*|MC:SUBJECT|*

͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏

February 1, 2025

JRGOS Journal Club

A Living Legend: Augustus A. White III, MD, PhD, FAOA

Peter Ahorukomeye, MD, Lancelot Benn, MD, Susan Stephens, MD,

Barrett Woods, MD, Shaina Lipa, MD, and Addisu Mesfin, MD

Spine J. 2024 Dec 2:S1529-9430(24)01173-2. doi:10.1016/j.spinee.2024.10.024. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 331466

The first author of this article, Peter Ahorukomeye, MD, is a PGY2 Orthopaedic Surgery Resident at the Harvard Combined Orthopaedic Surgery Residency Program. Reflecting on his experience with the Gladden Society, Peter shares, “Gladden society continues to afford me access to opportunities and mentors that are very impactful for my career. Dr. White has served as a mentor for most of my mentors. What makes it all very special to me is that Dr. White had a heavy influence in the foundation of the Gladden society.

Reflecting on his experience writing this article, Peter shares, “Writing about Dr. White in ‘A Living Legend: Augustus A. White III, MD, PhD, FAOA’ was nothing short of an honor. Reading some of his work including Seeing Patients, helped me appreciate what kind of impact he has had on orthopaedic surgery and medicine at large.”

Augustus A. White III, MD, PhD

Peter Ahorukomeye, MD

Peter Ahorukomeye, MD with Co-Residents after PGY1 Bootcamp

The co-authors for this publication include Lancelot Benn, MD, recent graduate of Howard University School of Medicine and current research fellow at MedStar Orthopaedic Institution, Washington Hospital Center with Dr. Addisu Mesfin. Susan E. Stephens, MD is an Orthoapedic Spine Surgeon with the Institute for Spine Inc. and JRGOS President. Barrett Woods, MD is an Associate Professor of Spinal Surgery at the Rothman Institute and JRGOS Board Member. Shaina Lipa, MD is a Spine Surgeon at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, recipient of the National Medical Fellowship Community Service-Learning Program, and JRGOS Board Member. Addisu Mesfin, MD is a Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at MedStar Orthopaedic Institute, Georgetown University School of Medicine, the Vice Chair of Research, MedStar Orthopaedic Institute Washington DC region, JRGOS Board Member, Chair of the JRGOS Scientific Committee, and recipient of the 2024 North American Spine Society (NASS) Henry Farfan Award.

Augustus A. White III, MD, PhD embodies all the characteristics of a trailblazer within the field of Orthopaedics. He was the first African American medical student at Stanford University School of Medicine, the first African American Orthopedic Surgery Resident at Yale University, first African American Chair at a Harvard teaching hospital, and first African American AOA-American-British Canadian (ABC) traveling fellow.

Dr. White and his Mentor, Dr. Wayne Southwick

As the article highlights, Dr. White’s early life was shaped by the challenges of strict legal segregation, deep racial divisions, and the harsh realities of Jim Crow. Despite these formidable obstacles, he thrived academically at every stage of his education. His passion for Orthopaedic Surgery began during his time as a medical student at Stanford University, where he pursued a research opportunity at Case Western Reserve University that solidified his desire to become an Orthopaedic Surgeon. He then met an invaluable mentor in Dr. Wayne Southwick who recruited him to complete his orthopaedic residency at Yale Medical Center.

After completing his orthopaedic residency, Dr. White honored his commitment as a Captain in the United States Army Medical Corps during the Vietnam War. Upon returning stateside, Dr. Southwick encouraged him to pursue his PhD at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden. While in Sweden, Dr. White completed a fellowship with Dr. Hirsch, a leading expert in biomechanics. During this fellowship, he collaborated closely with Dr. Panjabi to develop “region-specific methods based on clinical and radiographic features to categorize and manage spinal instability.” Their groundbreaking work earned them the prestigious Delta Kappa Award from the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) in 1976.

Dr. Southwick then invited Dr. White to become the first African American to join the Orthopaedic Surgery Division at Yale University, where he worked relentlessly to address the lack of diversity at the Yale School of Medicine. Dr. White later became the first African American department chair at the Harvard-affiliated teaching hospitals. In this capacity, he collaborated with Dr. Timothy Stephens of the National Medical Association (NMA) to tackle the underrepresentation of minorities in orthopaedics. Their efforts culminated in the founding of the J. Robert Gladden Orthopaedic Society (JRGOS), with Dr. White serving as its inaugural president. As the authors noted, “Dr. White’s multifaceted contributions as a spine surgeon, pioneering scientist, dedicated mentor, and humanitarian have left a profound and enduring impact on the field of spine surgery, medicine, and society as a whole.”
A living legend: Augustus A. White III, MD, PhD, FAOA. Spine J. 2024 Dec 2:S1529-9430(24)01173-2. doi:10.1016/j.spinee.2024.10.024. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 331466

JRGOS Sponsorship Opportunities

Donate

Join/Renew Membership

Want to change how you receive these emails?