Sculco Named Surgeon-in-Chief at Hospital for Special Surgery

New York, NY—May 1, 2003

Renowned orthopaedist Thomas P. Sculco has been appointed Surgeon-in-Chief at the Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) in New York City. In this position, Dr. Sculco will head the Hospital‘s medical faculty and shape the overall direction of musculoskeletal medicine at HSS. Dr. Sculco, who trained at HSS, is Director of Orthopaedic Surgery and Chief of the Arthritis Service as well as Director of HSS Residency Program.

He succeeds Russell R. Warren, MD, who has served as Surgeon-in-Chief since 1993. Dr. Warren will become Surgeon-in-Chief Emeritus.

In announcing Dr. Sculco‘s appointment, Richard L. Menschel, Chairman of the Board of Trustees, said, "Dr. Sculco‘s extraordinary contributions to orthopaedics, as well as his considerable experience as a clinician in delivering world-class patient care, will be a tremendous asset as we move ahead to strengthen our mission as a world leader in musculoskeletal medicine."

In speaking about his new appointment as Surgeon-in-Chief, Dr. Sculco said, "I am honored to lead this great institution and fully committed to the Hospital for Special Surgery tradition of providing the best clinical care, education and research in the world in musculoskeletal disease."

A native of Westerly, Rhode Island, Dr. Sculco majored in Classics at Brown University and received his M.D. degree from the College of Physicians & Surgeons of Columbia University in 1969. He completed his residency at Hospital for Special Surgery, was awarded the Bowen-Brooks Fellowship and studied in Finland and London.

Dr. Sculco is regarded as a leader in total hip and knee replacement. His work in this area has led to his pioneering new minimally invasive surgical techniques for total hip replacements including the design of instruments for these procedures. Dr. Sculco has authored over 150 research papers dealing with total hip and knee replacement.

Dr. Sculco received the Otto Aufranc Award for his research in the area of blood clot prevention in total hip replacement. In 1995, he was the recipient of the Charnley award for his work in the area of blood clot prevention before and after total hip replacement. He received the Arthritis Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award in 1999. He is the first American to be elected as an Honorary Member of the Austrian Orthopaedic Society. Dr. Sculco was awarded the Humes Professorship in Salzburg, Austria. He was awarded the Philip D. Wilson, Jr. Resident Teaching Award in 2002.

Dr. Sculco served on the Board of Directors of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons and is currently on the Board of Directors of the Arthritis Foundation. Dr. Sculco is also a member of the Hip Society and is a founding member of the Knee Society.

A Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at the Weill Medical College of Cornell University, Dr. Sculco enjoys the pedagogical experience - in the classroom, at the bedside, in the operating room. Since 1993, he has served as Director of the HSS Residency Program. It is one of the most prestigious orthopaedic training programs in the nation. According to Dr. Sculco, "Teaching residents and students is vital to faculty as well as students. I like that stimulation. As a surgeon, it keeps me thinking. It keeps me dynamic." In support of his commitment to education, Dr. Sculco established a scholarship for non-science undergraduate majors at Columbia University‘s College of Physicians & Surgeons, his alma mater.

Dr. Sculco is the eleventh Surgeon-In-Chief at HSS. Founded in 1863, the Hospital for Special Surgery is a world leader in orthopedics, rheumatology and rehabilitation. Ranked No. 1 in the Northeast in its specialties by U.S. News and World Report‘s, HSS was awarded Magnet Recognition for Excellence in Nursing Service from the American Nurses Credentialing Center. A member of the NewYork-Presbyterian Healthcare System and an affiliate of Weill Medical College of Cornell University, HSS provides orthopaedic and rheumatologic patient care at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital at NewYork Weill Cornell Medical Center. All HSS medical staff are on the faculty of Weill Medical College of Cornell University. Its Research Institute is internationally recognized as a leader in the investigation of musculoskeletal and autoimmune diseases. The hospital is located in New York City, www.hss.edu.