The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) is bestowing a $100,000 research award to Jay Wunder, M.D., a surgical oncologist specializing in bone and soft tissue sarcomas, including osteosarcoma (a form of musculoskeletal cancer).

The AAOS Board of Specialty Societies (BOS) Research Support Fund Award provides $100,000 for evidence-based research in musculoskeletal healthcare. All applications were reviewed for scientific merit through AAOS’ Scientific Review Group, a workgroup consisting of AAOS members representing the AAOS Research and Quality Council, the BOS and the Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation. 

The Musculoskeletal Tumor Society is the sponsoring organization of the research award. The research itself is titled, “Evaluating the Implementation, Utility, and Clinical Importance of the Patient-Reported Outcome Measure Information System (PROMIS) in Sarcoma Patients: A Multi-Centered Prospective Cohort Study.”

Awards for the funding cycle will be distributed immediately by the AAOS with the sponsoring organizations providing incremental funding for each project. The award is also being enhanced by a $10,000 contribution from the Sarcoma Strong Fund within the Musculoskeletal Tumor Society.

“Physician-led research is crucial to advancing patient care in orthopaedics,” AAOS Research and Quality Council Chair David S. Jevsevar, M,D,, said. “The insights gained from this research provide valuable data on treatment approaches and help establish new perspective and standards of care for musculoskeletal conditions. Together with our partners at the orthopedic specialty societies, we are excited to support this funding opportunity for a second year.”

Dr. Wunder Surgeon-in-Chief at Mount Sinai Hospital`s Christopher Sharp Centre for Surgery and Oncology (New York, N.Y.), head of the Division of Orthopaedic Surgery, director of the University Musculoskeletal Oncology Unit, and professor of Surgery at the University of Toronto.

Wunder leads the multi-disciplinary Sarcoma Program, which is recognized by Accreditation Canada as a leading practice. Dealing with some of the most complex cases of the disease, this program is recognized nationally and internationally for achieving the best patient outcomes, development, and implementation of new treatment strategies and translational research. Dr. Wunder has held several Orthopaedic Oncology Fellowships, and he is the inaugural holder of the Rubinoff/Gross Chair in Orthopaedic Oncology.

His many awards for teaching include the Robert Salter Teaching Award (University of Toronto), the Wightman Berris Academy Teaching Award, and the Bruce Tovee Teaching Award. Dr. Wunder is the recipient of numerous research grants such as the Orthopaedic and Research Education Foundation Kappa delta Research Award, the highest honor in North American orthopedic research.

As an associate member of the Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institite, Dr. Wunder collaborates with Dr. Irene Andrulis and other Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum colleagues to develop Canada`s most extensive sarcoma tissue bank (which also houses protected clinical data), to help determine the relationship between genetic mutations in tumors and clinical outcomes.

With more than 39,000 members, the AAOS is the world’s largest medical association of musculoskeletal specialists. The AAOS advances musculoskeletal health and provides comprehensive education to help orthopedic surgeons and allied health professionals best treat patients. The AAOS is the source for information on bone and joint conditions, treatments, and related musculoskeletal healthcare issues; and it leads the healthcare discussion on advancing quality.