Bethel Musculoskeletal Research Center

12/17/2025

We’re excited to share a breakthrough in musculoskeletal injury prevention from our BMRC Core Lab researchers in our MechanoBiology Laboratory.

Our MBL lab, directed by Dr. James H-C. Wang, has demonstrated that a topically applied metformin lotion can prevent the onset of tendinopathy in a mechanically overloaded mouse model. This reveals a promising, non-invasive strategy to reduce overuse tendon injuries that commonly affect athletes, workers, and military personnel.

Because metformin is already FDA-approved for other uses, this innovative approach has strong potential for rapid translation toward human studies and real-world application.

Read more about this promising research and its implications:
https://mtec-sc.org/technology-showcase/topical-metformin-lotion-for-tendinopathy-prevention



Department of Orthopaedics - University of Pitt
University of Pittsburgh

12/09/2025

These -80C freezers are incredibly important to the work our labs do day-in and day- out as they hold samples, cells and in-progress experiments.

We thank Maroadi Transfer & Storage Inc., Relocation Specialists for their care and diligence in moving these pieces of vital equipment across Pittsburgh to our new home. They are quite heavy and are challenging to move safely!

12/08/2025

Great look at the $20M, 5-year-grant that our BMRC Ferguson Lab is a part of! Interdisciplinary science is the future!

The award will allow the team to continue following individuals longitudinally for five more years to seek further understanding of the relationship of low back pain to other chronic pain and musculoskeletal conditions.

12/05/2025

It's the end of an era folks! We're cleaning up and shipping out of our labs at the Riveria building this week and we'd be lying if we said it wasn't a little bittersweet. We made some good memories in this space and we were thankful for the opportunity it gave us to come together for the first time as a cohesive team.

More updates to come next week! Have a great weekend!

12/03/2025

Sending congratulations to our Executive Director, Dr. Joon Y. Lee, on his appointment as Division Chief!

Joon Y. Lee, MD Named Chief of the Division of Spinal Surgery

We are pleased to announce that Dr. Joon Y. Lee has been appointed Chief of the Division of Spinal Surgery for the University of Pittsburgh and UPMC Department of Orthopaedic Surgery.

Read more on our OrthoNet website here: https://www.orthonet.pitt.edu/news/joon-y-lee-md-named-chief-division-spinal-surgery

12/01/2025

ATTENTION: THIS IS NOT A DRILL. IT'S HAPPENING!

Today marks the first day of the two-week moving process for our BMRC core labs. We are finally moving into our renovated forever home in the Thomas E. Starzl Biomedical Science Tower. The packing has begun, and we couldn't be more excited. We hope the snow holds off tomorrow for our first day of moving.

We'll keep you up to date here so be sure to check back with us later in the week - if we can get out from under our stacks of moving boxes, that is.

11/21/2025

We were honored to welcome Hooman H. Rashidi, MD, MS, FCAP, to the Bethel Musculoskeletal Research Center (BMRC) as a guest speaker at our monthly research seminar. As the Associate Dean of AI in Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh, Executive Vice Chair of Computational Pathology & Informatics Division, UPMC and the Executive Director of CPACE (Computational Pathology & AI Center of Excellence), Dr. Rashidi brings together clinical insight, bioinformatics, and a deep understanding of machine learning to transform and improve patient care, research and education.

During his visit, Dr. Rashidi toured our lab space and engaged with our researchers and core lab staff. His talk on Auto-ML, synthetic data and text and image data in generative AI sparked discussion and ideas during the seminar.

We are deeply grateful for Dr. Rashidi’s insights and we look forward to exploring opportunities to advance musculoskeletal research with AI as a valuable tool.

11/18/2025

Members of our BMRC core labs, including representatives from our Ferguson Spine Lab, traveled together to Newark, DE, for this year’s Orthopaedic Research Society's Philadelphia Spine Research Society (PSRS) Symposium, held on Friday, November 7, at the University of Delaware’s FinTech Innovation Hub.

