Partnership Retreat Strengthens Musculoskeletal Collaboration

On June 17, Henry Ford Health + Michigan State University Health Sciences hosted its first musculoskeletal research retreat on the MSU campus. With nearly 90 Henry Ford and MSU participants, the event brought together experts and emerging voices from both institutions in a collaborative forum focused on advancing musculoskeletal science and care.

“The retreat clearly resonated with researchers, clinicians, and health professionals from both Henry Ford and MSU," Matt Harkey, Ph.D., MSU assistant professor and Henry Ford + MSU Musculoskeletal Research Retreat co-chair. "The strong turnout highlights a shared enthusiasm—and a real capacity—for impactful collaboration in musculoskeletal research.”

The retreat is part of the Henry Ford + MSU Research Affinity Group Funding initiative, which seeks to further catalyze connections between researchers at Henry Ford and MSU. Co-chairing alongside Harkey for the retreat was MSU Mary Anne McPhail Dressage Chair in Equine Sports Medicine and Associate Professor Jane Manfredi, DVM, Ph.D.; Henry Ford Assistant Scientist Shabana Amanda Ali, Ph.D.; and Henry Ford Orthopedic Service Line Executive Vice Chair Charles Day, M.D.

With his own field of scholarship in kinesiology, MSU President Kevin M. Guskiewicz, Ph.D., joined the retreat virtually and expressed enthusiasm about the significant impact the event will have on the partnership’s joint efforts in musculoskeletal research and care.

Henry Ford Orthopedics Chair Jon Braman, M.D., echoed Guskiewicz’s emphasis on bridging clinical practice and academic research. He also stressed the importance of moving not only from “bench to bedside” but from “bench to operating room.”

Presenting cutting-edge research and emerging technologies, the day featured presentations on advancing clinical care in orthopaedics and sports medicine, innovations in musculoskeletal imaging and radiology, and strategies to prevent arthritis across all stages of disease.

In the afternoon, activities shifted to an intimate poster session highlighting ongoing projects and emerging findings. This included lively table discussions on key musculoskeletal topics.

“I hope people walked away seeing that we're all here for the same reason. We're all trying to help the patient population. We're just coming at it from different perspectives,” said Ali. “If we set aside time to work together and build meaningful collaboration based on shared interests, I think that will make a real difference for the patient population we’re trying to serve.”

View more moments from the day’s events or learn more about the Henry Ford + MSU Research Affinity Group Funding.