Vincent D. Pellegrini, Jr., MD, 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 champion for this effort on his behalf is Zeke J. Walton, MD, FAOA.
Bio
Dr. Pellegrini received his undergraduate and medical degrees from Dartmouth, and was awarded the Dean’s Valedictory Medal at Dartmouth Medical School. He completed an internship and residency in general surgery at Hartford Hospital followed by an orthopaedic residency and fellowship in surgery of the hand at the University of Rochester.
After holding faculty positions at Stanford University and the University of Rochester, he served as Professor and Department Chair of Orthopaedics for 27 years at three different institutions; from 1992-2001 at Penn State Hershey Medical Center, from 2001-2013 at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, and from 2013-2019 at the Medical University of South Carolina, where he also served as Associate Dean for Medical Education and Adjunct Professor of Bioengineering at Clemson University. Since 2019 he has held the position of Professor and Vice Chair of Education and Research Affairs in the Department of Orthopaedics at Dartmouth-Hitchcock and Professor in The Dartmouth Institute of the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth.
Dr. Pellegrini’s clinical interests are focused on arthritis surgery, including total hip and knee arthroplasty and surgery of the hand, and his research interests include basal joint arthritis of the thumb, venous thromboembolism complicating total joint arthroplasty, heterotopic ossification, and the biology of fracture healing. His research has been funded by the Department of Defense, the US Army, and PCORI, and has resulted in over 200 peer reviewed publications and the Charnley and Stinchfield Awards of the Hip Society, the Coventry Award of the Knee Society, and the Nicolas Andry Award of the Association of Bone and Joint Surgeons. He was an AOA North American Travelling Fellow in 1984-85 and the ASSH Sterling Bunnell Traveling Fellow in 1991-92.
Dr. Pellegrini has held leadership roles as President of the American Orthopaedic Association, The Hip Society, the Maryland Orthopaedic Association, the Medical Staff of the University of Maryland Medical Center, and as Chair of the Council of Faculty and Academic Societies of the AAMC and a member of the AAMC Board of Directors. He served as Deputy Editor of The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery and a member of the ACGME Residency Review Committee in Orthopaedic Surgery. Currently, he is an examiner for the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery and Chair of the Faculty Council at Geisel School of Medicine.
His greatest professional passion is for resident and medical student education and he has been responsible for the education of more than 100 orthopaedic residents and 20 resident research fellows. He is an avid mentor and an active supporter of the AOA and the missions of academic medicine.
The AOA gratefully acknowledges Dr. Pellegrini’s lasting legacy and influential contributions to the orthopaedic profession and proudly recognizes him as an AOA Pillar of the Orthopaedic Profession.
Tribute
“Dr. Pellegrini has selflessly dedicated the past three decades to bettering the field of orthopaedic surgery. He has trained and mentored innumerable medical students, residents and faculty members. He is a prolific author who has and continues to publish landmark articles to advance the science in the orthopaedic profession. He delivers high-quality patient care to every one of his patients who genuinely love and admire him. Throughout his career Dr. Pellegrini has maintained an unwavering support for the AOA and has been passionately involved in the growth and evolution of the AOA. For these reasons, I can think of no one who is more deserving of the AOA Pillar of the Orthopaedic Profession.”
Zeke J. Walton, MD, FAOA
Dr. Pellegrini’s Champion