Orthopaedic Consortium Awards $75,000 Research Grant for Advancing Orthopaedic Training with Virtual Reality

Posted 7/11/2024

Rosemont, Illinois – In November 2023, AANA, in collaboration with the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine (AOSSM), the Society for Military Orthopaedic Surgeons (SOMOS) and American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS), held the inaugural MAST Summit to explore research opportunities. The initiative is dedicated to fostering research endeavors in the field of orthopaedics, particularly emphasizing its implications for both military and civilian populations.

AANA, AOSSM, SOMOS and AAOS are honored to announce second research grant is awarded to Patrick Mescher, M.D. and his study, Harnessing Fully Immersive Virtual Reality (FI-VR) for Advanced Arthroscopy Skills Development: A Randomized Controlled Trial of Orthopaedic Sports Medicine Fellows Performing ACL Reconstruction. Virtual Reality simulation technology has emerged as a transformative tool in medical education, offering a promising solution to the shortcomings of traditional surgical training. The purpose of Dr. Mescher’s study is to evaluate the performance of Orthopaedic Surgery Sports Medicine Fellows completing an arthroscopic assisted anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) after either practicing the procedure with an FI-VR simulation or studying the procedure with a technique video.

AANA, AOSSM, SOMOS and AAOS congratulate Dr. Mescher and are pleased to support such an important initiative with critical research grant funding.