OTRF Funds Ongoing, Unbiased Research to Improve Patient Outcomes

On any given day you can encounter biases—age, weight, looks, gender, wealth, skill, intelligence, etc. When it involves medical research, though, bias can be very detrimental—especially when it comes to your health.

Early in his medical training, Dr. Steven C. Chudik, founder and president of the Orthopaedic Surgery and Sports Medicine Teaching and Research Foundation (OTRF), saw the need for up-to-date medical information and unbiased research on the prevention and treatment of shoulder, knee and sports injuries to the musculoskeletal system—joints, cartilage, tendons, ligaments, etc. Through OTRF, Dr. Chudik makes unbiased research possible and already developed several surgical procedures and instruments to improve treatments for shoulder and knee injuries such as anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) repair in growing children, rotator cuff tears and shoulder dislocations. Some of the other ongoing research includes:

Clinical Trials and Outcome Research
To evaluate and improve patient care, Dr. Steven Chudik conducts independent clinical outcomes research. It is important to track patients’ short-term, as well as long-term outcomes, and put treatments to the test. Through critical analysis of the results, Dr. Chudik learns about the limits of current treatment standards and pushes to discover better alternatives for his patients. As Dr. Chudik’s various research projects progress, he will provide updates and report his findings, outcomes and benefits here. Check here periodically to follow his work and see if he needs study participants.

Basic Science Research
To better understand the basic science of anatomy, tissue injury and healing, injury mechanisms and prevention, implant and fixation biomechanics, joint tribology and other orthopaedic and sports medicine basic science, Dr. Steven Chudik collaborates with Loyola University of Chicago, Hines V.A. Musculoskeletal Biomechanics Center, Argonne National Laboratory, and multiple other partners in industry. Exploring hypotheses in the laboratory broadens Dr. Chudik’s basic orthopaedic knowledge and helps him extrapolate and bring new ideas into patient care. There have been many innovations in patient care that were first discovered in the laboratory. See Areas of Research and Development.

Patient Work and Innovation
Dr. Steven Chudik continually innovates to create new technology, surgical techniques and improve patient care. He also collaborates worldwide with other leaders in the orthopaedic technology industry. Surgeries provide Dr. Chudik with an endless source of ideas to create new, safer, less invasive, and more effective surgical procedures, surgical instruments and implants. Several of his patent works are the direct result of these pioneering endeavors. See Areas of Research and Development.

Areas of Research and Development

Shoulder Research and Developments

Shoulder Replacement
Rotator Cuff Repair
Shoulder Instability and Dislocations
Acromioclavicular Injuries
Shoulder Fractures
Shoulder Anesthesia
Throwing Shoulder and Elbow Injuries

Knee Research and Developments

Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL)
Cartilage and Joint Surface Injuries
Multiple Knee Ligament Injuries

Miscelleneous

Soft-Tissue Injury Research and Developments
Miscellaneous Sports Injuries
Patient Experience

SOAR Research Program

Dr. Steven Chudik is a Top Doctor in orthopaedics and a pioneer in orthopaedic shoulder and knee arthroscopic surgery, and sports medicine, and a noted researcher and clinical assistant professor at Loyola University of Chicago. Building on his expertise and background, Dr. Chudik created the SOAR Program, (Students interested in Orthopaedics And Research) that is hosted by his foundation, OTRF. Designed to expose interested and motivated undergraduate, pre-med and medical students to orthopaedic surgery and research, the program allows participants to explore the fields of clinical practice and medical research through educational curriculum and hands-on experience. SOAR participants gain valuable experience working on research projects from the beginning brainstorming phase through the submission and publication of manuscripts by professional orthopaedic journals and associations. The knowledge and understanding students gain through either a ten-week summer program or one-year rotation helps students make career decisions and support their application to medical school and residency programs. Apply for SOAR >>
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