Dr. Neer was born in Venita, Oklahoma on November 10, 1917.
He became a third generation physician with enormous
distinction. He attended Dartmouth College,
University of Pennsylvania Medical School and
then trained at the Columbia-Presbyterian Medical
Center and The New York Orthopaedic Hospital.
After his military service he completed his training
and joined the Fracture Service at The Presbyterian
Hospital with its eventual incorporation with
The New York Orthopaedic Hospital and The College
of Physicians and Surgeons at Columbia University
in New York City.
During his 50-year
association with The Presbyterian Hospital,
he became a tenured Professor of the University,
Director of the Fracture Service and Chief
of the Adult Orthopaedic Service. He serves
now as Emeritus Consultant in Orthopaedic
Surgery and Emeritus Professor and Special
Lecturer.
Within the American
Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and The American
Orthopaedic Association he distinguished
himself by being their representative to
the Board of Directors of the American Board
of Orthopaedic Surgery. He served
on the inaugural Committee for Shoulder and
Elbow Surgery for the AAOS, developed the
first dedicated Fellowship for Shoulder and
Elbow Surgery in 1976, and carved out the
first Shoulder and Elbow Clinic from the
rest of the Orthopaedic and Rheumatological
Services at Columbia Presbyterian Medical
Center.
Dr Neer
founded and became the first President
of the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons
in 1982. He served as the Organizing Chairman
of the IV International Congress on Surgery
of the Shoulder in 1989. He is the Founding
Chairman of the Board of Trustees of The
Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery.
Dr Neer’s many
academic and surgical achievements include
developing the standard for classification
of proximal humerus fractures used globally.
He developed the non-constrained proximal humerus
and total shoulder arthroplasty systems. He
altered the orthopaedic understanding of impingement
syndrome and rotator cuff pathology beginning
with his anterior acromioplasty article in
1972. He refined concepts in shoulder instability
and dislocations with his approaches involving
multidirectional instability and repetitive
microtrauma. Dr Neer has signature articles
in each major area of the shoulder-namely fractures
and trauma, prosthetic replacements, impingement
and rotator cuff tears and instability. His
advancements are summarized in his signature
book Shoulder Reconstruction.
Dr Neer
has the distinction of being the physician,
surgeon and teacher to his peers and colleagues.
He has made the most significant contributions
to our field for the last 50 years and will
shape it for many to come. On a more personal
level, he is married to Eileen and has had
the pleasure of raising three children. His
ice-skating and tennis cross-court shots always
have been memorable. His love of the sports,
as in life and orthopaedics reveal a careful,
thoughtful planner with perfect execution.
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