Awards were announced today for Drs. Paul Beaulé and Peter Lapner of Ottawa and Drs. George Athwal and David O’Gorman of London.

Toronto, March 16, 2015 – Dr. Erin Boynton, Chair of the Canadian Orthopaedic Foundation’s Research Committee, announced the awards noting that all Canadians can share some pride in the quality of the applications received and dedication of these outstanding surgeons.

Dr. Paul Beaulé of the Ottawa Hospital has been awarded the $15,000 J. Édward Samson Award for research studies revealing more accurately the multidimensional causes of degenerative osteoarthritis of the hip – a disorder that affects about 13% of seniors and frequently leads to chronic pain or hip replacement often presenting in early adulthood with cartilage tears. Dr. Beaulé is a native of Quebec City and a graduate of the University of Ottawa Medical School. He served as an associate of the Joint Replacement Institute at Orthopaedic Hospital in Los Angeles as well as Assistant Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at the Santa Monica/UCLA Medical Centre. Dr. Beaulé is currently Professor of Surgery and Head of Division of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Ottawa and Chief of Orthopaedics, Ottawa Hospital.

Two $20,000 Canadian Orthopaedic Research Legacy Grants were awarded this year.

Dr. Peter Lapner received an award for his proposal which focuses on a promising approach to overcome great difficulties in pre-operative diagnosis of different types of infections that, if undiagnosed, can have devastating and long-term effects after shoulder repair or replacement surgery. Dr. Lapner is an Assistant Professor at the University of Ottawa, and graduate of the University of Toronto Medical School, and has completed fellowships at the University of Ottawa, University of British Columbia, and visiting fellowships in France and Switzerland.

Dr. George Athwal and Dr. David O’Gorman received an award for their proposal which focuses on elucidating the effects of P. acnes infections on shoulder tissue repair. Their novel approach utilizes co-cultures of P. acnes with human rotator cuff cells in three-dimensional bio-mechanically stressed tissue models. Dr. Athwal is an Associate Professor at the University of Western Ontario (Western University). A graduate of the University of British Columbia Medical School, he attended Queen’s University orthopaedic residency program and completed fellowships at Cornell University and the Mayo Clinic in Rochester MN. Dr. O’Gorman is an Assistant Professor at Western University. He received his graduate and postgraduate training in microbiology at Macquarie University, Australia, his PhD in cell biology from the University of Sydney, Australia, and postdoctoral training at Western University, Canada. This research will be performed in the Cell and Molecular Biology Laboratory of the Roth McFarlane Hand and Upper Limb Centre in the Lawson Health Research Institute, London, Ontario.

The Canadian Orthopaedic Foundation is Canada’s only health charity dedicated to helping people build, maintain and restore their bone and joint health. These research awards are one of the many ways the Foundation delivers on its mission. Funds for research are only available thanks to the kind support of our donors.

For further information contact the Canadian Orthopaedic Foundation at 416-410-2341 ext. 221 or research@canorth.org.