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Richard Harrison Rothman, M.D., Ph.D. (1936-)
Sixth
Chairman
Fifth James
Edwards Professor (1986-) |
Dr. Richard H. Rothman became
Chairman of the Department on January 1,
1986. Born on December 1, 1936, in Philadelphia,
he received his B.A. degree (History) at the
University of Pennsylvania and his M.D. in its
School of Medicine in 1962. After internship at the
Philadelphia General Hospital (1963), he took his
residency in Orthopaedic Surgery at Jefferson
under Dr. Anthony F. DePalma (1963-1968) and also received his Ph.D. in Anatomy from Jefferson
in 1965. He became a member of the Attending
Staff of the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
and in 1970 was appointed Director of
Orthopaedic Surgery at the Pennsylvania Hospital.
On the faculty of the University of Pennsylvania
School of Medicine, he rose to Professor of
Orthopaedic Surgery in 1979. At the Pennsylvania
Hospital, the Rothman Institute was named in his
honor in 1984.
Dr. Rothman brought to Jefferson an
impressive experience in administration: Director
of the Orthopaedic Research Laboratory of
Jefferson Medical College (1969-1970); Vice
President of the Philadelphia Orthopaedic Society
(1973); Executive Committee, International Society
for Study of the Lumbar Spine (1974-1976);
President, Jefferson Orthopaedic Society (1976);
President, Jefferson Cervical Research Society
(1977); Board of Directors of American Academy
of Orthopaedic Surgeons; Examiner, American
Board of Orthopaedic Surgery; President,
Professional Staff of Pennsylvania Hospital (1986);
Board Member, Annenberg Institute; Overseer,
College of Arts and Sciences of University of
Pennsylvania; and Associate Trustee of the
University of Pennsylvania.
In addition to memberships in the important
societies of his specialty, editorial positions
on two journals, and 24 Visiting Professorships,
he wrote more than 100 scientific articles and
published nine textbooks in orthopaedic subjects.
Dr. Rothman's basic research training and
experience were in the study of degenerative
changes in connective tissue. He studied the
relationship of these changes to blood flow in
bone, tendon, and articular cartilage with aging
and osteoarthritis. In the realm of clinical research
his major emphasis has been on the study of
degenerative diseases of the spine, hip, and knee.
On assuming the Chairmanship, Dr. Rothman
envisioned his task as one of enriching the
Department in terms of its clinical leadership and
research productivity. Research both in the basic
and clinical realm was an early high order of
priority.
The program was modified to expect each
Resident and Fellow to be responsible for two
major clinical research projects during his or her
tenure with the Department that would culminate
with manuscripts adequate in quality to be
published in national peer review journals. Within
two years this was effectively implemented, and 14 original
papers were submitted for presentation at
the 1988 American Association of Orthopaedic
Surgeons' Annual Meeting.
Rothman instituted increased thrust in
fundamental research related to the skeletal system.
A team was recruited headed by Rocky Tuan,
Ph.D., who was appointed as Director of the
Orthopaedic Research Laboratories. Dr. Tuan,
educated at Rockefeller University, is a nationally
recognized investigator in cellular biology with
emphasis on the development of the skeletal
system and chondrogenesis. He heads a team of
five Ph.D. investigators including biochemists and
anatomists. His role is not only the development
of research related to the skeletal system but
education of the Residents and Fellows in terms
of contemporary research techniques and to serve
as support function to those clinical staff members
who wish to participate in fundamental research.
His laboratories, funded by Thomas Jefferson
University, are modern, 7,000-square-foot facilities
on the fifth floor of the Curtis Clinic. His research
has attracted substantial ongoing funding from a
variety of sources including the National Institutes
of Health.
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In terms of clinical development, a variety of
new resources were brought to the Department to
establish regional and national prominence in
patient care. First, a partnership was established
with the Rothman Institute at Pennsylvania
Hospital that immediately brought to the
Department the largest unit for hip and knee
replacement in the region. Dr. Robert E. Booth,
Jr. serves as Chief of the Rothman Institute and
is an accomplished surgeon and investigator in the
area of total knee replacement. The number of
implants performed annually at this Institute
approximates 1,000. The Institute also has as one
of its key members Dr. Richard Balderston, who
heads the Department's Division of Adult Spinal
Deformity and acts as Director of Resident
Education. Dr. Balderston is acknowledged as an
area leader in this complex area of surgical
reconstruction.
Dr. Peter Pizzutillo was recruited as
Director of Pediatric Orthopaedic Surgery from
the Alfred I. DuPont Institute. He has
strengthened the Department's Pediatric Division
and has built an increasingly strong and sound
research and educational program in this area.
Dr. Keith Wapner was recruited as a member of
the full-time faculty to develop and head the new
Division of Foot and Ankle Surgery. This is the
first regional resource geared specifically for
reconstruction of the foot and ankle. There has
been a geometric growth in the activity of this
Division, which is now seen as a unique resource
of the University's educational program.
Dr. Phillip Marone, a longtime member of the
Professorial Staff of the Department, has recently
been appointed as Director of the new Sports
Medicine Program. This program, housed in the
Edison Building, is yet another important facet of
the patient care and educational program of the
Department. Dr. Marone plans to coordinate the
faculty members engaged in the varied practice of
sports medicine and to develop several cooperative
interinstitutional programs of research and
education in this field.
Dr. Jerome Cotler was appointed in 1987
as Director of Orthopaedic Surgery for the
University Hospital. He thereby assumed
responsibility for the management of the Hospital
Unit as well as serving as Co-Director of the
Spinal Cord Injury Unit. His energy and effective
management have led to a doubling of the clinical
activities between the years 1986 and 1988.
Dr. Rothman sees as his assignment the
continued development of the research activities,
teaching programs, and clinical patient care within
the Department. It is anticipated that under his
direction the necessary human resources, financial
support, and energies can be brought to the
Department to raise each of these areas of activity
to increased national prominence.
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