University | Industry Advisory Board (UIAB) Update: Taking the Next Steps

Since our last e-Newsletter communication, much progress has been made with the OrthoWorx University | Industry collaboration initiative.

While council formation remains in the beginning stages, we are proud to report on the following milestones:

• Additional university members have joined the University | Industry Advisory Board (UIAB) and the commitment to strengthen the connection between Indiana’s higher learning institutions and the orthopedic industry. The following educational entities now are represented on our UIAB: Ball State University, Grace College (a founding OrthoWorx member), Indiana University, Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne (IPFW), Ivy Tech Community College, Manchester University, Purdue University, Trine University, and the University of Notre Dame. Orthopedic industry members currently represented include: Biomet, DePuy Synthes Joint Reconstruction, Medtronic, Paragon Medical, Symmetry Medical and Zimmer. Discussions regarding membership are still underway with other interested parties.

• Councils working on behalf of the Advisory Board have been formed and co-chairs have been identified. Each council has one chairperson from industry and one chairperson from academia who will serve as leaders for their specific area of focus. So far five councils have been defined:

1. The Human Resources (HR) Council will focus on how to attract, recruit and retain talent to the orthopedic industry, with a specific immediate emphasis on the current processes in place for internships, co-ops and other experiential learning opportunities available to students through the orthopedic industry. This group will also look to identify current and future talent gaps between the orthopedic industry and the current and future workforce.
2. The Education Council will identify current and future curricular gaps and help develop unique educational programs that address community educational needs and anticipated career opportunities in the medical device industry. They will also develop strategies to build on the OrthoWorx emphasis on improving STEM education in the region, especially the need for universities to expand the output of teachers who are prepared to teach STEM subjects in a project-based learning environment.
3. The Advanced Manufacturing Council will work to identify topics of critical importance to orthopedic manufacturing that are pre-competitive and will allow for industry collaboration. A future step will be to work with universities and industry members to determine a road map for researching and developing technologies that will allow manufacturers to continue to incorporate innovation while remaining competitive with advances in technology throughout the supply chain. The Council will also consider what type of training and employee skill sets will be needed for regional residents to be prepared for careers in the changing manufacturing environment.
4. The Research and Development (R&D) Council will also focus on pre-competitive areas of collaboration in research and development for the orthopedic industry and academia. Specifically, the council will look to develop a process for communication flow regarding ideas and information, which should include creating channels to fully identify subject experts from both entities and also university facilities and assets available to industry members. Ultimately the council will create an environment conducive to performing translational research that will mutually benefit all parties.
5. The Engagement Team serves to “jump-start” and accelerate the connectivity and engagement between the industry and university members. It is planning to be active over the next 12-18 months. It will prioritize and further develop the identified key project areas and recommend definition and initial goals of the remaining Councils. Ideas for the additional councils have included a Business Council and Policy & Health Economics Council.

OrthoWorx looks forward to continuing to update you on the progress this major initiative is making in the orthopedic industry and our community. Please check future e-Newsletter issues to find out what’s new with the UIAB.