Theodore W. Parsons, III, MD, FACS, FAOA is being recognized as an AOA Pillar of the Orthopaedic Profession for his leadership, mentoring, and lifelong contributions to orthopaedic surgery during his distinguished career. The champions for this effort on his behalf are Jonathan P. Braman, MD, MHA, FAOA, Joseph J. Hoegler, MD, FAOA, & Vasilios (Bill) Moutzouros, MD, FAOA.
Bio
Theodore W. Parsons III, MD is a distinguished graduate of the United States Air Force Academy and received his medical degree from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. Following his Orthopaedic Surgery Residency training in the Air Force at Wilford Hall Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas, he completed a Musculoskeletal Oncology Fellowship at Harvard University with Dr. Henry Mankin and colleagues.
Dr. Parsons served on the faculty of Wilford Hall Medical Center in various positions including Residency Program Director, Orthopaedic Department Chair, Director of Graduate Medical Education, and Dean of Graduate Medical Education for the Uniformed Services Health Education Consortium until he retired from the Air Force with 30 years active-duty service in 2007.
Dr. Parsons served 14 years as Chairman of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at Henry Ford Hospital, where he held the Breech Family Endowed Chair of Bone and Joint Medicine and served as Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at Wayne State University. He was appointed Medical Director of the Orthopaedic Service Line for Henry Ford Health in 2018.
In 2021, Dr. Parsons retired from Orthopaedic Surgery when he and his wife Kathryn were called to preside over the Peru Trujillo South Mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and spent the next 3 years working with hundreds of full-time missionaries and tens of thousands of church members in northern Peru.
Dr. Parsons is a past President of the American Orthopaedic Association, the Musculoskeletal Tumor Society, and the Michigan Orthopaedic Society. He served as Chair of the Orthopaedic Residency Review Committee for the ACGME and as Managing Director of the Society of Military Orthopaedic Surgeons for over a decade.
He is a 4-time recipient of the “Outstanding Educator Award”; a recipient of the Air Force Medical Corp’s “Gold Headed Cane Award” for exemplary service, teaching and research, and the COL Brian Allgood Award for Outstanding Leadership and Service in Military Orthopaedics. His military medals include a Legion of Merit and a Bronze Star.
His greatest joy throughout his orthopaedic career was teaching fellows, residents and students.
He and Kathryn are the proud parents of three adult children and two grandchildren.
The AOA gratefully acknowledges Dr. Parsons’ extensive and comprehensive impact on the orthopaedic community and recognizes him as an AOA Pillar of the Orthopaedic Profession.
Tribute
“When I think of Dr. Parsons, I think of the word gravitas. As a man of significant accomplishments, it is easy to believe that is because of his CV. More important than his long list of achievements, however, is his legacy of supporting the organizations that he cared about and the people within them as well as passion for doing so with a humility that belied those numerous accomplishments.”
Jonathan P. Braman, MD, MHA, FAOA
Dr. Parsons’ Co-Champion
“Ted is the definition of a servant leader. His door was always open, and he would create time in his busy schedule for anyone. His insights and wisdom on the care of patients, leadership and in life in general were instrumental for me. Congratulations Ted! I can’t think of anyone who deserves this honor more than you.”
Joseph J. Hoegler, MD, FAOA
Dr. Parsons’ Co-Champion