Canadian Orthopaedic Research Legacy:
surgeons helping surgeons excel

Dennis Jeanes
Special to the Canadian Orthopaedic Foundation

When it comes to creating a truly lasting legacy for orthopaedic research, many hands indeed make light work. Or put another way: If every orthopaedic surgeon in Canada were to donate $300 per year - an hour's operating room time - resources for research would reach a million dollars within four years. The groundwork for a million-dollar legacy fund has been laid, and surgeons are now invited to help build that legacy by becoming annual donors

There are good, practical reasons why CORL makes such sense and needs to flourish. Dr. Robert B. Salter and Dr. Richard Holtby offer their thoughts:

"As an orthopaedic clinician/scientist for 50 years, I am well aware that the difference between a good orthopaedic division and a truly great orthopaedic division is the presence in the latter of a strong and effective programme of research - both clinical and experimental.

"During the past 50 years much excellent research has been conducted by members of the Canadian Orthopaedic Association. Furthermore, the funding of orthopaedic research from granting agencies such as the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and The Arthritis Society is more realistic now than in earlier times. Nevertheless, it is not sufficient to meet the financial needs of an expanded nation-wide programme of orthopaedic research.

"We can and must do better. It is for this very reason that the LEGACY has been created." - Dr. Robert B. Salter, CORL Honorary Patron

"We all understand the importance of research in advancing orthopaedic surgery. Many of us would like to do more for research but are frustrated by the shortage of money and other resources necessary to embark on good research. Securing funding from major granting agencies requires hours of grant preparation and administrative time. Local funding for smaller projects is getting harder and harder to find. The goal of the CORL programme is to develop a significant fund for orthopaedic research. This fund will be allocated on recommendations of orthopaedic surgeons to an orthopaedic surgeon for this research. We hope to be able to enable many small to medium sized projects and pilot studies in a more simple and timely manner than larger agencies can. Moreover, we aim to focus on things important to orthopaedic surgeons both in academic centres and community hospitals." - Dr. Richard Holtby, Member, CORL Steering Committee

Make a commitment to help the CORL vision become a reality. Make a donation. Better yet, become an annual donor. Here's how:

• By Mail: Send your cheque, payable to the Canadian Orthopaedic Foundation, to P.O. Box 7029, Innisfil, Ontario, L9S 1A8. Be sure to include a note advising it is a CORL donation or write CORL in the memo section of your cheque.
• Via the Web: Visit http://www.canorth.org/, click on Donate, then Donate Now through CanadaHelps. Once on the CanadaHelps web site, select Canadian Orthopaedic Research Legacy from the fund drop-down box.
• By Phone: Call 416-410-2341 or 1-800-461-3639 ext. 4 and have your credit card information handy. Or request a donor card.

For your safety, do not send credit card information via e-mail or fax.