Zimmer Biomet Chairman, President and CEO Ivan Tornos Joins OREF Board of Trustees

ROSEMONT, Ill., May 29, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation (OREF), the leading private nonprofit organization funding musculoskeletal (MSK) research across all orthopaedic sub-specialties, is pleased to announce that Ivan Tornos, Chairman, President and CEO of orthopaedic medical device company Zimmer Biomet has joined its Board of Trustees.

Mr. Tornos joined Zimmer Biomet in 2018 as Group President, Orthopedics. Prior to his appointment as President and Chief Executive Officer in 2023, he held the positions of Group President, Global Businesses and the Americas, and Chief Operating Officer with responsibility for overseeing all global businesses at Zimmer Biomet. He was elected Chairman of the Board of Directors of Zimmer Biomet, a global leader in musculoskeletal health, in May of 2025.

OREF Board President, Joshua J. Jacobs, MD, stated, "On behalf of the entire board, I am delighted to welcome Ivan to OREF. Our two organizations have a long history of collaboration and a shared commitment to improving patient care and outcomes. Ivan's presence on the OREF board will bring heightened visibility to our mission and to the need for more research funding. His service to OREF and the financial support of Zimmer Biomet underscore his commitment to improving the health of our communities here in the U.S. and throughout the world."

"I am thrilled to be joining the OREF board. Now more than ever, it's important we move with a sense of urgency and deep purpose to ensure that musculoskeletal research advances at a much faster pace and delivers even bolder solutions. There are countless patients currently waiting on the sidelines who could benefit from the meaningful work that we will do together, and I'm committed to doing all I can to reduce the current gaps in this area," said Ivan Tornos.

The growing burden of MSK conditions in the United States is well documented with MSK-related diseases and injuries affecting more than half of the adult population and imposing an estimated economic burden of $980 billion annually.¹ Despite the outsized impact of MSK diseases on quality of life and the U.S. economy, funding for MSK conditions is disproportionately low when comparing the physical and economic burden of various diseases. OREF is a leading voice in advocating for increased MSK research funding and strongly believes that the nation's healthcare will not improve unless and until MSK research funding becomes a national priority.

OREF grantees' success in securing additional funding from the NIH and other government entities is unparalleled within the MSK research community. Research published in JBJS demonstrates that OREF grant recipients are more likely to receive subsequent NIH funding compared to other applicants (23.5 percent vs. 20.6 percent), with Career Development Grant recipients achieving a 48.4 percent success rate.² Given the limited availability of MSK research funds, investing in a reputable independent source with a proven return on investment is essential. OREF's collaboration with more than 60 MSK-related organizations is a key factor in its success in funding significant and impactful research that improves clinical practice and patient outcomes.

About OREF

An independent 501(c)3 nonprofit, OREF strives to improve clinical care and patient outcomes by advancing innovative research, developing new investigators, and uniting the orthopaedic community in promoting musculoskeletal health. The Foundation raises funds to support research on diseases and injuries of bones, nerves, muscles, and tendons and to enhance clinical care leading to improved health, increased activity, and a better quality of life for patients. For more information, visit oref.org or follow OREF on X and LinkedIn.

¹United States Bone and Joint Initiative: The Burden of Musculoskeletal Diseases in the United States (BMUS), Third Edition, 2014. Rosemont, IL. Available at https://bmus.latticegroup.com/fourth-edition/if0/healthcare-utilization-and-economic-cost

²Li, Alan K. BS1,a; Kendal, Joseph K. MD, MSc2; Hamad, Christopher D. MD2; Peterson, Nicholas V. MD2; Asachi, Parsa BA1; Taylor, Jeremiah M. BS1; Le, Michael M. MD1; Lloyd, Trevor S. BS1; Wessel, Lauren E. MD2; Bernthal, Nicholas M. MD2. Identifying Predictors of Successful Conversion from OREF Grants to Extramural Federal Funding Among Orthopaedic Surgeons. The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery 107(1):p 96-103, January 1, 2025. DOI: 10.2106/JBJS.24.0064

SOURCE Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation