Clemson bioengineering lab named for Greenville orthopaedic pioneers

CLEMSON, SC – February 12, 2010 –  Anonymous donors have invested $250,000 to fund a new lab in the Clemson University Biomedical and Bioengineering Translational Research Facility at the Greenville Hospital System University Medical Center Patewood campus. The investment establishes the Frank H. Stelling and C. Dayton Riddle Orthopaedic Education and Research Laboratory Endowment. The research will help develop high-impact medical technology and devices for disease management to be transferred from the laboratory to bedside.

“This very generous and vital investment in the orthopaedics laboratory will provide funds for research supplies and maintenance,” said Martine LaBerge, department chairwoman and professor in bioengineering. “It is an honor to have the first lab named for such distinguished pioneers in orthopaedic medicine.”

In preparing the Patewood facility for occupancy, Clemson University has received $3.5 million from the state of South Carolina to upfit phases I and II. Phases I and II include research laboratories, a bioimaging facility, a Center of Vascular Disease Diagnosis and Management, a medical library, faculty offices and a conference room to be used by partners in the program. A proposed phase III would focus on validation of research and innovation and include incubator space for startup companies and commercial offices.

Frank H. Stelling and C. Dayton Riddle share a rich history in Greenville orthopaedics. The late Stelling was an acclaimed orthopaedic surgeon and teacher, especially in children’s orthopaedics. He was chief surgeon of Shriners Hospital in Greenville from 1949 until 1978. In 1949, he began a long partnership in orthopaedic surgery with Dr. Leslie Meyer and Riddle that later became Piedmont Orthopaedic Clinic, P.A. He also founded and directed the orthopaedic residency program in Greenville. Stelling served as president of the medical staff of Greenville General Hospital in 1959 and was on staff there and at Greenville Memorial Hospital for 48 years. After retiring as chief surgeon of Shriners Hospital, he served as director of medical affairs for Shriners Hospital of North America until retiring in 1986. Stelling died in 2001.

Riddle graduated from Furman University in 1953 and completed his medical education at MUSC in 1957, finishing as the first honor graduate. He served in private practice at the Piedmont Orthopaedic Clinic from 1964 to 1988. In 1979, he was named academic chairman of the orthopaedic surgery department at Greenville Hospital System. Riddle also served as assistant chief of staff at Shriners Hospital. He has served as a board examiner for the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery, a past president of the South Carolina Orthopaedic Association, a member of the South Carolina State Board of Medical Examiners, treasurer of the Greenville County Medical Society and as a member of the House of Delegates for the South Carolina Medical Association. Since 2001, Riddle has served as chairman emeritus for the orthopaedic surgery department at the Greenville Hospital System University Medical Center.

“What an honor this is for me,” said Riddle. “It has been a privilege to be affiliated with the bioengineering department at Clemson University and the education department at Greenville Hospital System. To have my name and that of my long-time associate, friend and mentor Frank H. Stelling III appended to this laboratory is indeed a great honor.”

Dr. Thomas Pace is a joint replacement specialist with the Greenville Hospital System orthopaedics department and an adjunct professor at Clemson who as a young physician benefitted from the expertise of both pioneers.

“Their educational contributions are recognized locally and nationally and are synonymous with the highest quality of orthopaedic care, physician education and visionary thinking. I was very fortunate as a young surgeon to have been influenced by their vast knowledge and experience and the generosity with which they shared it. Their legacy is well-served through the dedication of this state-of-the-art Clemson laboratory committed to translating basic science into better orthopaedic care to improve the lives of patients and to further the education of young physicians who will be providing that care, Pace said.

The Clemson University Biomedical and Bioengineering Translational Research Program focuses on cardiovascular science and engineering and orthopaedic performance and biomechanics. Its partners include the Clemson bioengineering department, the Institute for Vascular Health of the Greenville Hospital System and the Orthopaedic Research Foundation of the Carolinas.