OrthoWorx announced today that Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne (IPFW) has joined the OrthoWorx University | Industry Advisory Board (UIAB), which was recently formed to better connect the technology and talent needs of Indiana’s orthopedic medical device industry with the assets and capabilities represented by Indiana’s higher education institutions.

“IPFW and Chancellor Vicky Carwein have been great partners to OrthoWorx as we’ve developed the concept and rationale for forming the Advisory Board,” said Sheryl Conley, president and CEO of OrthoWorx. “IPFW has many strengths and assets that can be more fully leveraged by the orthopedic industry –its engineering programs, its MBA programs, its computer science programs, including the data visualization center, and many others. We look forward to helping IPFW better connect to the orthopedic industry cluster and enabling each party to benefit from greater collaboration.”

Colleges and universities that have joined Orthoworx as part of the advisory board include: Indiana University; University of Notre Dame; Ivy Tech Community College; Grace College (a found OrthoWorx member); Manchester University; Trine University; and Purdue University. Discussions regarding membership are still underway with Ball State University, Rose-Hulman University, Valparaiso University and Indiana Tech.

“The medical device industry is very important to our region’s economy and we are eager to engage through OrthoWorx to establish structured mechanisms to learn about and respond to the changing needs of the companies,” said Carwein. “IPFW has placed a great many graduates in the industry, but we know the connections can be deeper and more systematic. We were pleased to participate in the recent UIAB Members Conference and to look forward to even greater opportunities for IPFW to expand internship, co-op and project opportunities for our students and to work with the industry to meet needs for curricula and programming.”

According to Conley, the Members Conference had more than 160 participants, with a good balance between university and industry members. “This was the start of a two-way education process which will play out across many areas,” she stated, “but one area we believe we can impact very quickly is getting more students and professors directly engaged with the orthopedic industry, and with IPFW’s programs and proximity, we could expect they will be a significant player in that effort.”