Edward G. McFarland, M.D., Named Inaugural Wayne H. Lewis Professor of Orthopaedics and Shoulder Surgery

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June 09, 2006

Edward G. McFarland, M.D., Named Inaugural Wayne H. Lewis Professor of Orthopaedics and Shoulder Surgery

President of Investor Services Limited, an investment counseling firm, Wayne H. Lewis has established a commitment to fund a new professorship in orthopedics and shoulder surgery at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine with gifts totaling $2.5 million.  Edward G. McFarland, M.D., was recently named the inaugural Wayne H. Lewis Professor of Orthopaedics and Shoulder Surgery in the Department of Orthopaedic surgery during a brief ceremony.

“Endowing a professorship is one of the most effective ways a donor can improve the overall quality of a specific department,” said Frank J. Frassica, M.D., Robert A. Robinson Professor and chairman of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery.  “The endowment will provide Dr. McFarland the resources necessary to pursue research into effective treatments and cures for arthritis of the shoulder, rotator cuff injuries and instability of the shoulder.”

McFarland, who has treated Lewis, is a nationally recognized expert in the diagnosis and treatment of shoulder joint conditions.  “Mr. Lewis has created a legacy that will benefit generations to come,” said McFarland.  “His magnificent gift celebrates excellence in patient care and in orthopedics and brings considerable resources to our department’s patient care, research and education.”

In 2005, Lewis, a former handball aficionado and current four-wheeler enthusiast, was diagnosed with severe arthritis of the shoulder due to chronic tears in the rotator cuff.  The rotator cuff, a group of four muscles and tendons that surround the top of the upper arm bone, helps rotate the arm and stabilize the shoulder joint.

McFarland says most rotator cuff tears result from age-related degeneration and occur slowly over time.  If left untreated, those tears often increase in size and result in severe arthritis of the shoulder.  “This is very painful and limits your activity and ability to sleep,” added McFarland.  “Mr. Lewis was in pain, and to help him we performed a surgical operation called “reverse prosthesis," which is a type of shoulder replacement surgery that can lessen pain and improve function and joint mobility.”

“Dr. McFarland and his staff were instrumental in helping me overcome my ailment and return to a more active lifestyle,” said Lewis.  “For this I am eternally grateful and hope that this endowment will allow the department to continue its fine work.”

McFarland, vice chairman of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, director of adult orthopedics in the Division of Sports Medicine and Shoulder Surgery, and recently appointed professor, came to Hopkins in 1992 from the University of Florida.  McFarland, a Paducah native, earned his medical degree from the University of Louisville School of Medicine in 1982 and completed his residency and training in orthopedic surgery at the Mayo Graduate School of Medicine in Rochester, Minn. in 1987.  When he joined Johns Hopkins, he created and directed the Division of Sports Medicine and Shoulder Surgery, before taking on responsibilities in 2002 as director of the Division of Adult Orthopaedics.

“Dr. McFarland is a superb clinician, a devoted and accomplished teacher and an internationally recognized investigator in his field.  The Hopkins family is pleased that he has been recognized with this professorship for his excellence in medicine and patient care,” said Edward D. Miller, M.D., dean of faculty of The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and CEO of Johns Hopkins Medicine.

-J H M I-

RELATED WEB-LINKS:
The Johns Hopkins Department of Orthopaedic Surgery
http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/orthopedicsurgery/

Division of Sports Medicine and Shoulder Surgery
http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/orthopedicsurgery/sports.html