Pitt will expand its musculoskeletal care and research with a strategic investment from the Orland Bethel family

The Orland Bethel Family Foundation, a powerful supporter of the health sciences at the University of Pittsburgh, has committed an additional $53.5 million to expand the Orland Bethel Family Musculoskeletal Research Center (BMRC). The gift, which brings giving from the Bethel family to nearly $100 million in the last five years, will grow the center’s research, innovation and training efforts.

“Orland Bethel is changing the landscape of what we know about musculoskeletal disease and supporting critical work that will lead to better treatments,” said Pitt Chancellor Joan Gabel. “This gift will improve the lives of countless individuals who suffer pain and limited mobility. I cannot thank Orland enough for his partnership and generosity.”

The strategic gift will create three endowed professorships, launch an award program for mid-career researchers and thought leaders, improve recruitment and retention of key BMRC leaders, develop a commercialization-focused curriculum, connect researchers with venture capital and better couple the BMRC with industry leaders to ensure it is producing the researchers and leaders most in demand inside and outside of academia.

“This multifaceted gift will transform the BMRC into not only a leader in research and training, but also a powerful economic engine for the region, attracting investment and creating new companies,” said Anantha Shekhar, the John and Gertrude Petersen Dean of the School of Medicine and senior vice chancellor for the health sciences at Pitt. “The BMRC is already at the forefront of global discovery; it will soon be the leader in commercialization in the field of treating musculoskeletal disease and improving patient outcomes through personalized medicine.”

Along with this recent gift, Orland Bethel and his family foundation committed $25 million in 2023 to create the BMRC, $18.5 million last year to launch the Orland Bethel Musculoskeletal Research Center Biobank and a previous $2 million gift to establish the Orland Bethel Professorship in Spine Surgery.

“In the few short years the BMRC has existed, it has already become a leader in developing treatments for arthritis and other painful conditions affecting millions of people worldwide, and the biobank, in its first year, is collecting, processing and cataloging samples for researchers around the globe,” said Joon Y. Lee of the Pitt Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and UPMC, who holds the Orland Bethel Professorship in Spine Surgery. “We are accelerating discovery of biomarkers and therapeutic targets, enhancing our understanding of musculoskeletal disease and improving patient outcomes in ways that will forever change how we approach these debilitating diseases.”

Orland Bethel suffered from incapacitating spinal pain before turning to clinicians at UPMC, who are also scientists at the University of Pittsburgh, for help. Bethel, founder of Hillandale Farms, which is among the nation’s largest egg producers, received relief and restored function following surgery performed by Lee.

“When Dr. Lee and the others took over my care nearly a decade ago, it transformed my life and gave me new hope. I see they are doing the same thing for others with support from my family’s foundation,” Bethel said. “I know this newest gift will enhance the work of the Orland Bethel Family Musculoskeletal Research Center and will have an impact on the entire field.”

The recent $53.5 million gift will support multiple initiatives, including:

• Creation of three BMRC endowed professorships within the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery
• Awards to support the research of mid-career faculty to be known as Bethel Scientists
• Endowed funds to support BMRC executive leadership
• An annual Bethel Prize to recognize thought leaders in musculoskeletal research
• Further expansion of the biobank’s capacity
• Establishment of a project development advisory panel
• Development of an education and innovation curriculum focused on the commercialization of research, including a BMRC Innovations Fellowship
• Creation of a risk capital fund to invest in high-potential, early-stage innovation emerging from the BMRC
• Investment in Pitt.INC, a rapid commercialization fund in collaboration with Pitt’s Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship

“This gift allows us to focus on our most important asset, our people, at every phase of their career — from research funding for mid-career faculty, through professorships for those further along, all the way to ensuring we can retain the most experienced executive leaders and talent,” said MaCalus V. Hogan, David Silver Professor and Chair in Pitt’s Department of Orthopaedic Surgery. “Mr. Bethel’s experience as a business leader shows in this gift, which will create the right environment for collaborative breakthroughs to improve quality of life for untold thousands of patients.”

The BMRC lab has moved into its renovated space in the Biomedical Science Tower. The 25,000-square-foot space is home to seven of the center’s 11 core labs and houses a state-of-the-art surgical training suite for UPMC orthopaedic surgery residents.

“Mr. Bethel’s gift has a profound impact today and will nurture innovation and understanding of musculoskeletal conditions for decades to come,” said Shekhar. “The expansion of the BMRC and the addition of these new programs catapults the University of Pittsburgh and UPMC to the position of world leader in this field while at the same time creating a system to support researchers across the globe.”

About the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine

As one of the nation’s leading academic centers for biomedical research, the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine integrates advanced technology with basic science across a broad range of disciplines in a continuous quest to harness the power of new knowledge and improve the human condition.

Likewise, the School of Medicine is equally committed to advancing the quality and strength of its medical and graduate education programs, for which it is recognized as an innovative leader, and to training highly skilled, compassionate clinicians and creative scientists well-equipped to engage in world-class research. The School of Medicine is the academic partner of UPMC, which has collaborated with the University to raise the standard of medical excellence in Pittsburgh and to position health care as a driving force behind the region’s economy.