New Advancement Manager; Exciting research and events; We're hiring; and more news

Brandi Funk joins UW Department of Orthopedics and Rehabilitation as new Advancement Manager

Brandi Funk joined our department as our new Advancement Manager on Monday, April 24, taking on the role previously held by Joe Greene.

A highly successful, seasoned development professional, Brandi comes to us from the Wisconsin Foundation and Alumni Association (WFAA), where she has served as a Development Director for the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences since 2018. Before her time at the WFAA, she spent over six years at Wisconsin Public Radio, first as a Senior Development Specialist and then as a Planned Giving Officer. In addition, Brandi founded and served as both executive director and chief development officer of HEADRUSH, a non-profit that established the HEADRUSH Brain Tumor Research Professorship, an endowed professorship at the UW Foundation housed in the Department of Human Oncology.

We are excited to welcome Brandi to the team and cannot wait to see what she accomplishes here at UW!

Joe Greene retires from UW

Joe Greene retired from the UW earlier this year after serving both as an Athletic Trainer since 1991 and as the UW Department of Orthopedics and Rehabilitation's Outreach and Development Program Manager for the last 12 years. Joe did outstanding work throughout his tenure with us, forging meaningful relationships with patients, donors, alums, and physicians while raising funds to support our work. We are incredibly grateful for the time we had him here.

While Joe is stepping away from his longtime roles at UW, he remains committed to supporting our department's mission as an active UW Orthopedics Development Board member. We wish him all the best in his next adventure as Director of Community and Client Engagement at Goldstein Advisors, LLC – and look forward to seeing him at our next Board meeting!

Research Spotlight

2023 Freedom of Movement Awardees

The Freedom of Movement (FOM) Award was established by the UW Department of Orthopedics and Rehabilitation in 2013 to support research and science that improves the quality of life for children and adults living with bone and joint disorders and injuries. Every year, FOM grants are awarded to support work that spans the entire spectrum of orthopedic care for all ages, from prevention and diagnosis to treatment and recovery.

Learn more about how you can help support the Freedom of Movement Fund

We are thrilled to recognize this year's FOM awardees.

Laura Bellaire, MD, and Kenneth Noonan, MD, were awarded a $50,000 FOM grant to support their research exploring a less invasive method for correcting limb length discrepancy in children.

Molly Day, MD, and Brian Nickel, MD, were awarded a $50,000 FOM grant for their study that seeks to identify factors affecting cartilage health in college athletes who've had anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.

More About the 2023 FOM Awarded Research

Promising Young Faculty Investigators awarded Research Funding

Josh Roth, PhD, received the UW Department of Orthopedics and Rehabilitation's 2023 Pilot Award for his research to improve understanding of the progressive worsening of ligament dysfunction associated with spontaneous osteoarthritis (OA).

Scott Crawford, PhD, an assistant professor in the Departments of Kinesiology and Orthopedics and Rehabilitation at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, was recently awarded a KL2 Scholar Program grant; he will officially begin the program in July 2023.

UW Researchers Recruiting Participants to Test Novel Therapy for Painful Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy

UW researchers are recruiting participants for a clinical trial exploring an innovative non-opioid therapy to treat painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy (PDPN). Nalini Sehgal, MD, Professor and Chair of the Division of Rehabilitation Medicine and the Director of the UW Interventional Pain Medicine Program and Pain Medicine Fellowship, is the study’s principal investigator (PI).

Conferences & Events

UW Orthopedics Research Forum

On May 8, 2023 we hosted our annual UW Orthopedic Research Forum at the Fluno Center in Madison. The all-day event featured presentations of cutting-edge research from 31 members of the department, including faculty, fellows, residents, researcher and scientists. Keynote speaker for the event was Peter Muir, BVSc, PhD, MVetClinStud, MRCVS, DACVS, DECVS, co-director of the UW School of Veterinary Medicine's Comparative Orthopaedic Research Laboratory. Dr. Muir presented "Is Anterior Ligament Cruciate Rupture an Injury or a Disease?"

Event Program

UW Pain Medicine and Rehabilitation Research Day

UW PM&R residents and fellows demonstrated their superb scholarship throughout our 2023 Multidisciplinary Pain Medicine and Rehabilitation Research Day, held on May 8. Sandip Biswal, MD, visiting professor from the UW Department of Radiology at the UW School of Medicine and Public Health, served as the event's keynote speaker, presenting "A new Clinical Imaging Approach to Pinpoint Pain Generators using PET/MRI."

Event Program

Andrew Watson, MD, takes Best Overall Research Award at AMSSM Annual Meeting

Andrew Watson, MD, won the Best Overall Research Award at the 2023 American Medical Society for Sports Medicine (AMSSM) Annual Meeting, held in Phoenix, AZ, from April 29 to May 3. Dr. Watson's research talk was titled: "Race And Socioeconomic Status Influence the Benefits of Returning to Sports During COVID-19." Our own Erin Hammer, MD, won this award last year, so we are keeping this honor at UW!

Stephanie Kliethermes organizes Research Summit on Health Disparities in Sports Medicine

Stephanie Kliethermes, PhD, was awarded an R13 Grant from the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities to support an all-day Research Summit on health disparities in sports medicine. An Associate Professor of Research in our department, Dr. Kliethermes also serves as Research Director of the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine (AMSSM). She organized this event through the AMSSM.

Members of UW Orthopedics Team attend AANA; Dr. Andrea Spiker receives Arthroscopy Instructor Award

Earlier this month, UW Orthopedics and Rehabilitation Department Interim Chair Tamara Scerpella, MD, orthopedic faculty members Andrea Spiker, MD, and Brian Grogan, MD, and UW Sports Medicine fellow, Jace Heiden, MD, represented the UW Orthopedics team at the Arthroscopy Association of North America Annual Meeting in New Orleans, LA.

During the three-day event, Dr. Spiker was presented with the AANA's Stephen J. Snyder, MD Arthroscopy Instructor Award. This honor recognizes an AANA member who demonstrates an "exceptional commitment" to the education of orthopedic surgeons through dedication, skill, and an extraordinary commitment to "teaching at courses, presenting lectures, and delivering hands-on training."

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