INTRODUCTION
Fifty years ago, Dr. Rick Matsen started the University of Washington’s Shoulder Research Program (UWSRP) to improve the treatment of disabling shoulder conditions.
Today, this program continues to thrive and is recognized as one of the country’s leading shoulder research centers. We are advancing the care of individual patients through cutting-edge clinical investigation. From the beginning, UWSRP has been powered by generous gifts from grateful patients, alumni of our shoulder fellowship and our friends in the community.
IMPACT
The Rick and Anne Matsen Endowed Professorship for Shoulder Research honors Dr. Matsen, his incredible impact on shoulder research, and his long and successful career in improving patient outcomes. Since its establishment, the Professorship has accelerated the work of the UWSRP and provided critical funding in our quest for more effective and safer treatments for disabling shoulder conditions, such as arthritis, rotator cuff tears, dislocations and fractures. Endowed support gives us the freedom to attack the most important problems faced by shoulder patients without the controlling influence of funding from commercial companies or governmental granting agencies.
Jason E. Hsu, MD, is the inaugural holder of the Matsen Professorship. Dr. Hsu’s leadership will ensure that the great work started by Dr. Matsen will continue, focusing on tailoring patient care to meet the needs of each specific individual. Much of our work is directed at identifying and addressing the reported causes of failures in current practice so that patient outcomes can be dramatically improved. The concept of learning from failure has been central to our research program since its inception by Dr. Matsen, providing us with the unique ability to reflect and create positive change.
The research supported through the Matsen Endowed Professorship is progressing incredibly well. In the last two years, the UWSRP has published almost thirty articles in leading journals focused on patient-specific treatment of disabling shoulder disorders. We were recently awarded the 2024 Research Award from the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons for our work on the bacteria that most commonly cause infections of shoulder joint replacements.
We actively share our discoveries with other shoulder surgeons through our publications, presentations at international meetings, and our internet site (https://shoulderarthritis.blogspot.com), which receives thousands of page views weekly. The quality of our research program and the strength of its endowed support enable us to attract and train outstanding shoulder fellows who spend a year with us before launching their careers. Twenty-five percent of the fellows that have gone through our program have entered academic positions from which they extend the impact of the UWSRP through their research, teaching and patient care.
LOOKING AHEAD
As Dr. Matsen looks to the final stage of his career, we are working to elevate the Matsen Professorship to an endowed chair within the next year. This enhanced level of funding will provide critically important new resources, accelerating our impact beyond what we have been able to accomplish with the endowed professorship. Building on our recent fundraising momentum, we are working to cement his legacy, provide him the greatest possible recognition and honor his significant contributions to the field via creative research, mentorship and exemplary patient care.
The last five decades of success at the UWSRP have only been possible because of the extraordinary efforts of Dr. Matsen and his team and the philanthropic support provided which has fueled their work.
If you would like to learn more about our current work or have interest in making a gift to support elevating the endowed professorship to an endowed chair, please contact our Director for Philanthropy, Wendy Kelley, at wkelley@uw.edu or 206.616.8207.
With Gratitude,
The University of Washington Shoulder Research Program
