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Beaumont Surgeon Gets Grant For Carpal Tunnel Research

Beaumont surgeon Rachel S. Rohde and co-investigator Kevin C. Baker have been named recipients of the 2011 Ruth Jackson Orthopaedic Society and Zimmer Grant for research related to women's musculoskeletal health.

Formal announcement came at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons Annual Meeting in San Diego and funding will commence in July 2011.

Rohde and Baker will use the award of $30,000 to continue their study of "Genetic and Molecular Bases for Gender Difference in Carpal Tunnel Syndrome." The research attempts to understand the gender disparity of carpal tunnel syndrome, which afflicts females to males in a ratio as high as 9:1.

Rohde is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon with additional specialty training in hand, wrist, and elbow surgery and Baker is Beaumont Hospital's manager of the Orthopaedic Research Laboratories. Both are members of the department of Orthopaedic Surgery at Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak. They have been working with colleagues in the Beaumont BioBank to identify key biological pathways that might explain the significant gender discrepancy in carpal tunnel syndrome symptoms.

Zimmer Inc., an orthopedic technology company, provided funding for the grant and award.

The Ruth Jackson Orthopaedic Society, founded in 1983, is the oldest surgical women's organization incorporated in the United States. With membership of more than 450, it continues to grow each year and welcomes new members of both genders. Ruth Jackson, M.D., was the first practicing female orthopedist in the United States and the first woman admitted to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgery. She opened the door for subsequent female orthopedic surgeons following in her footsteps.

Beaumont Hospitals provides a full spectrum of specialized care in the diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of all orthopedic injuries and conditions. Beaumont is Michigan's most experienced orthopedic hospital specializing in surgeries of the back, neck, foot, ankle, hand and upper extremities; hip and knee replacement; scoliosis treatment; tumor surgery; pediatric orthopedics; and sports medicine.

More at www.beaumonthospitals.com.

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