Wood Forum

The Wood Forum is an annual public forum on the latest research advances in bone and joint health.

Wood Forum History

The Wood Forum is supported through the Wood Joint Research Fund which honours the memories of Dr. John and Mrs. Christena Wood. The forums were designed to enhance public awareness of the causes, consequences and prevention of joint injury and disease, and to provide an opportunity to discuss the latest research findings with leaders in the field. The Wood Research Fund continues this legacy.

Wood Forum 2022 Healthy Joints for Life

On Saturday October 29, we had the privilege to hear from experts in the field of joint health at the Wood Forum 2022. Topics included gut health, diet and their affect on osteoarthritis, how to reduce pain from osteoarthritis, understanding when imaging may (or may not) be required and what to do after a knee injury. For the full recording, click the link below.

Wood Forum 2022 Recording

A gut feeling: how improving your gut health with diet can affect your osteoarthritis

Surprising as it may seem, bacteria that live in our intestines can influence many aspects of our health including our bones and joints. How does diet affect those bacteria and how does this affect joint health/osteoarthritis?

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Dr. Raylene Reimer, Professor and Interim Dean, Faculty of Kinesiology

Dr. Raylene Reimer is a Professor in the Faculty of Kinesiology at the University of Calgary. She holds a joint appointment in the Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology in the Cumming School of Medicine and is a Full Scientist in the Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute. She is also a Registered Dietitian. Dr. Reimer’s research focuses on diet and how it can be used to manage chronic diseases like obesity, diabetes, fatty liver disease, and osteoarthritis. She is particularly interested in gut health and how dietary fiber can be used to feed healthy bacteria in the intestine. Dr. Reimer has published nearly 200 papers. In 2021, she received the Earle Willard McHenry Award for Distinguished Service in Nutrition from the Canadian Nutrition Society.

"Ouch! My <enter joint name> hurts!": Nine steps that can help you

One in eight Albertans is living with osteoarthritis (OA) – a painful condition that limits function and quality of life. This talk will help patients on their OA journey explore their options, understand surgical and non- surgical treatments available for osteoarthritis, and empower them to take control of their own health.

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Dr. Jason Werle, Orthopaedic Section Chief, University of Calgary and Senior Medical Director of the Bone & Joint Strategic Clinical Network

Dr Jason Werle is the Senior Medical Director of the Bone & Joint Health Strategic Clinical Network and the Section Head of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Calgary, AHS-Calgary Zone. He is also the President of the Canadian Arthroplasty Society and a McCaig Institute member. Dr Werle grew up on a farm near Langenburg, SK, and believes this taught him the importance of hard work and a sense of optimism for the future. He stayed close to home to earn his Doctor of Medicine from the University of Saskatchewan, later traveling further afield to complete a fellowship at Stanford University. His current orthopaedic surgery practice is focused on lower extremity arthroplasty (joint replacements) and single limb trauma surgery.

MR-"Why"? - Be imaging informed

Although magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is an excellent diagnostic tool for a myriad of musculoskeletal disorders, it may not be the first tool we should reach for during care. This talk will help to make you an informed patient, and help you to understand when imaging may (or may not) be required.

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Dr. Richard Walker, Associate Professor, Department of Radiology, University of Calgary

Dr. Richard Walker is an Associate Professor in the Department of Radiology and is a member of the McCaig Institute for Bone and Joint Health. After graduating and completing residency training in Family Medicine, he practiced primary care in Northern Saskatchewan for two years. Following that, he completed residency training in Diagnostic Radiology at Boston University School of Medicine and a Musculoskeletal Imaging Fellowship at the New England Baptist Bone and Joint Institute and Harvard Medical School. His primary research interests include multimodal imaging of sports-related injuries and joint trauma, imaging appropriateness and quality improvement. He consulted for the 2012 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championships and volunteered at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games as an MSK radiologist. Dr. Walker served as Clinical and Academic Head of Radiology at the University of Calgary from 2016 – 2021.

What you knee-d to know to avoid osteoarthritis after a knee injury

People that experience a knee injury are six times more likely to develop osteoarthritis than people that don't. This talk will focus on four practical strategies that you can use to keep your knee healthy and prevent osteoarthritis if you have had an injury.

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Dr. Jackie Whittaker, Associate Professor, Department of Physical Therapy and Research Scientist of MSK Rehabilitation, Arthritis Research Centre, University of British Columbia

Dr. Jackie Whittaker is an Associate Professor in the Department of Physical Therapy, at the University of British Columbia, and Research Scientist at Arthritis Research Canada in Vancouver, Canada. She holds a Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research Scholar Award and Arthritis Society’s STARS Career Development Award. As a recognized clinical specialist in musculoskeletal rehabilitation, her research takes a lifespan approach to preventing osteoarthritis and is done in conjunction with patients, health professionals and other stakeholders to make it more relevant to real world settings.