The Shands/MacEwen Endowed Chair of Orthopaedic Surgery

An Endowed Chair in Orthopaedics

The Department of Orthopaedics of Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children is the oldest and largest service of the hospital, as well as one of the largest and best-known pediatric orthopaedic departments in the nation.

Having an Endowed Chair for the Department would offer many advantages including:

• providing an annual income in perpetuity to support orthopaedic research aimed at improving patient care;
• attracting the best medical talent; and
• bringing additional prestige to the 70-year legacy of orthopaedic care.

Many large hospitals and universities have endowed chairs to provide ongoing funding for their most important departments. An endowed chair will honor the Nemours legacy of outstanding orthopaedic care and provide essential financial resources.

Orthopaedic Research

From the earliest days of the hospital, research has played an important role. Today’s research effort includes orthopaedic surgeons, scientists, research Fellows, an epidemiologist, and a study coordinator. The Center for Orthopedics Research and Development (CORD) - whose efforts are focused within the Pediatric Engineering Research Laboratory (PERL) - works closely with Nemours Department of Orthopedics to develop devices and methods that directly impact children with musculoskeletal disabilities.

Our Gait and Motion Analysis Lab, one of the first of its kind, provides  breakthrough techniques that help us better serve children with orthopaedic disorders. Through this valuable research, the hospital has amassed a huge repository of data which helps to answer important clinical questions about the effectiveness of treatments.

The Department of Orthopaedics

The Greek roots of the word “orthopaedic” literally mean “straighten the child.” Our surgeons are often able to correct or greatly improve conditions that cause disability or pain. Children and their families come from all over the Delaware Valley, as well as nationally and internationally, to receive care from orthopaedic specialists at Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children.

The Department includes eleven orthopaedic surgeons, six orthopaedic residents, three Fellows, seven physician assistants, three advanced practice nurses and an epidemiologist. All musculoskeletal conditions are treated including spinal deformities, club foot, cerebral palsy, dwarfism, limb length discrepancies, curvature of the spine, bone cancer, and many other orthopaedic problems  in children.

Children with orthopaedic conditions account for a quarter of all patients seen at duPont Hospital. In 2009, there were more than 36,000 outpatient and cast room visits, and 1,832 surgical procedures. More than 840 orthopaedic patients were admitted to the hospital. Nearly 3,700 patients had gait analysis.

Alfred R. Shands Jr., MD

Alfred R. Shands Jr., MD was the first Medical Director of what was then known as the Alfred I. duPont Institute, a 60-bed hospital for children with orthopaedic problems located in Wilmington, Delaware. A prominent physician from Duke University Medical School, Dr. Shands was the author of Handbook of Orthopaedics and wrote 384 publications. He was the President and founder of the Orthopaedic Education and Research Foundation.

Dr. Shands received many awards and significant recognition during his long career. The American Orthopaedic Association instituted the annual Alfred R. Shands Jr. Lectureship and The University of Virginia established the Alfred R. Shands Professorship in Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation.

Dr. Shands built internationally renowned programs in pediatric orthopaedic hospitalization, orthopaedic surgery, education, and research, as well as post-graduate studies. He trained scores of surgeons who later became giants in the field of orthopaedics, serving the Alfred I. duPont Institute with distinction for more than three decades. Dr. Shands died in 1981.

G. Dean MacEwen, MD

G. Dean MacEwen, MD is known not only for his successful treatment of thousands of children, but for training hundreds of young surgeons who now head orthopaedic teams all over the world. Dr. MacEwen served as the second Medical Director of the Alfred I. duPont Institute from 1969-1986. He was recruited and trained by Alfred R. Shands Jr., MD when pediatric orthopaedics was beginning to emerge as a specialty.

Dr. MacEwen’s pioneering work in treating scoliosis and hip dysplasias laid the groundwork for today’s treatments. He helped to develop the “Wilmington brace”—used world-wide to correct scoliosis. Dr. MacEwen instituted community screening programs to identify orthopaedic problems at an early stage.

Orthopaedic residents from all over the world were trained by Dr. MacEwen, as well as doctors coming out of the military. He was a tireless advocate for the expansion of the Institute to a full-service hospital, which opened in the mid-1980s. Knowing that he educated so many orthopaedic surgeons is Dr. MacEwen’s most satisfying accomplishment.

For information about the Shands/MacEwen Endowed Chair, contact Mary Anne Stchur at mstchur@nemours.org or 302-651-4403.