Renowned pediatric orthopedist, G. Dean MacEwen, dies
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G. Dean MacEwen, MD, former medical director of the Alfred I. duPont Institute, died on Aug. 6 at the age of 96 years.
MacEwen joined the Alfred I. duPont Institute (now Nemours Children’s Hospital) in 1958 under the mentorship of Alfred R. Shands Jr., MD, according to a press release from Nemours Children’s Hospital. MacEwen was the second medical director of the institute. During his tenure, MacEwen expanded services and access to care, as well as early diagnosis and treatment outcomes for hip dysplasia in newborns and scoliosis in school children.
After leaving Nemours, MacEwen served as the chair of pediatric orthopedic surgery at the Children's Hospital in New Orleans, according to the release. He then joined the department of orthopedics at St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children in 1995 before serving as a consultant at Shriners Hospital in Philadelphia.
According to the release, MacEwen was an influential figure in pediatric orthopedics. He was a charter member and president of the Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America, a founding member and president of the Scoliosis Research Society and president of the American Orthopaedic Association.
MacEwen was a prolific researcher, authoring 145 publications that are widely considered seminal works in orthopedic surgery, according to the release.
For his success and leadership throughout his career, MacEwen was recognized with the POSNA Distinguished Achievement Award in 1995 and the SRS Lifetime Achievement Award in 2017, according to the release.
The release noted that MacEwen established the International Pediatric Orthopaedic Research Fellowship to mentor young surgeons. He also served on the board of trustees at Wilmington University for 40 years, where his influence helped to expand its health sciences program, according to the release.
In addition, several institutions and positions such as the Shands/MacEwen Orthopaedic Care Center, the Shands/MacEwen Endowed Chair of Orthopaedic Surgery and the Dr. G Dean and Mrs. Marilyn MacEwen Educational Fund at Nemours Children’s Health honor his name for his contributions to expanding the scope of care in pediatric orthopedics, according to the release.
Orthopedic professionals mourn
We recently lost a legend in pediatric orthopedics, but more importantly, many of us lost our friend, colleague and mentor.
With hundreds of original research papers and contributions to the development of medical devices, he set the standards at the Alfred I. duPont Institute for pediatric orthopedic care around the world. As a past president of POSNA, SRS and AOA, he was a visionary for the promotion of international surgical education and collaboration. In addition, considering his 4 decades-long career, the ripple effects of the residents and fellows he trained are impossible to quantify. His influence continues to the growth of pediatric orthopedics today and is a tribute to a life well lived.
As the current Shands/MacEwen Endowed Chair of Orthopaedic Surgery, I have witnessed firsthand the lasting impact of MacEwen’s work in our department at Nemours Children’s Hospital. We feel privileged to carry on his legacy in pursuit of the highest level of care for our patients, just as MacEwen always did.
Suken A. Shah, MD
Shands/MacEwen Endowed Chair in Orthopaedic Surgery
Nemours Children’s Hospital
Delaware
A true mentor is someone who will focus on your career, not theirs; who opens doors for you to walk through; and who is more interested in your success than theirs. A true mentor is rare. MacEwen was a true mentor, and I will be forever grateful.
MacEwen’s research, teaching and mentorship have touched the lives of hundreds of surgeons and tens of thousands of families and children.
James J. McCarthy, MD, MHCM
Division director
Alvin Crawford chair of orthopedic surgery
Cincinnati Children’s Hospital
Cincinnati
I met MacEwen in 1988 when I began working at the Alfred I. duPont Institute as a medical editor. He had recently moved to New Orleans and needed someone to help complete manuscripts that were never finished when he left. In the following years, he urged me to go to medical school based on my performance. He even loaned me $5,000 for spending money my freshman year. I paid this back 10 years later (with interest) after starting my first position as an orthopedic surgeon at the Alfred I. duPont Institute.
MacEwen was instrumental in my residency placement. He remained a mentor throughout this time. After finishing my fellowship at the Alfred I. duPont Institute, he encouraged me to do a second fellowship in pediatric spine surgery at Shriners Hospital for Children in Philadelphia. When I started the position a few years later, he met with me weekly at 6 a.m. to mold my career. I remember he always had a stack of articles or handwritten notes with my name written at the top to discuss.
Unfortunately, I made the decision to leave academic medicine and go into private practice (without discussing it with him). I know I disappointed him and let him down, but he was forgiving over the years. During the past 20 years, he would reach out to catch up on where I was in life or congratulate me on an achievement. I had four major mentors in my orthopedic life: Henry R. Cowell, MD, PhD; Jay Kumar, MD; G. Dean MacEwen, MD; and J. Richard Bowen, MD. I have now lost three.
“Chief,” you will always be in my heart.
James T. Guille, MD
Premier Orthopaedics
Pottstown, Pennsylvania
Reference:
- G. Dean MacEwen, MD, Nemours Children’s health pioneer and internationally renowned pediatric orthopedic surgeon, dies at 96. https://nemours.mediaroom.com/MacEwen