What's new in orthopaedic research

The ORS is the premier organization in our field for dissemination of research findings. The annual meeting is held each year just prior to the AAOS Annual Meeting. The fifty-second annual meeting of the ORS will be held on March 5 through 8, 2006, in New Orleans, Louisiana. The ORS web site contains a listing of members who are willing to serve as mentors for young scientists. These individuals have expressed willingness to serve in various capacities, such as providing brief telephone consultations, performing confidential review of manuscripts and/or grants, or hosting a young scientist for a short period of time to teach a new research technique. The ORS also sponsors a Career Development Fellowship that provides as much as $7500 of funding for an individual to spend time at another institution. The goals of this program are to provide education for the recipient, to foster interdisciplinary collaborations, and to promote the interchange of ideas. The ORS also sponsors various research awards, and information is available on the ORS web site. The AAOS web site is another valuable source of up-to-date information on upcoming AAOS-sponsored symposia, scientific meetings, and reports from AAOS research committees. The web site also lists the various committees under the Council on Research. Individuals interested in research are encouraged to consult this web site and to consider applying for committee membership. Information is available on research awards, research funding, and the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons/Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation (AAOS/OREF) fellowship. Another important way for clinicians to become involved in research is to serve as reviewers on National Institutes of Health study sections. There is currently a critical need for orthopaedic surgeons to serve on review panels. In summary, orthopaedic research continues to advance at a rapid pace as new techniques are applied to musculoskeletal tissues. The discovery of biologic solutions to important problems such as fracture-healing, soft-tissue repair, osteoporosis, and osteoarthritis continues to be an important research focus. At the same time, research in biomaterials and biomechanics is critical to advances in current areas such as tissue-engineering and cytokine delivery.