Unrestricted grants targeted at promoting education, research
WARSAW, Ind., March 25 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ --Zimmer Holdings, Inc., (NYSE: ZMH) announced that it has funded a total of more than $300,000 in unrestricted grants to seven orthopaedic surgeons who are early in their careers and are pursuing further training or investigation. The Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation (OREF) administered the selection process that, for the first time, included two new directed awards for minority and female applicants, with those selections being made by the J. Robert Gladden and Ruth Jackson Orthopaedic Societies.
The Zimmer Orthopaedic Surgery Career Development Awards are designed to help develop the next generation of orthopaedic leaders by supporting surgeons who have a clinical or scientific interest in total joint surgery and trauma- related fracture treatment. The program is in its second year and represents a total to date of more than $600,000 in unrestricted grants.
"We are proud to have partnered with the OREF, the Gladden Society and the Jackson Society to extend our long-standing tradition of unrestricted support for activities that advance the science and practice of orthopaedic medicine," said Zimmer Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Ray Elliott. "With the Career Development Award, we have chosen to focus our support for surgeons who are still early in their career with the hope that their best ideas can begin to influence orthopaedics today."
Winners of the 2002 awards are: Thomas E. Brown, M.D., Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Virginia; Leesa M. Galatz, M.D., Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Washington University at Barnes-Jewish Hospital; Russell D. Meldrum, Indiana University; Douglas D. R. Naudie, M.D., University of Western Ontario; Robert Satcher, M.D., Ph.D., Northwestern Memorial Faculty Foundation--Orthopaedic Surgery; John B. Sledge III, M.D., Boston University School of Medicine; and Kristy L. Weber, M.D., M.D. Anderson Cancer Center.
Since 1988, Zimmer has donated more than $3 million in unrestricted funding for orthopaedic research, either independently or in conjunction with its former parent.
The Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation is responsible for administering the Career Development Award program. Panels of orthopaedic surgeons review all award proposals and make funding recommendations. Individuals may apply for up to a one-year career development award by submitting a proposal for support for research or surgical training. Individual awards cannot exceed $50,000.
Complete information about the program, criteria and the application process can be found on OREF's website at www.oref.org .
Zimmer, based in Warsaw, Indiana, is a global leader in the design, development, manufacture and marketing of reconstructive orthopaedic implants and fracture management products. Orthopaedic reconstruction implants restore joint function lost due to disease or trauma in joints such as knees, hips, shoulders and elbows. Fracture management products are devices used primarily to reattach or stabilize damaged bone and tissue to support the body's natural healing process. Zimmer also manufactures and markets other products related to orthopaedic and general surgery. For the year 2001, Zimmer recorded worldwide revenues of approximately $1.2 billion. Zimmer was founded in 1927 and has more than 3,400 employees worldwide.
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