The 2025 ORS Young Investigator Initiative (YII) recently took place October 17 – 19, in Rosemont, IL. This program provided young musculoskeletal researchers with expert guidance on constructing well-founded research proposals and securing funding. This year’s event found 29 participants working with 11 faculty members to explore the best methods for developing strong proposals. Thank you to all who attended!

Stay Tuned for Details on YII 2026.

“I have been intimidated to apply for the big grants with my biggest ideas. I feel like I have the confidence and insider knowledge now to give it a shot. Being among ORS researchers and clinician-scientists was also refreshing and a great opportunity.” (2025)

Kaitlin McCreery, PhD, Assistant Professor, University of Vermont

“This program was an amazing opportunity to gain insight into the grant writing and review process. The faculty and peer feedback were extremely helpful. This is a worthwhile use of your time!” (2024)

2024 Participant

“This was one of the most useful things I have done ever. I feel this program alone will help me significantly improve my chances of getting funding. There are always people that will say that a grant doesn’t read well or it needs more clarity but couldn’t clearly express what that meant. I finally understood.” (2024)

2024 Participant

“It gave me more confidence to submit my grants – the feedback was very positive.” (2024)

2024 Participant

About the Program

The ORS Young Investigator Initiative (YII) is a multi-disciplinary grant mentoring and career development program that provides all young investigators in the musculoskeletal sciences with guidance on constructing well-founded research proposals and securing funding for basic, translational, or clinical research.

This Program is open to all Junior Faculty, Fellows, Post-Doctoral Researchers and Residents. Previous attendees are also invited to return to review their Summary Statements, discuss next steps, and obtain further guidance from our experienced and supportive faculty mentors.

The Young Investigator Initiative (YII), formerly a program of the U.S. Bone and Joint Initiative (USBJI), is now owned and operated by the Orthopaedic Research Society (ORS).

The 2024 YII workshop took place on April 12 – 14, 2024 in Rosemont, IL. 17 participants worked with 8 faculty members who provided guidance on how to write and submit successful research grants for funding their musculoskeletal science. In addition to didactic presentations, the young investigators received one-on-one mentorship from 3 or more faculty who have been awarded numerous grants during their careers. These pearls of wisdom included how to respond to reviewer comments to make their grant resubmission more competitive for funding.

Agenda Highlights

  • Approach to Specific Aims (Introduction; Justification, Feasibility, and Preliminary Data; Research Design; Expected Outcomes; and Potential Problems and Alternative Strategy)
  • Roundtable table discussions on Start Up Funds, Effective Use of Money, Institutional Environment, Salary Negotiation, and Joint Appointments
  • Research Strategy and Innovation
  • Group Mentoring
  • Mock Study Session
  • Alternative Funding Sources

For questions about the program, please contact Shari Centrone at [email protected].