Cleveland Clinic's Adult Reconstruction Research program began 16 years ago in 2007 and has grown significantly since then, according to an April 18 feature from the hospital.
Nicholas Piuzzi, MD, director of the program, said in the feature that the team's structure and Cleveland Clinic's high-volume and high-complexity environment help orthopedic research stand out.
"Our uniqueness, however, is our team structure, which has been evolving and maturing over more than a decade," he said. "Many CCARR team members have been added and have become more proficient in each step of the research process. All of us have a shared mission: to improve the outcomes of hip and knee arthroplasty patients through personalized medicine and evidence-based orthopaedic surgery. That mission is why we have invested resources in training residents and research fellows; embedded a data analyst in our group; and recruited a PhD to lead our basic and translational research projects, including developing an animal model for studying biofilm and infection prevention."
He also pointed to seven takeaways from an April 2021 article in EFORT Open Reviews. The values are:
1. Surgeons don't do it alone.
2. Research training is a must.
3. Strong leadership by PIs and research managers is fundamental.
4. A solid team culture helps promote stability and employee satisfaction.
5. Legal experts and grant administrators can help secure funding.
6. All research team members must understand and comply with government and industry regulations.
7. Communication strengthens the team.