This year’s meeting celebrated the 20th anniversary of the Philadelphia Spine Research Society, bringing together clinicians, research leaders, scientists, and students for keynote talks and presentations spanning the full spectrum of spine research. Topics included development, pathophysiology, aging, pain, diagnostics, and emerging therapeutics.

We were delighted to connect with Bethel/ORS Fellows, Dr. Kevin Burt ('24) and Dr. Mark Kim ('25), who both presented research at this year's symposium.

We extend our appreciation to the Orthopaedic Research Society PSRS organizers for hosting an amazing event and look forward to next year's symposium!

11/06/2025

Now Accepting Applications for the 2026–2027 Bethel Musculoskeletal Research Center (BMRC) Orthopaedic Surgery Clinical Research Fellowship!

This paid, one-year opportunity offers hands-on experience in orthopaedic research and clinical care, working directly with Dr. Joon Lee (Executive Director, BMRC) and Dr. John Fowler (Associate Residency Program Director).

Fellows will take part in more than 60 ongoing research projects, gain operating room exposure, and help lead the BMRC BioBank, a groundbreaking initiative collecting surgical tissue and blood samples for orthopaedic research.

Location: UPMC, Pittsburgh, PA
Start Date: May / June 2026
Stipend provided
Car required
Deadline: Rolling (decision by end of March)
Eligible Applicants: U.S. MD or DO medical students (between third and fourth years)

Apply here: https://forms.gle/dJpJiK6pDKn4z9LT8

Questions? Email weinbergj2@upmc.edu and CC bonamerj@upmc.edu

10/23/2025

Breaking News! A new, international fellowship opportunity was announced today at this year’s 2025 EUROSPINE Annual Meeting: the BMRC / EUROSPINE Visiting Research Scholarship.

EUROSPINE, the Spine Society of Europe, is a leading professional, non-profit organization dedicated to advancing spinal care through education, research, quality assurance, and global collaboration. Its annual meeting is one of Europe’s premier gatherings for spine science, bringing together cutting-edge research, clinical innovation, and cross-disciplinary networking.

We are proud to announce the inaugural BMRC / EUROSPINE Visiting Research Scholarship, a 12-month fellowship beginning July 2026. During this fellowship, one EUROSPINE fellow will be hosted at our BMRC core labs in Pittsburgh, PA. We believe this scholarship will strengthen global collaboration and advance innovations in spine and musculoskeletal health.

Want more information? Know a EUROSPINE member who might be interested? Check out EUROSPINE’s website here: https://www.eurospine.org/research/bmrc/eurospine-visiting-research-scholarship/ and share!

10/23/2025

A naming ceremony was recently held to celebrate our newly renovated lab space at the Biomedical Science Tower (BST), honoring Mr. Orland Bethel for his remarkable generosity and commitment to advancing musculoskeletal research.

The event was attended by University of Pittsburgh and UPMC leadership, including Dean Anantha Shekhar, Chancellor Joan Gabel, Dr. Joon Y. Lee, Dr. MaCalus V. Hogan, and Dr. Gwendolyn Sowa, along with Mr. Bethel’s family - children and grandchildren included - who toured the new space and shared in the celebration.

We’re grateful for the Bethel family’s continued support and the bright future it helps create for musculoskeletal research!

09/12/2025

https://www.bethel.pitt.edu/2025/09/10/first-annual-bmrc-symposium-features-discovery-collaboration-and-celebration/

Our first annual BMRC Research Symposium went off without a hitch last Friday, September 5 at the Greensburg Country Club.

The day brought together nearly 160 faculty, staff, students, and researchers for a full day of research, collaboration and celebration.

This year’s Symposium featured talks from core BMRC labs in both clinical and basic science, as well as presentations from the five BMRC/Orthopaedic Research Society Fellows, who shared research supported by BMRC over the past year.

We are so thankful to all who assisted in planning, executing and running the day.