This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
Henry J. Mankin, MD, retired Massachusetts General Hospital chair, dies
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts
Henry J. Mankin, MD, died at 90 years of age on Dec. 22, 2018, according to an obituary published by Massachusetts General Hospital.
Mankin was the chief of orthopedic surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) from 1972 to 1996. He was also the Edith M. Ashley Professor of Orthopedic Surgery at Harvard Medical School. He began his career in orthopedics as a professor and director of orthopedics at the Hospital for Joint Diseases in New York.
“He was a world-renowned tumor surgeon and a fantastic educator and had trained generations of orthopedic leaders,” Freddie H. Fu, MD, DSc (Hon), DPs(Hon), told Healio.com/Orthopedics in an email.
According to the obituary, Mankin produced more than 600 publications and lectures. He reportedly regarded teaching as the highest profession.
“Beyond his publications and lectures and countless other contributions, Henry Mankin leaves an indelible mark on [Mass General Hospital] MGH, orthopedic surgery and the world,” Kevin A. Raskin, MD, said in the obituary. “He was larger than life at times, with the heart of a lion and the hands of a lamb. He was confident, hardworking and driven. Henry inspires us all to be creative, whimsical, smart and intrepid in our profession[al] lives and relationships. He taught us to love each other, cherish our time together and give.”
“It is a great loss, but Henry is in a better place. In some ways, whether you knew him or not, you have been influenced by his teachings,” Mark C. Gebhardt, MD, said in the obituary. “At every residency graduation, he would start with, ‘Classes come, and classes go … ’ and then would talk about teaching as the highest profession; because your challenge as a teacher is for your students to go on and do better and more wonderful things than you could ever imagine as their teacher. And that will remain his ageless legacy.”
“He was like a father to many of us; mentoring interested clinicians and scientists throughout the world,” Francis J. Hornicek, MD, PhD, said in the obituary. “Thousands of patients who benefited from his care will miss him. I learned from Henry what a special place the MGH is to work and that feeling has never left me.”
References:
www.massgeneral.org/ortho/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=7000