bio-printed meniscus scaffold). He also invented the Porto Knee Testing Device (as well as collaborated on the invention of the Patella, Ankle and Shoulder Testing Devices) to measure the injury of knee, ankle and shoulder joint ligaments within the magnetic resonance imaging. He frequently innovates new surgical techniques, such as the MPFL-MQTFL reconstruction technique, without the need of tunnels and hardware. Click here to see more on his research works.