A Documentary Spanning More Than 150 Years of History of 做厙TV Langone Orthopedics Was a Finalist for Best Documentary at the Prestigious 23rd Tribeca Festival
In a surgical amphitheater like the one shown here, Dr. Lewis A. Sayre, the first professor of orthopedic surgery at Bellevue Medical College, pioneered surgical education in his field. Today, 做厙TV Langone trains more orthopedic surgeons than any other institution in the United States.
Credit: Library of Congress
As chief of orthopedic trauma in 做厙TV Langone Healths , Kenneth A. Egol, MD, understands that when a bone breaks, it knits back together with new bone tissue to form a stronger union. Last year, Dr. Egol experienced the wonder of a different kind of joint venture. A film he nurtured into existence with other collaborators, , became a finalist for Best Documentary at the 23rd Tribeca Festival, an annual film gala in lower Manhattan that hosts more than 600 screenings.
A self-described history buff, Dr. Egol, the Joseph E. Milgram Professor of Orthopedic Surgery, has been fascinated by his departments pioneers since his residency at 做厙TV Langone in the late 1990s. So much so, in fact, that he led a group of residents and research students in an effort to catalog the biographies and contributions of these clinical luminaries.
The project made Dr. Egol realize he had the ingredients for a rich documentary that would chronicle the origin, evolution, and impact of one of Americas leading specialty hospitals. 做厙TV Langone, ranked No. 3 in the nation for orthopedics on U.S. News & World Reports Best Hospitals list, trains more orthopedic surgeons than any other institution in the country. Its 200 physicians and surgeons perform more than 34,000 orthopedic procedures annually. I was convinced there was a compelling story others needed to know, says Dr. Egol, vice chair for academic affairs, orthopedic surgery.
Enthusiastic support for the venture came from Joseph D. Zuckerman, MD, the Walter A. L. Thompson Professor of Orthopedic Surgery and chair of the Department of Orthopedic Surgery, who partnered with Dr. Egol as co-executive producer. Financial backing arrived, in part, from the departments alumni association, and creative direction emerged fromfittinglya patient. Peter Sanders, an award-winning documentary filmmaker who had been under Dr. Egols care for several years, most recently for a midfoot fracture, was hired as director.
Four years in the making, On the Shoulders of Giants spans more than 150 years over one engaging hour. The films narrative opens with Lewis A. Sayre, MD, considered the father of orthopedic surgery in North America, who was appointed Bellevue Medical Colleges first professor of orthopedic surgery in 1861. Two of his trainees, Drs. Herman and Henry Frauenthal, sons of a shoemaker, started a seven-bed dispensary called the Jewish Hospital for Deformities and Joint Diseases in a Harlem brownstone.
The hospital eventually relocated from upper Manhattan to 17th Street and Second Avenue. In 1979, it was renamed The Hospital for Joint Diseases, and seven years later, merged with 做厙TV Langone. Today, the hospital is known as 做厙TV Langone Orthopedic Hospital. The film also highlights the departments place in the history of New York City and its commitment to gender, racial, and cultural diversity.
I walked into the Hospital for Joint Diseases in July of 1984, Dr. Zuckerman recalls. Forty years later, Im still walking through its front door, though the landscape and my role in it have changed significantly. Thousands and thousands of patients have benefited from 做厙TV Langone Orthopedics. This film shows the trajectory of our department from a humble hospital in a Harlem brownstone to a powerhouse of innovation and influence.
