HISTORY OF PROGRAM
The University of Illinois Orthopedic Department is one of oldest orthopedic departments in the country. The department at UIC has been a leader in orthopedic education, research and resident training. In the early years, the department has helped introduce orthopedic techniques such as arthroscopy, AO technique and the Charnley hip replacement to the United States.by hosting international leaders to facilitate knowledge exchange such as Dr. Müller, Dr. Charnley, Dr. Roy-Camille, Dr. Ponsetti, Dr. Sharrard, Dr. Judet, and Dr. Watanabe to name a few.
Over the decades, the orthopedic residency training program has trained numerous orthopedic surgeons who have gone on to become leaders of their respective fields. Listed below are some of the notable alumni who have graduated from University of Illinois orthopedic residency program and have gone on to make substantial contributions to field of orthopedics.
Dr. Jorge Galante, 1964
Dr. Ronald Dewald, 1965
Dr. Nas Eftekhar, 1967
Dr. Theodore Goldstein, 1969
Dr. Ken Kuo, 1973
Dr. Wayne Goldstein, 1983
The department was first headed by Dr. Henry Bascome Thomas starting in 1930 until 1943. The department has had only 7 chairs over its nearly 90 year history a testament to the strong leadership over the decades. Currently, the department is chaired by Dr. Mark Gonzalez since 2007.
The UIC Orthopedic Department continues to focus on education of the residency program, training, and developing the next generation of leaders.