President’s Community Lecture by Dr. Wayne McIlwraith, renowned equine orthopaedic surgeon, April 18

FORT COLLINS — Renowned equine orthopaedic surgeon and researcher Dr. Wayne McIlwraith will be the featured speaker in the President’s Community Lecture Series April 18, 6:30-8 p.m., at the Lory Student Center Theatre.

The President’s Community Lecture Series, hosted by CSU President Tony Frank, features free, public talks from university faculty. The talks help introduce CSU research, entrepreneurship and innovation to the Fort Collins community.

Registration is encouraged, as space is limited.

McIlwraith is a University Distinguished Professor who holds the Barbara Cox Anthony University Chair in Orthopaedics. He is the founding director of Colorado State University’s Orthopaedic Research Center and is a pioneer of arthroscopic surgery and joint disease research in horses. He has conducted orthopaedic surgery on some of the world’s top racehorses to maintain health among these elite equine athletes.

Because of similarities in the musculoskeletal systems of horses and people, many of McIlwraith’s procedures have been translated into human medicine. McIlwraith’s longstanding collaborations with the Steadman Clinic, the famed orthopaedic clinic based in Vail, illustrate this focus on translational medicine.

In his upcoming talk, “Joint Injury and Arthritis: Helping Horses and Humans,” McIlwraith will discuss the evolution of advanced surgical techniques and regenerative therapies in the successful treatment of equine athletes. He will also talk about what has been learned in equine athletes that can be extrapolated to human athletes, touching on advances in human joint injury and disease, including osteoarthritis.

About Wayne McIlwraith

McIlwraith hails from New Zealand and was trained in New Zealand, Canada and the United States. He holds honorary degrees from universities in Austria, New Zealand, Italy, England and the United States. He consults worldwide as an expert equine surgeon and has received numerous awards for his innovations.

The Orthopaedic Research Center is part of the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. Under McIlwraith’s leadership, the center’s work in stem-cell and other regenerative therapies led to creation of the Translational Medicine Institute, which will develop treatments for people and animals. Groundbreaking for the institute is set this spring, with a lead gift of $42.5 million gift from philanthropists John and Leslie Malone.

About the President’s Community Lecture Series

Past President’s Community Lecture Series speakers have included Professor of Ecosystem Science and Sustainability Robin Reid, Professor of Animal Sciences Temple Grandin, University Distinguished Professors Dr. Stephen Withrow and Diana Wall, Professors Amy Prieto, Lori Peek, and Bryan Willson, and Ajay Menon, speaking as dean of the College of Business.