The History of Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Chicago

In this lecture, Michael Simon, MD, former section chief of orthopaedic surgery at the University of Chicago, explores the history of the department’s role as a “Teacher of Teachers and Leaders” in the field. Focusing on the early period of the unit, he paints a picture of the policies and personalities that made the University of Chicago a unique training ground for future leaders in orthopaedic surgery. In the present day, the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Rehabilitation Medicine is known for the strength of its residency and fellowship programs, whose graduates now occupy positions of leadership on the national and international stage. But its past is less well known. Until now, we had forgotten the remarkable fact that between 1927 and 1962 more than half of UChicago’s orthopaedic surgery residents graduated to pursue academic careers; or that 9 out of 31 residency graduates became chairs of orthopaedic departments in universities across America.

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