Wishbone Orthopaedic Research Foundation Grants

There are two funding rounds for Orthopaedic research grants each year.  Applications for the first funding round in 2026 will open on 12 December 2025 and close on 23 February 2026

Applicants for Wishbone funding are expected to be either Registrars or emerging new clinical researchers with an NZOA member as part of the project team. 

Download the application form here.  All applications will be acknowledged. Applicants should ensure they have read the supporting information requirements before sending the completed application form.  They should also note the information about funding caps and that funding is generally not available for post-research expenses.  

The Wishbone Foundation is supported by the NZOA and all applications are evaluated by the Wishbone Orthopaedic Research Committee.

While grants are mainly smaller in nature, they can lead to larger projects with potentially major benefits for patients.

Below are summaries of the recently completed and ongoing research funded by Wishbone. Log in first to view the individual research reports.

Further Enquiries
E: grants@nzoa.org.nz  P: NZOA +64 (4) 913 9891

Ongoing Research

Project lead:

Reece Joseph

Working with:
Jillian Cornish, Simon Swift, Haemish Crawford (Supervisor)
Research base:
Not Specified
Topic:
Do Intracellular bacteria predispose antibiotic failure and bone necrosis in bone infections?
Project lead:

Alex Boyle

Working with:
Stephen Bayley, Adam Dalgleish, Ryan Gao (Supervisor)
Research base:
Not Specified
Topic:
Polyethylene vs Metallic Glenospheres for Reverse Shoulder Arthroplasty
Project lead:

Ampz Mathews

Working with:
Alex Carslaw (Supervisor)
Research base:
Not Specified
Topic:
A Comparative Study of Operative Autonomy Among Junior Orthopaedic Registrars and Early SET Training Orthopaedic Registrars in New Zealand
Project lead:

Ben Ross

Working with:
Simon Young, Alex Boyle, Mark Zhu, Vaughan Poutawera (Supervisor)
Research base:
Not Specified
Topic:
A comparison of survivorship and functional outcomes for contemporary cemented and cementless implants in total knee arthroplasty - New Zealand Joint Registry Study
Project lead:

Carissa Murugesh

Working with:
Luke Karalus, Joe Baker (Supervisor)
Research base:
Not Specified
Topic:
Long-term Survivability and Quality of Life in Patients with Spinal Epidural Abscesses Managed at Waikato Hospital
Project lead:

Elizabeth Cullen

Working with:
Chris Frampton, Amir Sandiford (Supervisor)
Research base:
Not Specified
Topic:
Fate of the Infected Unicompartmental Knee Arthroplasty: A New Zealand Joint Registry Study
Project lead:

Nayan Borude

Working with:
Simon Johnson, Bryan Wolf, Bradley Anderson, Tadeusz Piszel (Supervisor)
Research base:
Not Specified
Topic:
Posterior Angulation of Distal Clavicle Hook Plate and Risk of Subacromial Impingement
Project lead:

Rebecca Telfer

Working with:
Joe Baker (Supervisor)
Research base:
Not Specified
Topic:
Attitudes and Challenges of Registrars when completing an Acute Surgical Consent Form
Project lead:

Simon MacLean

Working with:
Ali Mirjalili
Research base:
Not Specified
Topic:
The Role of the Interosseous Ligaments of the Forearm in Distal Radioulnar joint instability: Anatomical and Biomechanical Implications for Reconstruction Techniques
Project lead:

Cindy Ou

Working with:
Joe Baker (Supervisor)
Research base:
Not Specified
Topic:
Tibial Shaft Fractures at Te Whatu Ora Waikato 2010 – 2022
Project lead:

Laura Veenendaal

Working with:
Gary Hooper, Max Yavitt, Theresa Konig and Tim Woodfield (Supervisor)
Research base:
Not Specified
Topic:
Advancing Cartilage Repair Strategies: Injectable Biomaterials for Cartilage Regeneration and Integration
Project lead:

Kat Sim

Working with:
Ritwik Kejriwal (Supervisor)
Research base:
Not Specified
Topic:
Outcomes of Unicompartmental Knee Joint Arthroplasty in extreme BMI