Project Summary
The biennial Gordon Research Conference (GRC) on Musculoskeletal Biology and Bioengineering has been
the leading forum for the presentation and discussion of emerging paradigms in the field since the meeting was
established in 1980. The impact of this meeting was further enhanced in 2014 with the addition of a Gordon
Research Seminar (GRS), which is focused on and led by trainees and early career investigators. Both the
GRC and GRS promote presentation of unpublished data and prioritize formal and informal discussion time,
and the program is developed in a way that facilitates participation and support of a diverse array of new
investigators in the musculoskeletal field. Participation is capped at 200 to further enhance networking and
discussion. In the current application, funds are requested for partial support of the 2024 Gordon Research
Conference and Gordon Research Seminar on Musculoskeletal (MSK) Biology and Bioengineering at Proctor
Academy in Andover, NH. This venue provides an ideal environment for focused discussion of cutting-edge
science and informal interactions during leisure and social activities each day. The theme for the 2024 GRC is
“Multidisciplinary Approaches to Tackling Musculoskeletal Problems Across the Lifespan”, with the goal
of facilitating retention or restoration of MSK health through the lifespan. The GRC program, which consists of
nine plenary sessions, will integrate biological, engineering, and clinical approaches in development, aging,
and disease in the musculoskeletal system. In addition, short talks and poster presentations from early stage
investigators provide an important platform the next generation of MSK researchers. Areas of emphasis will
focus on challenges to health equity in MSK research, emerging concepts in pain research, and strategies to
retain or restore MSK function through the lifespan, while the Power Hour will identify strategies and
approaches to make the conduct of MSK research (e.g., laboratory environments) more equitable. The two-day
GRS program, themed “Integrating Diverse and Multidisciplinary Approaches to Enhance
Musculoskeletal Health”, will immediately precede and integrate with the GRC program. GRS attendance is
expected to be 50 individuals, with all of these participants also attending the GRC. The GRS co-Chairs have
worked closely with the Chair and Vice-Chairs of the GRC to develop the scientific program, which includes a
mentoring component focused on building effective and sustainable career trajectories. In addition to the
keynote session and a career panel of established investigators, the GRS features research of new
investigators in two oral sessions and two poster sessions. Ensuring that this meeting facilitates inclusion and
leadership from women, minorities and persons with disabilities is a central goal of this GRS/GRC. As such, we
have crafted the program to center these voices, and our provisional program exceeds the diversity of both
prior MSK GRCs as well as the overall average of all GRCs.
