“Building Better Joints … Recent Advances in Cartilage Regeneration,” a free lecture open to the public, will be presented Wednesday, April 6, 6-7:15 p.m., at Banner – University Medical Center Tucson, DuVal Auditorium, 1501 N. Campbell Ave., Tucson. The 75-minute presentation will include time for questions and answers, and light refreshments will be provided.
More than 30 million Americans suffer from painful arthritis in their joints caused by osteoarthritis, while the most common types of knee pain are caused by a breakdown in cartilage. Currently, damaged joints often are replaced with metal and plastic parts that can break down over time and limit range of motion.
Remarkable findings that could change the way doctors treat patients with damaged joints due to cartilage breakdown will be revealed by John Szivek, PhD, a senior scientist in the University of Arizona Arthritis Center and director of the Robert G. Volz, MD, Orthopaedic Research Laboratory. Dr. Szivek and his team are continuing their discoveries that have led to the ability to grow cartilage cells from fat tissue stem cells in this exciting advancement in modern medicine.
On the pathway to building better joints, Dr. Szivek will lead participants through the current treatments for arthritis and defect repair while detailing this exciting, cutting-edge research. He will discuss the specific advances in cartilage regeneration strategies – from repairing small defects to total surface replacements – while detailing the key elements of joint structure and osteoarthritis. Internationally known for his innovative research, Dr. Szivek has been awarded more than $4.5 million in grant funding for his work in cartilage regeneration.
Dr. Szivek is widely recognized for his studies on bone and cartilage regeneration with the goal of repairing damaged joints. In recent years, he and his team have focused on the complex research of re-growing hyaline articular cartilage – the cartilage that covers the surface of bone in all joints.
Dr. Szivek is a professor in the UA Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and the UA Interdisciplinary Biomedical Research Program. He also is a member of the UA BIO5 Institute and a member of the UA Departments of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science. He also holds the William and Sylvia Rubin Endowed Chair in Orthopaedic Research.
Seating is limited and prior registration is requested. For more information or to register, please visit the UA Arthritis Center website, www.arthritis.arizona.edu, or call 520-626-5040 or email livinghealthy@arthritis.arizona.edu
If you have questions concerning access, wish to request a Sign Language interpreter or disability-related accommodations, please contact Tracy Shake, 520-626-5040, email: livinghealthy@arthritis.arizona.edu
Parking is available in the Banner – University Medical Center Tucson visitor/patient parking garage just south of the hospital’s main entrance; please bring your parking ticket to the lecture to be validated.
The lecture is part of the “Living Healthy with Arthritis” series of free monthly talks presented by the UA Arthritis Center at the UA College of Medicine – Tucson and supported through the Susan and Saul Tobin Endowment for Research and Education in Rheumatology.
The final lecture in the spring 2016 series, held in DuVal Auditorium, will be:
- Wednesday, May 4, 6-7:15 p.m., Today, Tomorrow and the Future of Osteoarthritis Treatment, C. Kent Kwoh, MD, director, UA Arthritis Center; the Charles A. L. and Suzanne M. Stephens Endowed Chair in Rheumatology; chief, Division of Rheumatology, UA Department of Medicine; professor of medicine and medical imaging, UA College of Medicine – Tucson
About the University of Arizona Arthritis Center
The University of Arizona Arthritis Center, a Center of Excellence at the UA College of Medicine – Tucson, is a research leader with a focus on identifying the causes of arthritis and developing improved diagnosis, measurement and treatment of the disease. For more information, please visit www.arthritis.arizona.edu
About the University of Arizona Health Sciences
The University of Arizona Health Sciences is the statewide leader in biomedical research and health professions training. The UA Health Sciences includes the UA Colleges of Medicine (Phoenix and Tucson), Nursing, Pharmacy and Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, with main campus locations in Tucson and the growing Phoenix Biomedical Campus in downtown Phoenix. From these vantage points, the UA Health Sciences reaches across the state of Arizona and the greater Southwest to provide cutting-edge health education, research, patient care and community outreach services. A major economic engine, the UA Health Sciences employs almost 5,000 people, has nearly 1,000 faculty members and garners more than $126 million in research grants and contracts annually. For more information: http://uahs.arizona.edu