Research and science go hand in hand with a commitment to be on the leading edge of the profession. New developments in orthopaedics, pain management, soft tissue injuries, hematology concerns and postoperative care are studied efficiently and at the highest level of quality at the Tucson Orthopaedic Research Center.

The multi-specialty investigative research facility, founded in 1995 under the name Tucson Orthopaedic Research Foundation, is a division of Tucson Orthopaedic Institute. The Foundation's mission was expanded in 2001, and renamed the Tucson Orthopaedic Research Center. The primary focus is phase II, III and IV protocols.

Tucson Orthopaedic Institute has two clinic locations, one in east Tucson and one in the northwest sector of the city. The east location also houses the Spine Center and a day surgery center which is operated jointly with Tucson Medical Center. The Institute's thirty physician medical staff includes orthopaedic surgeons and non-surgical specialists in physical medicine and rehabilitation, preventive/occupational medicine and podiatry.

Orthopaedic clinical trials are conducted in five locations: Tucson Medical Center, El Dorado Hospital, Northwest Medical Center and the Institute's two facilities.

Tucson Orthopaedic Research Center also contracts for research services of community physician investigators who are board certified in other medical specialties.

Why a private research center?
The number of privately sponsored research centers has increased to 55,000, up from 5,000 in 1990. This is due to a shift of clinical trials away from teaching hospitals where the unveiling of DNA has focused the attention of scientists on basic research. The ongoing need to confirm the viability of new treatments is now largely conducted by practicing physicians and private research centers.