An unprecedented $10 million grant from the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) has been given to Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) to name the Complex Joint Reconstruction Center (CJRC). This new commitment will support the endowment of the CJRC for the operation and expansion of its clinical, research and educational programs.

According to the American Joint Replacement Registry, there are over 7 million Americans living with replaced hip and knee joints and, should they fail, treatment is complex and requires specialized management.

"This generous gift will improve the lives of countless patients who suffer from debilitating complications or need revision surgery due to failed implants," said Thomas P. Sculco, MD, surgeon-in-chief emeritus and director of the CJRC at HSS. "We are deeply honored by the visionary leadership of the SNF in supporting our endeavor to lessen implant failure, restore function, and relieve pain for patients who need specialized joint reconstructions."

As the first of its kind, the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Complex Joint Reconstruction Center provides the best in diagnosis and treatment for patients with the most challenging conditions in joint reconstructions, regardless of their financial circumstances, and conducts cutting-edge basic and clinical research on the causes and prevention of implant failure.

"Having partnered with HSS for over a decade, the SNF has witnessed first-hand the deep commitment of the people of HSS to excellence and progress in orthopedic care," said Andreas Dracopoulos, Co-President of the SNF. "We are especially proud to support Dr. Sculco’s vision to improve the lives of patients with the most complex cases of joint reconstruction, and to seek solutions to issues that impact the field at large."

"HSS is uniquely positioned to develop new techniques and improvements in implant design that will significantly impact global care for these complex problems." said Dr. Sculco. "People are living longer and leading more active lives thus making the need for progress in our knowledge and treatment of these failed implants more critical than ever."

Dr. Sculco is internationally recognized as a leader in hip and knee replacement surgery, having pioneered minimally invasive surgical techniques. Now, he is leading efforts to improve the success and longevity of implants to benefit millions of patients worldwide.

Over the past year, the CJRC has expanded its surgical team to 16 experienced orthopedic surgeons and successfully launched a patient registry with over 800 surgical cases already recorded. This registry is the first in the world solely dedicated to capturing vital clinical and outcomes data from patients undergoing joint reconstruction and complex primary joint replacement surgery. This data creates a platform for clinical trials, translational research and innovations in treatment that will lead to improved standards of care. In 2017, the CJRC performed 534 surgeries on patients with complex joint reconstructions.

The Stavros Niarchos Foundation is one of the world’s leading private international philanthropic organizations, making grants in the areas of health and sports, arts and culture, education, and social welfare. The SNF supports projects that aim to achieve a broad, lasting and positive impact on society.

Spanning over a decade, HSS and SNF’s longstanding relationship has spurred programs such as the Stavros Niarchos Foundation-Thomas P. Sculco, MD International Orthopaedic Fellowship Program, HSS Stavros Niarchos Foundation Orthopaedic Seminar and Academic Visitor Program to educate Greek orthopedic surgeons on ways to improve treatment and outcomes in joint replacement.

Since 2006, HSS has hosted Greek surgeons for the annual HSS Stavros Niarchos Foundation Orthopaedic Seminar Program, which teaches the latest techniques and innovations in complex and primary total hip and knee replacement with the ultimate goal of improving healthcare in Greece.

This year, the seminar will take place on November 27-28, 2018 with two days of didactic sessions, case consultations, roundtable discussions, hands-on workshops and operating room observation at operations at HSS. The following three days will include attendance at the 30th Annual HSS Holiday Knee & Hip Course, a CME-accredited professional education course.

The program immerses visiting Greek surgeons, typically those early in their careers, in the high-volume joint replacement environment at HSS.

SNF also previously granted HSS $1 million to fund the Thomas P. Sculco, Chair in Orthopedic Surgery, which played an instrumental role in the creation of the CJRC.

About the Stavros Niarchos Foundation

The Stavros Niarchos Foundation [(SNF) (www.SNF.org)] is one of the world’s leading private, international philanthropic organizations, making grants in the areas of arts and culture, education, health and sports, and social welfare. Since 1996, the Foundation has committed more than $2.6 billion, through more than 4,000 grants to nonprofit organizations in 124 nations around the world.

The SNF funds organizations and projects, worldwide, that aim to achieve a broad, lasting and positive impact, for society at large, and exhibit strong leadership and sound management. The Foundation also supports projects that facilitate the formation of public-private partnerships as an effective means for serving public welfare.