Our History

OREF was founded in 1955 by orthopaedic surgeons to help their colleagues investigate research questions important to the field, independent of commercial concerns. OREF serves orthopaedics by nurturing new researchers, providing grant funding to orthopaedic surgeons to conduct research, and supporting studies that advance orthopaedics and improve patient care.

Since 1955, OREF has awarded more than 4,700 grants, providing more than $146 million in support of orthopaedic research.