Spring 2026 Newsletter
Slocum Research & Education Foundation
Education and Community Benefit Updates
SREF Goes Abroad
This winter, Slocum Foundation Assistant Research Coordinator Ellie DeLoretto, Research Intern John Over, Board Members Julie Embree, PT and Dr. Dan Fitzpatrick, and Board President Dr. Jenna Godfrey spent 10 days at the Institute for Latin American Concern (ILAC) in the Dominican Republic with the Restore Together Foundation for Care, founded by Dr. Fitzpatrick.
This group, as a part of a larger team from Slocum and other institutions, provided medical care, surgical interventions, therapeutic services, and medical education while also performing a formal evaluation of the outreach program’s structure and impact. Ellie, John, and Slocum Scribe Hannah Grunwald each assessed specific components of the program using published guidelines to determine its effectiveness and efficiency. Their findings will inform future improvements, helping to refine and strengthen the outreach program in the years ahead.
John and Ellie summarized their trip this way:
We supported care wherever needed, assisting in pre-op, PACU, physical therapy, and the operating room, as well as helping with instrument decontamination and turnover. We also helped screen patients in rural pop-up clinics—one of the most meaningful parts of the experience. In just five days, the team performed 80 surgeries and treated nearly 200 patients. It was particularly meaningful to see families applaud as loved ones left recovery. The experience left a lasting impact. Ellie gained renewed purpose in addressing disparities in care, while John developed a stronger commitment to pursuing an MD/MPH to improve health at both clinical and community levels. We are deeply grateful for the opportunity and the chance to grow through service.
Ellie DeLoretto assisting in the OR.
The Team!
John Over assisting in the OR.
Perry Initiative Outreach Program
On Saturday, March 14, the Slocum Foundation and the University of Oregon Knight Campus co-hosted the Perry Outreach Program with support from presenters and volunteers from Slocum Orthopedics, the Knight Campus, and Western University of Health Sciences.
High school students from across the West Coast including California, Oregon, Washington and British Columbia participated in hands-on mock orthopedic surgeries and biomechanical engineering activities. They also engaged directly with engineers, surgeons, physician assistants, and cast technicians to explore a range of career paths.
The strong regional turnout highlights both the demand for and rarity of opportunities like this, where students can interact with orthopedic surgeons, medical trainees, and bioengineers in a single, immersive setting.
Thank you to the wonderful volunteers and team members who dedicated their Saturday and especially to Hannah College for coordinating the event with the Perry Initiative Organization.
Volunteers included Kristin Jenkins, Andrea Jarvis, and Lia Strait teaching casting, Heather Campion, Taylor Coates, and Ellie DeLoretto on suturing, Monica Zilkoski, Caitlin Lee, and Anna Garrison on external fixation, Anna van der Horst, Jenna Cheminant, and Malvika Singhal on IM nailing, Denise Routhier, Pincess Jhoy Bonilla, Kylie Williams, and Elizabeth Amponsem on Knee Ligaments, and Caiti Bettger, Kelly Leguineche, and Emma Anderson on plating. Danielle Benoit, Gabriella Lindberg, and Lia Strait spoke on their engineering career paths and Monica Zilkoski, Anna van der Horst, and Caitlin Lee spoke on their orthopedic career paths. Tessa Kirkpatrick, Gabriella Lindberg, and Kate Spitzley provided logistics support throughout the event. Thanks very much to all!
Thank you to Acumed, the Lindberg Lab, and the Perry Initiative for their generous support of this event!
Scientific Updates
Dr. Jenna Godfrey authors newly published article comparing outcomes of endoscopic and ultrasound guided carpel tunnel releases.
Between November 2024 and May 2025 the Slocum Foundation research team and Slocum Orthopedics hand service line enrolled 74 participants into the MISSION Registry Study whose goal is to compare outcomes of endoscopic, open, and ultrasound guided carpal tunnel releases. This article is the first paper published out of the dataset.
Publication Link: Prospective Multicenter Propensity Score-matched Comparison of Ultrasound-guided Versus Endoscopic Carpal Tunnel Release - ScienceDirect
Press Release: MISSION Registry DATA Confirm Ultrasound-Guided Carpal Tunnel Release Offers Distinct Advantages over Endoscopic Carpal Tunnel Release - Sonex Health
Reference: Victor M. Marwin, Johnny T. Nelson, James F. Watt, James R. Verheyden, Paul E. Perry, Lance G. Warhold, David J. Carl, M.J. Palmer, Steven R. Niedermeier, Larry E. Miller, Jenna M. Godfrey, Prospective Multicenter Propensity Score-matched Comparison of Ultrasound-guided Versus Endoscopic Carpal Tunnel Release, Journal of Hand Surgery Global Online, Volume 8, Issue 3, 2026, 100974, ISSN 2589-5141, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhsg.2026.100974.
Congratulations to our collaborator Leila Hollis, student at the University of Nevada Reno School of Medicine, for their wonderful podium presentation at the 2026 Orthopaedic Research Society Annual Meeting!
Leila travelled to Eugene in the Summer of 2024 to complete a joint internship with the Slocum Foundation and Dr. Gabriella Lindberg at the UO’s Knight Campus. This established an ongoing collaboration between Leila, Dr. Dan Fitzpatrick from Slocum Orthopedics, and Kate Spitzley from the Slocum Foundation. Through this collaboration, Leila developed and performed a secondary analysis on wearable data collected for an OTA funded project and submitted this analysis to the 2026 ORS Annual Meeting, earning her a podium presentation and a manuscript in progress.
Dr. Fitzpatrick’s retrospective evaluation of the DePuy Synthes Radial Head Replacement System has been accepted for publication in the Iowa Orthopedic Journal!
The paper “Implant survivorship, radiographic evaluation, and clinical outcomes of radial head arthroplasty using the DePuy Synthes Radial Head Replacement System”, authored by Kate Spitzley, PhD, Kenneth Butters, MD, Julie Embree, PT, Tessa Kirkpatrick, BS, CCRC, Cindy Headlee, Ellie DeLoretto, BS, and Daniel Fitzpatrick, MD, will be released later this year.
Did you know that Dr. Shah has two ongoing clinical research studies???
That’s right! Dr. Shah is tracking the outcomes of total hip patients who receive Zimmer G7 Dual Mobility or Fixed constructs for 10 years after surgery.
The Global, Multicenter and Prospective Post-Market Clinical Follow-Up Study of the G7® Dual Mobility Acetabular System with Vivacit-E® or Longevity® Poly Bearing & Instrumentation just entered year three and the Global, Multicenter, and Prospective Post-Market Clinical Follow-Up Study of the G7® Acetabular System with Vivacit-E® and Longevity® Highly Crosslinked Polyethylene (HXLPE) Liners & Instrumentation enters year 5 this summer!
Questions about these studies? Reach out to the primary research coordinator Tessa Kirkpatrick for more information!
New study alert! Dr. Jackson embarks on his third consecutive clinical study to track 10-year outcomes of patients receiving a total ankle arthroplasty.
Just as his prior study tracking outcomes on the Infinity with Adaptis TAA system reaches its 5-year mark, Dr. Jackson is embarking on a new study to track 10-year outcomes of patients receiving the updated Incompass Total Ankle System. Since 2017, Dr. Jackson has partnered with Stryker on three clinical research studies to evaluate the efficacy, safety, and performance of their total ankle systems.
Questions about the new study? Reach out to the primary research coordinator Hannah College for more information!
Thank you for reading! Keep an eye out for future updates in our Summer 2026 Newsletter.
