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Howard H. Steel, MD, pediatric and orthopedic pioneer, dies at 97
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Howard H. Steel, MD, founder of the pediatric spinal cord injury unit at the Shriners Hospitals for Children in Philadelphia, died at the age of 97 on Sept. 5, 2018.
“[Steel] was an icon in Philadelphia and a true renaissance man. He embodied the mission of Shriners Hospitals for Children, research, education and patient care,” Scott H. Kozin, MD, chief of staff at Shriners Hospitals for Children in Philadelphia, wrote in a memo. “His innovative contributions to orthopedic surgery spanned numerous disciplines including pelvic osteotomies, tumor resection and spine surgery.”
Born on April 17, 1921 in Philadelphia, Steel was well known in the orthopedic community as a witty individual and renaissance man. According to Kozin, Steel’s interests included travel, Madeira wine, sailing, skiing and reading. Steel instilled confidence in his residents and colleagues and “had a style of teaching that wanted you to stay and wanted you to learn,” Henry A. Backe Jr., MD, told Healio.com/Orthopedics.
“He wanted people to see that medicine could be fun at the same time it’s serious business,” Backe, past president of the Eastern Orthopaedic Association, said.
Backe added that Steel wanted to teach his residents more than orthopedics.
“He wanted to teach them about different parts of the world [and] politics. He loved to tinker and fix things around his house [and] around his property and he wanted to share all of that with you, which was great,” Backe said.
According to the Steel Assembly, Steel began as a chemistry major at Colgate University before enrolling at Temple University School of Medicine. He later earned a PhD in anatomy and undertook an orthopedic residency in the department of orthopedics at Temple University Hospital with John Royal Moore, MD. In 1966, he was appointed chief of staff at Shriners Hospitals for Children in Philadelphia, where he founded the pediatric spinal cord injury unit. He also helped expand the concept to the Shriners Hospitals in Chicago and northern California. Steel was also a member of several orthopedic societies and was a founding member of the Eastern Orthopaedic Association and the Pediatric Orthopaedic Society, which later became Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America.
In 1981, a group of patients founded the Howard H. Steel Orthopaedic Foundation, which funds lectureships on any subject except for orthopedics or medicine in an effort to reflect Steel’s interests beyond orthopedics, according to a statement from the American Orthopaedic Association.
“Dr. Steel is a one-of-a-kind orthopedic pioneer and role model for the ages. He epitomized the notion of making contributions that touch lives far beyond your own patients and trainees,” Scott D. Boden, MD, Section Editor for Orthopedics Today and past president of the American Orthopaedic Association and the Eastern Orthopaedic Association, told Healio.com/Orthopedics. “His impact touches the entire profession of orthopedics and will be greatly missed.” – by Casey Tingle
Reference:
www.mcjconsulting.com/steelassembly/Howard-H-Steel