Research in the UW Musculoskeletal Systems Biology Lab is supported by the National Institutes of Health and the Ernest M. Burgess Endowed Chair for Orthopaedic Investigation.
About the Ernest M. Burgess Endowed Chair for Orthopaedic Investigation
The Burgess Chair honors the career and work of Dr. Ernest M. Burgess, a pioneering Seattle-based orthopedic surgeon renowned for his contributions to prosthetics and amputee care. His innovations, including the development of the “Seattle Foot,” significantly advanced the field of orthopedic rehabilitation. Dr. Burgess established the Prosthetics Outreach Foundation, one of the goals of which was to provide artificial limbs for men in North Vietnam who had lost their legs to the land mines that the U.S. had placed during the Vietnamese War. Dr. Burgess was also the first surgeon in Washington to do a total hip replacement.
The Burgess Chair was established in 1985 under the leadership of Dr. Rick Matsen. The chair was only the fourth endowed chair in the UW School of Medicine at that time. The chair honored Dr. Matsen’s late friend and teacher, Dr. Burgess, to recognize his contributions to prosthetics and amputee care as well as his humanitarian efforts.
While most orthopaedic departments at the time were focusing on biomechanics research, it was decided that the focus of the new program would be biology. Dr. David Eyre was recruited from Harvard and the Children’s Hospital in Boston to become the inaugural holder of the Chair. Dr. Eyre and the Collagen Biology and Genetic Disorders Lab conducted groundbreaking research in bone and cartilage biology, including the development of diagnostic tools like the Osteomark® NTx test for monitoring bone diseases such as osteoporosis and metastatic cancer, and received continuous support through grants from the National Institutes of Health since its inception.
In 2023, Dr. Howard Chansky combined the resources of the Burgess Chair with those of the UW Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine to support the Musculoskeletal Systems Biology Laboratory. Dr. Kwon is the current holder of the Burgess Chair.