Pioneering orthopedist inspiration for center
Posted on Wednesday, September 3, 2008
A new orthopedics center at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences will be named in memory of the late Dr. Carl Nelson, who led orthopedics research and treatment at the university for more than 30 years.
The Carl Nelson Orthopaedic Center will be housed in the 300, 000-square-foot Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute tower expansion under construction behind the cancer institute.
Dr. Richard Nicholas, chairman of the UAMS department of orthopedic surgery, said there was never any question about whom the center should be named for. Nelson first proposed the facility more than a decade ago.
“It almost seemed like the only thing to do,” Nicholas said. “When he died, his dream wasn’t fulfilled. The people that have donated money would like to see it named after him to remember his influence on the college.... He had a tremendous impact on orthopedics throughout Arkansas.” Nelson was chairman of the UAMS department of orthopedic surgery from 1974 until January 2005, when he died after a stroke at his Little Rock home. He was 71.
On Tuesday, UAMS officials announced a $ 2 million gift for the center from the Willard and Pat Walker Charitable Foundation, bringing the total raised to about $ 5. 5 million.
Debbie Walker, executive director of the Willard and Pat Walker Charitable Foundation, said in a statement that Nelson was a well-respected physician and a “dear friend” of the family.
“We miss him, and wish he could be here to receive the praise he earned and deserves,” she said.
Nelson was known as a pioneer for developing a total hip replacement surgery technique that didn’t require blood transfusions. He also started the state’s first medical practice dedicated to joint-replacement surgery.
Nicholas said design of the orthopedic center is under way, and a final project cost isn’t known.
Expected to open in summer 2010, the new center will serve as an “academic and research core,” allowing the department to combine offices and laboratories currently spread across campus, he said.
“We’re moving from buildings that were built in the 1950 s to state-of-the-art facilities,” Nicholas said.
The center will total about 10, 000 square feet and occupy portions of the cancer tower’s ninth and 10 th floors. Research laboratories will be on the ninth floor, while academic offices and training areas will be on the 10 th floor.
Orthopedic patients will continue to be treated in the hospital and in the UAMS outpatient center.
Nicholas said department officials considered several options for the center, including building a stand-alone facility and expanding the outpatient center.
One of the main areas of interest within the orthopedics department is how cancer affects the bones, so becoming part of the cancer institute expansion made sense, Nicholas said.
“It’s very appropriate for our lab to be in the cancer center because we can collaborate with other people there,” he said. “It will increase our laboratory space. It will allow us room to expand with new equipment and increase our research efforts.”
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