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RESEARCH & EVIDENCE BASED MEDICINE
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AAHKS Participating in
Research Capitol Hill Days
to Lobby for Increased Funding
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The American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons (AAHKS) is sending four representatives to Washington, D.C. on March 16 and 17 to lobby on Capitol Hill for increased funding in 2006 for musculoskeletal research.
Started several years ago, Research Capitol Hill Days is an advocacy effort sponsored by the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS). Traveling to Capitol Hill this year on behalf of the AAOS will be a total of 24 patients, 31 physicians and 10 parents/spouses/caregivers.
The AAHKS representatives include: Robert Hopper, Jr., Ph.D., executive director of Anderson Orthopaedic Research Institute (AORI); Alan B. Knopf, M.D., AAHKS member and retired board-certified orthopedic surgeon; and Sharat Kusuma, M.D., M.B.A., AAOS Health Policy Fellow. Dr. Knopf’s wife, Sandie, will accompany her husband as a patient representative. Between the two of them, Dr. and Mrs. Knopf have had two knee and two shoulder replacements.
Orthopaedic surgeons and researchers will discuss how patient care has improved as a result of new technology and treatments made possible through research, as well as the impact of musculoskeletal disorders on the U.S. economy.
Patients will be telling their personal stories – putting a human face on orthopaedic conditions – to show legislators the importance of additional funding. Last year, 14 patients participated in the visits; this year about 24 patients will attend.
"This advocacy effort will heighten awareness of the debilitating and costly effects of musculoskeletal conditions," said Joseph McCarthy, AAHKS president. "Additional funding is critical for finding new and improved ways to diagnose and treat these disorders so that patients can lead an improved quality of life."
The orthopaedic community will be asking Congress to appropriate $541.6 million in 2006 for the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Disease (NIAMS), a 6 percent increase from 2005.
Advocacy efforts will specifically target the Subcommittee on Defense, as well as Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, which are part of the Senate and House Appropriations Committee.
On March 16, there will be an orientation session for participants to help prepare them for the congressional visits. Attendees will visit members of Congress on March 17. Physicians and researchers will have an opportunity on March 18 to meet with Stephen I. Katz, M.D., Ph.D., director of the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases.
AAHKS Reps at a Glance
Here is a look at the representatives attending Research Capitol Hill Days on behalf of the AAHKS:
Robert Hopper, Jr., Ph.D., trained in biomedical engineering, joined AORI in 1998. AORI is affiliated with the Anderson Clinic and based in Alexandria, Va.
Hopper has provided support for both clinical and laboratory studies in various capacities at AORI. As chief scientific officer, his ambition is to undertake scientifically rigorous, clinically relevant research focused on improving the quality of life for joint replacement patients.
"I’ll be speaking about the latest research and results at our Clinic on behalf of our four senior physicians," Hopper said. AAHKS members Charles Engh, Sr., M.D.; Gerard Engh, M.D.; Andy Engh, Jr., M.D.; and James P. McAuley, M.D., work at Anderson Clinic with Hopper.
On Capitol Hill, Hopper will be joined by an Anderson Clinic hip replacement patient, now in his mid 70s, who had the procedure in 1983.
"The patient is very active and has had phenomenal results with a porous-coated cup and stem," Hopper said.
Since AORI opened in 1972, the organization has conducted clinical research on hip and knee arthroplasty. AORI has developed an extensive computerized database of more than 14,000 joint replacement procedures performed at the Anderson Clinic since 1977.
Through years of research, AORI’s studies have shed light on orthopaedic surgical practices, patient outcomes and orthopaedic implants. Research at AORI was instrumental to the FDA approval of the first porous-coated cementless hip.
Acknowledging that all change is not progress, AORI continuously updates its clinical databases and uses evidence-based medicine to determine how innovations in joint replacement affect patient outcomes.
Alan B. Knopf, M.D., is a board-certified retired orthopedic surgeon, an AAHKS member and bi-lateral knee arthroplasty recipient. Dr. Knopf, 65, had one knee arthoplasty in 2003, and the other one done last year.
He is a clinical professor of orthopedic reconstructive surgery, joint implant service, at the University of Southern California School (USC) of Medicine in Los Angeles. Prior to his retirement, he worked for 30 years at Southern California Permanente Medical Group in Los Angeles, where he specialized in cemented and uncemented hip and knee arthroplasty.
Sandie Knopf, 63, will join her husband on Capitol Hill as a patient speaking before Congress. Mrs. Knopf has genetic degenerative osteoarthritis and underwent bi-lateral shoulder replacement surgery in October and December 2004. Dr. and Mrs. Knopf hope to personally meet with U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein.
"I could no longer do joint replacement work, climb stairs, travel or participate in any sports activities prior to my surgeries," said Dr. Knopf. "Since my joint replacement surgery, the pain in my knees is gone about 95 percent of the time."
Renewed by his successful recovery, Dr. Knopf will speak to Congress from the patient perspective, as well as a surgeon’s view.
"We, as doctors, think we are compassionate and know everything, but when you are a patient, you see things through a different light," Dr. Knopf said.
Dr. Knopf reports that arthritis in his knees led to further wear and tear on his lumbar spine – causing some back pain. Mrs. Knopf is still recuperating from her surgery. She may take up to a year to regain her strength and mobility.
"Even though Sandie’s recovery may be long, she is extremely satisfied with her relief of pain," Dr. Knopf said. "She is hoping to return to her love of skiing and use of the computer once rehabilitation is completed."
Sharat Kusuma, M.D., M.B.A., AAOS Health Policy Fellow and future AAHKS member, is in his third year of his orthopedic residency at University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia.
Dr. Kusuma, 30, earned a medical degree and a master’s in business administration degree from Vanderbilt University in Nashville. He hopes to pursue a fellowship in adult hip and knee reconstruction.
With an interest in health care policy, Dr. Kusuma met Joseph McCarthy, M.D., AAHKS president, at the 2004 AAOS National Orthopaedic Leadership Conference, and has participated in several Health Policy-related activities with the AAHKS.
"Our goal is to educate legislators about the many benefits of joint reconstruction," Dr. Kusuma said. He noted that it has been very effective to allow patients to tell their personal stories during Research Capitol Hill Days.
Dr. Kusuma will personally deliver copies of the AAHKS documentary, "Total Joint Replacement: A Patient’s Perspective," to members of Congress to promote the public education efforts of the Association. He also hopes to meet with several of his local legislators, including U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter.
For More Information
To order a copy of the total joint replacement documentary, visit www.aahks.org (click to the documentary page and find the button with "For More Information.") For information about AAOS Research Capitol Hill Days, visit the AAOS site.
The AAHKS is a non-profit professional organization dedicated to education, research and advocacy related to the health and disorders of the hip and knee.
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