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Recognizing and honoring the incredible life of Dr. Richard Rothman, an icon in the field of medicine, who passed away on October 21, 2018 at the age of 81 years old.
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WHEREAS, Richard Rothman, founder of the Rothman Orthopaedic Institute which employs 210 surgeons and has 36 offices throughout the region, was one of the first American surgeons to perform hip replacements and developed an international reputation as a surgeon and implant developer; and
WHEREAS, Alex Vaccaro, the Rothman Institute's President and Chairman, explained that Dr. Rothman "trained the future and present leaders of medicine," and Stephen Klasko, CEO of Jefferson Health further noted that "Jefferson would not be what it is today without [Dr. Rothman's] inspired leadership"; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Rothman, a native of Cheltenham, was educated at the University of Pennsylvania and in 1969 traveled to England to learn how to perform hip replacements from surgical pioneer John Charnley; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Rothman was only a couple of years into his practice when he replaced the hip of Walter Annenberg, publisher and philanthropist. After Dr. Rothman told Mr. Annenberg about his desire to open a "center of excellence in hip surgery," the philanthropist donated millions of dollars to create the Rothman Orthopaedic Institute; and
WHEREAS, In the years since, the Rothman Institute - now affiliated with Jefferson Health, Main Line Health, Geisinger, Northwell Health, and Capital Health - has grown into one of the world's largest orthopedic organizations, with 755,000 patient visits a year. Annual revenue is a half-billion dollars. The organization ranks second among orthopedic groups in research grants from the National Institutes of Health; and
WHEREAS, When asked in a 2016 interview with the Philadelphia Business Journal why he still headed to the operating room every week when most people his age had retired years ago, Dr. Rothman explained, "I'm fully engaged. Somebody...
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