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Honoring Research Excellence at JVL Award Reception

Posted on by Tyler Johnson

On Friday, Jan. 23, LuskinOIC hosted a dinner reception to honor the creation of the new Harry A. McKellop, Ph.D., Excellence in Research and Innovation Award. Presented on behalf of the J. Vernon Luck, Sr., M.D., Biomechanics Research Center at LuskinOIC, the award recognizes outstanding achievement and forward-thinking leadership in research. 

Before establishing the McKellop Award, LuskinOIC presented the G. June Marshall Award, named in honor of the research center’s first director. To continue that legacy of revolutionary orthopaedic research, the JVL Research Center has introduced this new award honoring Dr. Harry McKellop. 

Dr. McKellop served at the JVL Research Center from 1980 until his retirement in 2014. During that time, he held multiple leadership roles, including  Director of the Biomechanics Laboratory, Director of the Research Center, and eventually Vice President of Orthopaedic Hospital. For his research on wear and tear on artificial joints, Dr. McKellop was awarded numerous patents and received prestigious awards, such as the Kappa Delta Award from the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Under his leadership, the JVL Research Center became, and remains, one of the world’s most prominent and renowned orthopaedic research institutions. 

The 2025 McKellop Award recipient is Dr. Jenna Wahbeh, Ph.D. Dr. Wahbeh joined LuskinOIC in 2019 as a volunteer and later became a researcher,  Ph.D. candidate, and lab manager at the JVL Research Center. Over five years, she published groundbreaking research addressing critical gaps in orthopaedics and mentored more than 30 high school and college students. During her time as a Ph.D. candidate, Dr. Wahbeh received the ORS Spine Section Travel Fellowship and the UCLA Dissertation Year Fellowship. In March 2025, Dr. Wahbeh successfully defended her dissertation, which focused on evaluating cervical disc replacements to improve clinical outcomes.

The evening was attended by past and present JVL Research Center researchers, LuskinOIC leadership and staff, and honored guests. Dr. James Luck Jr. gave a history of LuskinOIC and the Research Center, while Dr. Edward Ebramzadeh reflected on Dr. McKellop and his time with LuskinOIC. Dr. McKellop then spoke about his own experience before introducing this year’s awardee, Dr. Wahbeh. Dr. Wahbeh closed the evening by thanking the JVL Research Center for the recognition and reflecting on her time at LuskinOIC.

June 6: The 2026 Innovation Gala

Posted on by Tyler Johnson

LuskinOIC is excited to announce that the 2026 Stand for Kids Gala will take place Saturday, June 6, at Manhattan Beach Studios.

The evening will honor this year’s Community Inspiration Award recipient, the Everychild Foundation, and the Power of Partnerships Award winner, the UCLA Sarcoma team. The 2026 gala theme, “Innovation,”  will highlight the advancements LuskinOIC’s campus and providers are making to better serve the children of Los Angeles and beyond.

The Everychild Foundation is dedicated to easing the suffering of children in the greater Los Angeles area. The organization unites more than 200 Los Angeles women, each contributing $6,000 annually, to fund a single high-impact project addressing a critical unmet need of local children. In 2025, Everychild awarded LuskinOIC its first seven-figure grant from a foundation, providing the capstone to our $2.1 million MRI initiative.

The UCLA Sarcoma team provides innovative, multidisciplinary care for patients with sarcoma at every stage of the disease. UCLA is among the busiest sarcoma centers in the country, performing more than 500 sarcoma surgeries annually. The UCLA Pediatric Sarcoma Center is also dedicated to advancing research to improve treatment and outcomes. Led by Dr. Noah Federman, the UCLA Pediatric Oncology team helps children achieve remission and get back to being kids.

The 2024 gala, held at SoFi Stadium, featured the announcement of a $50 million dollar estate gift from Meyer and Renee Luskin. Nearly 1,000 guests gathered at center field as LuskinOIC honored the Los Angeles Chargers and Students Run LA.

[Relive the 2024 Gala here.]

A Lasting Legacy: The $1.1 Million Goldrick Gift to LuskinOIC

Posted on by Tyler Johnson

John J. Goldrick and his wife, Gabrielle Saxton Goldrick, made a $1.1 million planned gift to LuskinOIC that reflects their deep belief in the transformative power of accessible, equitable healthcare.

Through JJ’s volunteer work at LuskinOIC’s Toys & Joy event and the annual Swing for Kids Golf Classic, he and Gabrielle gained a front-row seat to our mission: providing world-class orthopaedic care to children regardless of their families’ ability to pay. With no children of their own, the couple made a deliberate estate-planning decision to support that work. Their gift represents the kind of philanthropic investment that enables pediatric specialty hospitals to sustain and expand services for underserved communities.

A Purple Heart recipient, JJ built a distinguished career in property management following his military service and remained deeply committed to healthcare access throughout his life. He volunteered three days a week at the Santa Monica UCLA Medical Center & Orthopaedic Hospital information desk and served on the UCLA Santa Monica Patient Family Advisory Council until his recent passing.

In recognition of the Goldricks’ transformative gift, LuskinOIC will name the rotary driveway at its downtown campus The Goldrick Circle as part of the Innovation Campaign to enhance facility accessibility.

“We thank JJ and Gabrielle for thoughtfully planning to make the future count for the mission of LuskinOIC,” said Michael Sullivan.

Their legacy exemplifies how planned giving can create lasting impact in pediatric healthcare, ensuring that children across Los Angeles continue to receive the specialized orthopaedic care they need. The Goldrick Circle will serve as a daily reminder that exceptional patient care is built not only through clinical excellence, but through the generosity of those who believe every child deserves access to healing.

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