The BioMotion Foundation: History

Mobility is Life:

For more than a decade, BioMotion has
changed lives in Palm Beach County and beyond

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The BioMotion Foundation was established in Boston, 1987, by Dr. W. Andrew Hodge with a mission to support research and education in orthopaedics and orthopaedic biomechanics. From 1987 through 1992, the Foundation sponsored research and graduate education programs at The BioMotion Laboratory, Massachusetts General Hospital and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and also sponsored an annual physician education symposium on total joint replacements. The M.I.T. doctoral work of Scott Banks, Ph.D., the Technical Director, was sponsored by The BioMotion Foundation. BioMotion is a 501(c)(3) not for profit research and education organization. Funding for research and services is provided by individual donors, educational grants, program grants, corporate sponsored research and foundation research grants.

The Foundation moved operations to West Palm Beach, Florida, in 1992 when an agreement was made with Good Samaritan Medical Center to develop and operate a new, more comprehensive, orthopaedic research laboratory for the benefit of area surgeons, therapists, and the local community. The Lab's goal was to provide staff orthopaedists and allied health professionals access to state-of-the-art equipment and a skilled technical staff in order to pursue research into the human musculoskeletal system and related issues important to the local community. Leading healthcare professionals know that in order to find the best doctor you should find one that is actively involved in his field through research and publications as well as sustained education of others in his field. BioMotion's move to Palm Beach County has resulted in a higher level of healthcare for local residents.

In operation since mid-1992, the BioMotion Lab has established worldwide recognition for outstanding contributions in the areas of joint replacement, sports medicine and sports biomechanics/injury prevention, and computer assisted surgery. More recently, the lab has established the Pediatric Gait Analysis Program, a clinical service providing advanced biomechanical assessments and pre-surgical planning for children with severe musculoskeletal disorders. Also, over the last two years the Foundation has invested in cardiac technology research with studies on cardiac stents and valves. Like orthopaedic implants, there is a high percentage of residents in south Florida with cardiac implants and there is much to be learned by analyzing these results.

The BioMotion Foundation is directed by a Board of volunteer community members, and derives guidance and support from Advisory and Marketing Committees. BioMotion supports its activities through funded research projects, unrestricted grants and individual donations. Whenever possible and appropriate, BioMotion seeks the support of commercial entities and grant-making institutions for research programs.

For example, BioMotion has been successful in obtaining research funds for joint replacement performance studies. However, it is much more difficult to obtain funding for direct service programs like Pediatric Gait Analysis, injury prevention, osteoporosis prevention and research, or commercially sensitive programs like Implant Retrieval Analysis. These programs provide definitive benefit to the community and orthopaedic patients worldwide, and we believe must be supported by the community and medically involved foundations. It is for these programs that we seek the support of the surrounding community. Finally, with the growth of the Foundation's reputation and capabilities, new opportunities have presented to pursue work in new areas of research, and in doing so, support new clinician investigators within our area.

For more information contact Scott Keiser, General Manager, at scott.keiser@biomotion.org