(Buffalo) Team Physician for the St. Louis Blues, and former Team Physician for the St. Louis Rams for 23 years, Dr. Matthew Matava, presents to surgeons, physicians, residents and fellows with UBMD Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine at the thirteenth Ralph & Mary Wilson Gift Lecture, held on Thursday, on May 19th, 2016.
Attendees filled the Smith Auditorium at ECMC to observe Dr. Matava’s presentation on knee injuries: causes of ACL failure, principles of patient evaluation, and meniscus preservation and transplantation.
As a Board Certified Orthopaedic Surgeon subspecializing in sports medicine, Dr. Matava’s special interests include ligament injuries of the knee, articular cartilage restoration, meniscal transplantation, and athletic injuries of the shoulder, including instability and rotator cuff issues.
Dr. Matava currently serves as the head team physician for the St. Louis Rams and Washington University Athletic Department, and team physician for the St. Louis Blues. In 2013, he was elected as the President of the National Football League (NFL) Physician Society. In addition, Dr. Matava is a professor of orthopaedic surgery, professor of physical therapy, and chief of sports medicine at Washington University.
During the Ralph & Mary Wilson Gift Lecture, Dr. Matava discussed his studies conducted through the Multi-center ACL Revision Study Group (MARS Group), the largest center in the world that looks at revision surgery. In particular, Dr. Matava focused on causes of ACL failure and preservation of the meniscus. He referenced multiple case studies to outline his findings and techniques to the audience. After he presented, Dr. Matava opened the floor for questions, which segued into a dynamic discussion about return to play protocols, and surgical techniques for ACL and meniscal repairs.
This Ralph & Mary Wilson Gift Lecture was the thirteenth presentation given since the series began in 2011. The Ralph C. Wilson Foundation made a $1 million donation to UB’s Department of Orthopaedics at the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences September of 2011. The donation supports research and education, particularly for the training of five orthopaedic residents and two sports medicine fellows who rotate through the department each year. The generous donation was made by the Wilsons to honor the Buffalo Bills team physicians who care for the players on and off of the field. In November 2015, after the passing of Ralph C. Wilson, Mary Wilson and her fellow trustees of the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation gifted $4.2 million to the UB Department of Orthopaedics. This gift established the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Center of Excellence in Sports Medicine in the University at Buffalo Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. Patients of UBMD Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine, the clinical practice plan comprised of the professors at the University, benefit from these donations by receiving innovative and collaborative care by those on the cutting edge of research.
