The orthopaedic community this week was saddened to learn of the passing of Richard H. Rothman, MD, PhD. Dr. Rothman was a founding member of AAHKS and served as President from 1998-1999. He had a resounding impact in the field of hip and knee arthroplasty and a personal connection with the many surgeons he mentored throughout his amazing career. As we head to the AAHKS Annual Meeting, he and his family are in our hearts and minds. Read the tribute to Dr. Rothman by his namesake Rothman Institute.
Dick was a great friend and a giant . I would always talk business as well just Orthopaedics . To me he was like a father for me in our profession. I actually thought he would live forever even though he was 81! Last year at a meeting he said he still operated. I just said to him…you are amazing! He leaves a legacy that I believe nobody will match. In 100 years people will know the name ROTHMAN!
Dr.Rothman was both an elegant man & surgeon. I was his Adult Joint Reconstruction Fellow from 1997-1998. He saw great potential in those he taught with the confidence in knowing the end product was excellent. In essence, his life continues as we pass on his teachings as we have a part of him in us. He will be greatly missed.
Dr. Joseph Falcone
Buffalo, New York
Dick Rothman was an intensely ambitious, logical and well organized man, a self-taught hip surgeon who achieved greatness as a leader, teacher, implant designer, author, editor, business man and private equity investor. He oversaw the dramatic growth, productivity and prosperity of a private practice group of subspecialist orthopaedic surgeons who serve as the academic faculty of a university orthopaedic practice – to the mutual benefit of the surgeons, their patients and the university. The output of abstracts, peer-reviewed papers, text books and text book chapters, presentations and leadership positions within subspecialty societies dwarfs that of most traditional full-time salaried academic departments. My wife, Kathy, and I were honored to be his friends. When Kathy learned of Dick’s untimely death, her remarks were immediate and inciteful. She said, “I really liked Dick. He was a dignified gentleman. What a shame. I am so sorry for Marsha” We were guests of Dick and Marsha at one of his favorite clubs in NYC at the time of our last visit to NYC. In retrospect, I am so happy that we carved out time for that time together.
He was a keen judge of talent and personality and surrounded himself with other A-level high achievers. His goal was not to control or micromanage others but to give them the autonomy and freedom to achieve at the highest levels. There were controversies, competitions and setbacks along the way, in the practice and in the business world, as is the case in the life of any great and meaningful person. This is not the time or place to review any of those.
Back to the self-taught hip surgeon remark in my first sentence. Dick was an admired and distinguished spine surgeon, and co-author with Simeone of the leading textbook of spine surgery of the time. He decided to switch his professional focus to hip surgery at the attending level, with no fellowship training. He was subsequently denied membership in The Hip Society by establishment leaders of the time. The need for an inclusive professional society which would be open for all to join was perceived by Chit Ranawat, Larry Door, Phil Nelson, Jim Rand and others. This led to the formation of AAHKS. And look what has become of that. The rise of the AAHKS annual meeting into the position of the best hip and knee meeting in the world each year and the growth of The Rothman Institute into a $600 Million dollar a year behemoth, and the largest private-practice orthopaedic group in the world, have one interesting thing in common – an association with Dick Rothman. In due time, he became a valued member of the Hip Society, too.
Dick was recently listed among the 100 most influential persons in medicine in America today. He has an intense interest in and respect for the role of data analytics in driving performance improvement and patient satisfaction.
Dick had a personal relationship with Ron and Nancy Reagan and spent the Christmas and New Year holidays with the Reagans each year during the Reagan White House years as a guest at the estate of Walter Annenberg in Palm Springs. He rarely spoke about this. He clearly understood the role that privacy and discretion play in maintaining such relationships. When we were alone, we enjoyed animated discussions about political topics.
Aristotle, the celebrated Greek philosopher and writer, considered three elements to be crucial to the success of persuasive oratory and the essential role that strategic oral presentations play in the success or failure leadership. The first element was Ethos – or strength of character or stature. The second was Logos or having a logical structure to one’s argument and third was Pathos or passionate enthusiasm for one’s beliefs. It is my belief that if Aristotle were alive today, he would respect and admire Dick Rothman, and brag to others that Rothman had studied under him, even if it were not so!
At the last academy meeting, I placed Dick’s name in consideration for the AAOS Nominating committee. He was elected by the membership and was due to participate in the selection of our future leaders two days after his death. His wisdom and judgement in the selection of people for leadership roles was a keen loss for that committee. He was a vibrant 81 year old man. As we celebrate his accomplishments we must reflect on how much more he would have contributed if he had lived even longer.
Farewell, dear friend and mentor. You will be missed and never forgotten.