The Canadian Orthopaedic Foundation is committed to advancing bone and joint health through funding research – the cornerstone on which we were established. Every year, we receive a wide array of applications for research grants that explore different aspects of orthopaedic science, from diagnostic techniques to new surgical procedures. Applications are judged by an expert panel according to scientific merit and ultimate clinical benefit to patients.
Click here for a list of all grant and award recipients.
J. Édouard Samson Award
The premier award for orthopaedic research in Canada, the J. Édouard Samson Award, recognizes the best career orthopaedic research over a period of five (5) years or more at a Canadian centre. Click here for more information.
CORL – Canadian Orthopaedic Research Legacy Grant
The CORL fund was founded in 2006 to help ensure Canada’s world-class status in orthopaedic research; thereby ensuring orthopaedic patients reap the reward of new techniques and treatments made possible through research grants from this program.
Click here for more information.
Community Innovation Award
The Community Innovation Award celebrates community-based surgeons and research studies dedicated to improving patient care or musculoskeletal health in their community. This program fills a gap in the research landscape in Canada, encouraging community orthopaedic researchers to bring their research ideas to fruition. Click here for more information.
CSES Research Grant
In collaboration with the Canadian Shoulder and Elbow Society, the Canadian Orthopaedic Foundation established the CSES Research Grant to support and encourage orthopaedic surgeons to conduct collaborative shoulder or elbow research. Click here for more information.
Special Awards
When funding allows, the Foundation grants special named research awards. Three of these are the Carroll A. Laurin award, recognizing excellence in clinical research; the Robert B. Salter award, recognizing excellence in basic science research; and the Cy Frank award, recognizing excellence in research innovation. In addition, one of the successful applications in the research competition may be chosen to receive the Alexandra Kirkley Young Investigator Award recognizing outstanding research by a young (less than 40 years of age) investigator.
In addition to the above, the Foundation also supports a wide variety of other educational initiatives for bone and joint health:
Bones and Phones Scholarship
The Bones and Phones Legacy Scholarship Fund was established to recognize orthopaedic residents who have demonstrated commitment and contribution to enhancing musculoskeletal health in their community, or abroad, beyond that which would be expected during their residency training period. Click here for more information.
Robin Richards Award for Upper Extremity Research
The Robin Richards Award for Upper Extremity Research recognizes the best upper extremity paper presented at the Canadian Orthopaedic Association annual meeting. Click here for more information.
COA Basic Science Course Scholarship
In partnership with Dr. Thomas V. Smallman and the COA Basic Science Course, the Canadian Orthopaedic Foundation established the COA Basic Science Course Scholarship to create an incentive for orthopaedic residents to benefit from the process of analyzing, and preparing for presentation, the relevant aspects of a challenging clinical case. Click here for more information.
Anica Bitenc Travelling Fellowship
In 1982 the Canadian Orthopaedic Association (COA) received an offer from one of its members, Dr. Igor Bitenc, to sponsor an annual travelling fellowship for a young orthopaedic surgeon from the then Yugoslavia. The Fellowship, named in memory of Dr. Bitenc’s late mother, Mrs. Anica Bitenc, is funded by an annual endowment from Dr. Bitenc and managed by the Canadian Orthopaedic Foundation. Click here for more information.
R.I. Harris Memorial Lecture
Dr. R.I. Harris significantly contributed to and shaped orthopaedics in Canada, and following his passing in 1966 the Foundation wished to honour his legacy by establishing a lecture session annually at the Canadian Orthopaedic Association’s (COA) Annual Meeting. The lectureship creates an opportunity for Canadian surgeons to meet and learn from distinguished guest lecturers from around the world. Click here for more information.
Macnab Lecture
An outstanding researcher, teacher and orthopaedic surgeon, Dr. Ian Macnab contributed significantly to orthopaedics in Canada. Following his passing in 1992 an educational lectureship was named in his honour, with the first lecture delivered by Dr. E.H. Simmons in 1994. Click here for more information.
Community Investment Grants
As funding allows, individual community grants are awarded in support of our mission: to achieve excellence in bone & joint health and mobility by advancing musculoskeletal research, education and care.