History and Missions
History
The Laboratories for Orthopaedic Research, established
in 1977, are the research division of the Department of Orthopaedics
at UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School. The Department has nine highly skilled
orthopaedic surgeons, two professors of biomedical engineering and one
professor of microbiology and molecular genetics.
From a humble beginning in one small laboratory, staff
surgeons and researchers with no funding or equipment started what was
to become a premier internationally recognized Orthopaedic Research
Facility. At the onset, the interdisciplinary nature of orthopaedic
research was recognized with
engineers/scientists working shoulder to shoulder with orthopaedic surgeons
in the laboratories. With this team approach, the laboratories grew
and research began to flourish.
Early on, generous philanthropic support from the George
L. Schultz Foundation permitted the acquisition of substantial equipment
and the establishment of a graduate research training program. Today
the laboratories occupy significant space within the Medical Science
Building of the UMDNJ-NJMS in Newark, New Jersey.
Missions
1.The mission of the laboratory is a simple one,
to do superior quality orthopaedic research and ultimately improve the
quality of life of people who suffer from debilitating musculoskeletal
diseases or trauma.
2.A second and equally significant purpose is to
educate the orthopaedic researchers of the future.
