Orland Bethel Family Helps the Continued Expansion of Musculoskeletal Care and Research

The Orland Bethel Musculoskeletal Research Center (BMRC) will continue to expand its research, innovation, and training efforts thanks to a recent gift of $53.5 million from The Orland Bethel Family Foundation, a powerful supporter of the health sciences. This additional commitment brings the Bethel family’s contributions to nearly $100 million in the past five years.

The strategic gift will create three endowed professorships, launch an award program for mid-career researchers and thought leaders, improve recruitment and retention of key BMRC leaders, develop a commercialization-focused curriculum, connect researchers with venture capital and better couple the BMRC with industry leaders to ensure it is producing the researchers and leaders most in demand inside and outside of academia.

“In the few short years the BMRC has existed, it has already become a leader in developing treatments for arthritis and other painful conditions affecting millions of people worldwide, and the biobank, in its first year, is collecting, processing and cataloging samples for researchers around the globe,” said Joon Y. Lee, MD, chief of the spinal surgery division for the University of Pittsburgh and UPMC Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, who holds the Orland Bethel Professorship in Spine Surgery. “We are accelerating discovery of biomarkers and therapeutic targets, enhancing our understanding of musculoskeletal disease and improving patient outcomes in ways that will forever change how we approach these debilitating diseases.”

Orland Bethel suffered from incapacitating spinal pain before turning to clinicians at UPMC for help. Bethel, founder of Hillandale Farms, which is among the nation’s largest egg producers, received relief and restored function following surgery performed by Dr. Lee.

“When Dr. Lee and the others took over my care nearly a decade ago, it transformed my life and gave me new hope. I see they are doing the same thing for others with support from my family’s foundation,” Bethel said. “I know this newest gift will enhance the work of the Orland Bethel Family Musculoskeletal Research Center and will have an impact on the entire field.”

Along with this recent gift, Orland Bethel and his family foundation committed $25 million in 2023 to create the BMRC, $18.5 million last year to launch the Orland Bethel Musculoskeletal Research Center Biobank and a previous $2 million gift to establish the Orland Bethel Professorship in Spine Surgery.

The recent $53.5 million gift will support multiple initiatives, including:

• Creation of three BMRC endowed professorships within the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery
• Awards to support the research of mid-career faculty to be known as Bethel Scientists
• Endowed funds to support BMRC executive leadership
• An annual Bethel Prize to recognize thought leaders in musculoskeletal research
• Further expansion of the biobank’s capacity
• Establishment of a project development advisory panel
• Development of an education and innovation curriculum focused on the commercialization of research, including a BMRC Innovations Fellowship
• Creation of a risk capital fund to invest in high-potential, early-stage innovation emerging from the BMRC

“This gift allows us to focus on our most important asset, our people, at every phase of their career — from research funding for mid-career faculty, through professorships for those further along, all the way to ensuring we can retain the most experienced executive leaders and talent,” said MaCalus V. Hogan, MD, MBA, David Silver Professor and Chair of the UPMC Department of Orthopaedic Surgery. “Mr. Bethel’s experience as a business leader shows in this gift, which will create the right environment for collaborative breakthroughs to improve quality of life for untold thousands of patients.”

The BMRC lab has moved into its renovated space in the Biomedical Science Tower. The 25,000-square-foot space is home to seven of the center’s 11 core labs and houses a state-of-the-art surgical training suite for UPMC orthopaedic surgery residents.

“The Orland Bethel family’s continued investment in the BMRC and the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery enhances our capacity to advance research in musculoskeletal disease and orthopaedic conditions,” said Dr. Hogan. “We are excited about the possibilities this gift opens for our department, the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, and UPMC.”

View the originally published piece on Pittwire.