Past President of ASES: 1987-1989
Dr. Robert Cofield practiced Adult Reconstruction and Surgery of the Shoulder at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, between 1975 and 2008. He developed, in conjunction with Smith/Nephew, a shoulder arthroplasty system used for 1/3 a century. At Mayo and the Department of Orthopedic Surgery he served in many positions including residency and shoulder/elbow fellowship Program Director, Department Chair, and Dean of the Graduate School of Medicine. Nationally, he was involved with education administration, accreditation and certification as Chair of the Residency Review Committee, the AAOS Graduate Education Committee, the AMA Graduate Medical Education Advisory Committee,and as President of the ABOS. He and co-authors have contributed 400 scientific publications.
For the ASES and related groups, he was Founding Secretary/Treasurer, President, Editor-in-Chief of the JSES, Chair of the JSES Board of Trustees, Chair of the 9th International Congress of Surgery of the Shoulder in Washington, D.C., and President of the International Board of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery.