Warsaw, Indiana is known to some as the “Orthopedic Capital of the World,” mostly because the northern Indiana city was responsible for igniting the orthopedic industry with DePuy Orthopedics in 1895. Today, Warsaw remains a hub in the orthopedic industry, with companies such as Zimmer Biomet, Precision Medical Technologies and IMD Instrumental Machine & Development calling Warsaw home.
These companies are also supported by OrthoWorx, a nonprofit organization that was established in 2009 to seek long-term sustainability and growth in the orthopedic sector with a focus on talent development and attraction as well as innovation and entrepreneurship.
On Aug. 20, BioCrossroads in cooperation with organizers from the Indiana Center for Musculoskeletal Health at Indiana University School of Medicine, will host the FrameWORX Summit, “The Future of Musculoskeletal Health: Innovations in Orthopedic Medicine and Indiana’s Leadership Opportunity,” at Grace College in Winona Lake, Indiana, a major suburb of Warsaw. Nearly 250 industry leaders, researchers, clinicians and innovators are expected to convene for the event to discuss the future of musculoskeletal health as it relates to scientific breakthroughs, clinical challenges and economic implications that will shape the next generation of orthopedic medicine — and how Indiana can contribute and expand success in orthopedics.
Three Indiana University faculty are featured speakers at the event, including Melissa A. Kacena, PhD, director of the Indiana Center for Musculoskeletal Health and the Edward H. and Yvonne J. Boseker Professor of Orthopaedics; Roman Natoli, MD, PhD, associate professor of orthopaedic surgery at IU School of Medicine and Amrou Awaysheh, PhD, MBA, professor and endowed chair, IU Kelley School of Business and adjunct faculty member in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at IU School of Medicine.
“At its core, the delivery of orthopedic care is the patient-physician encounter. However, from a 30,000-foot view, one realizes its much more,” said Natoli, who is also an orthopaedic trauma surgeon at Indiana University Health. “Comprehensive, high-quality orthopedic care results from a continuum of collaboration involving scientists, engineers, manufacturers, business, educators, policymakers, clinicians, patient advocates and many others. The FrameWORX Summit will bring together in conversation a cross-section of these stakeholders to explore how we can position Indiana to define orthopedic innovation for years to come.”
The summit will be preceded by industry tours in the morning beginning at 9 a.m. at Zimmer Biomet and then proceed to Instrumental Machine & Development and Precision Medical Technologies. The program will begin at 1 p.m. at the Manahan Orthopedic Capital Center at Grace College, 610 Wooster Road, in Winona Lake,and will conclude with a poster session in which early scientists are encouraged to participate. Tours are $20 and require advance registration, as space permits. The FrameWORX program is free. Those interested in attending may register via Eventbrite, which will also facilitate food orders.
The keynote address will be presented by Kurt R. Weiss, MD, director of the Musculoskeletal Oncology Laboratory at the University of Pittsburgh, who also serves as an associate professor at the University of Pittsburgh Orthopaedic Surgery Division of Musculoskeletal Oncology and vice chair of translational research. Weiss specializes in orthopedic oncology and reconstructive orthopedic surgery and is a cancer survivor.
Other speakers include Vince Wong, JD, MBA, president and CEO, BioCrossroads; Hallie Brinkerhuff, senior director, research and development and innovation, Zimmer Biomet; Jim Lancaster, former senior vice president and head of global product development, Zimmer Biomet; Brian Hodorek, president, CEO and co-founder of Ignite; Allyn Decker, PhD, vice president of operations and engagement at OrthoWorx; Brandon Noll, director of Plug and Play Indiana; Kevin J. Otto, PhD, Dane A. Miller Head of the Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering at Purdue University; and Indiana State Rep. Craig Snow, District 22.
A call for abstract submissions for the FrameWORX Summit is open to trainees and faculty. Submission deadline is July 15, and content changes to abstracts will be accepted until Aug. 13.
See full event schedule and register.
