Research is an integral component of the Adult Reconstruction - Shoulder and Elbow Fellowship.  A wide variety of research opportunities are available which are supported by a multi-million dollar budget.  Both a clinical and a basic science project will be required.  Fellows are responsible for developing the research protocol and methods, ensure statistical validity of the anticipated sample size, collect the data, and formulate valid conclusions.  The fellow will be given ample time for project completion.  It is expected that these projects will be presented at national meetings and published in appropriate peer-reviewed journals.  Fellows will be financially supported for attendance at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons annual meeting and one additional national subspecialty meeting, such as that held by the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine, the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons, or the Arthroscopy Association of North America, during the fellowship year.

The Harold W. Gehring Biomechanical Research Center, located on-campus in the Research Institute, serves as our basic science laboratory.  Kevin Baker, MS supervises five research engineers and specializes in materials engineering.  The Implant Retrieval Analysis Laboratory contains a large library of catalogued retrieved shoulder prostheses available for wear and mode of failure analysis.  Full-service animal surgical facilities are available.  In addition, the fellow will have access to a 12-station MTS total joint wear simulator that has been modified to test shoulder prostheses.

Current basic and clinical research efforts focus on the following areas: 

• Polyethylene wear simulation of shoulder prostheses
• Retrieved shoulder implant analyses
• Biomechanical testing of glenoid component fixation
• Clinical outcomes of TSA and RTSA procedures
• Augmentation of soft tissue to bone healing
• Optimizing rehabilitation in shoulder surgery based on biomechanical evidence
• Analysis of in-vivo glenohumeral relationships during sports activities using advanced motion analysis techniques
• Elbow ligament reconstruction techniques

For more information, please visit our Orthopaedic Research page.