Dr. Wayne McIlwraith, University Distinguished Professor and founding director of the Colorado State University Orthopaedic Research Center, became the first veterinarian honored with a prestigious career award from the Orthopaedic Research Society last weekend.
McIlwraith, a famed equine orthopedic surgeon, received the Marshall R. Urist, MD Award for excellent and sustained contributions to tissue regeneration research as it relates to the musculoskeletal system.
The eminent CSU orthopaedist received the award and a $5,000 honorarium at the 2014 Orthopaedic Research Society annual meeting in New Orleans, and he delivered a lecture to meeting attendees.
McIlwraith is world-renowned for pioneering arthroscopic surgery in the horse and for research in translational medicine that provides insights for horse and human health.
He earned the Marshall R. Urist, MD Award for a career of outstanding achievements in cartilage repair and regeneration, and for his role in educating and training the next generation of orthopedic researchers.
“Your research has had a profound and lasting impact on our understanding of joint pathology and repair, the development and validation of animal models of joint diseases, surgical technologies, intra-articular therapies, cartilage resurfacing, gene therapy for osteoarthritis, and the use of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine strategies,” the Orthopaedic Research Society Awards and Recognition Committee wrote.
McIlwraith’s research program is “the epitome of strong translational research,” the committee said.
In October 2013, McIlwraith received the Jacob Markowitz Award, another distinguished career-achievement award, from the Academy of Surgical Research. The Markowitz Award recognizes outstanding contributions to medicine through the art, science, and technology of experimental surgery.
