Research
The UND School of Medicine & Health Sciences Orthopedic Surgery Residency Program leverages the combined expertise of the School of Medicine and Sanford Health to offer residents an opportunity to conduct orthopedics related research.
Each resident is provided the resources and mentoring necessary to develop a strong research background through education and experience. Through participation in high-quality research projects residents will learn how to develop a hypothesis, review the literature, design an experiment, write a research protocol, prepare and submit protocols for review by the Institutional Review Board, acquire and analyze research data, and prepare the results for submission for publication or presentation at local, regional, or national meetings. The research training will involve hands-on research in a laboratory or clinical setting to enhance the understanding of developing and fostering research to improve care in orthopedic surgery.
Research is an important component of the five-year residency program. Residents must complete at least one publishable research project and are afforded the opportunity to present their research project at local, regional, and national meetings. Furthermore, they are encouraged to submit a manuscript about their research to a peer-reviewed orthopedic journal. Guidance and assistance with a resident’s research study will provided by a dedicated group of faculty and staff members comprised of physicians, scientists, engineers, and clinical research specialists. All residents will be given two full months of time devoted to research during the PGY-2 year of their residency. Additionally, residents are encouraged to participate in research during the other years of residency as well.
Residents will have the opportunity to conduct research in state of the art facilities. The Sanford Orthopedic Biomechanics and Engineering Laboratory, located at the Sanford South University Medical Center, is a multifunctional research and education facility dedicated to the advancement of orthopaedic principles and methodologies. This unique facility has 6,000 sq. ft. of dedicated research and laboratory space and is equipped with a 3D optical camera system, dual force plates, a 900 sq. ft. synthetic ice rink, sports specific equipment, electromyography sensors and a functional biomechanical engineering laboratory with mechanical testing equipment and machine tools. A dedicated Research Engineer and Biomechanist are in the lab to assist and integrate research into resident training and to facilitate interactions between residents and faculty. Sanford Health also has a dedicated clinical research team which provides the necessary infrastructure and oversight for residents to participate in clinical research as well. Sanford Orthopedics and Sports Medicine Research has a blend of ongoing investigator initiated and sponsored clinical research studies that residents may participate in.
The research education component of the Residency Program provides residents an opportunity to critically evaluate current clinical orthopedic practices, to participate in research endeavors designed to advance the health and treatment of people with disorders of the musculoskeletal system, and to investigate applications of novel, cutting-edge technologies.