ASES Foundation

Tom R. Norris, MD

Past President of ASES: 2000-2001

Dr. Tom Norris is a shoulder surgeon who developed an interest in shoulder arthroplasty from his time with Dr. Charles Neer. Both were born in Oklahoma, but after Dr. Norris lost his parents to a small plane accident at an early age he was raised in Texas by an uncle. He attended Culver Military Academy for high school, Princeton University, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons for medical school, and then came to California for an Internship at San Francisco General Hospital and general surgery at Harkness Hospital. He returned to the New York Orthopaedic Hospital for his residency where he pursued his interest in upper extremity surgery with Dr. Robert Carroll and Dr. Charles Neer. After a hand fellowship with Drs. Hunter and Schneider at Jefferson Hospital in Philadelphia and 6-month of microsurgery with Dr. Tupper in Oakland, he briefly practiced in Oakland until he joined the original Bunnell hand surgery office with Dr. Relton McCarroll in 1978. Following several mini-fellowships, he went back to New York with Dr. Neer and completed his training.

In 1977, he attended a meeting sponsored by 3M. Hosted by Dr. Rich Hawkins, Dr. Neer played tennis with Drs. Neer, Hawkins, Matsen, Bigliani, Foster, and Warren and discussed the desirability of forming a society to continue discussing shoulder and elbow issues. This became a reality in 1982 with the start of ASES; it was the same year the practice was limited just to shoulder and elbow.

During the practice, originally the residents from the Navy and UCSF rotated for shoulder, elbow, and hand through the office for training. In 1990, Dr. Andrew Green was the first shoulder fellow in the SF program. It has had 1 to 2 fellows each year since.

Dr. Norris has been privileged to serve on the board of directors of the Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons. When on the AAOS publications Committee, he was the editor of the first and second edition of the Orthopaedic Knowledge Update for the Shoulder and Elbow, and he has edited and published over 100 books and articles on the shoulder in peer review literature. For the ASSH, he headed the clinical information retrieval committee for 3 years, chaired the reginal residents and fellows review course for 2 year. He has been a consultant reviewer for JBJS, JSES, JCORR and JAAOS.

Dr. Norris served as President of the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons in 2000-2001. He has served as the ASES/ AAOS Biennial Course chair in 2002, 2003, 2004, and 2005, and as visiting professor in multiple institutions. Prosthetic development and clinical investigator roles through the years have included work with 3M, DePuy, Tornier, and, currently, Tornier/Wright Medical.

Two years ago, his group merged with California Pacific Orthopaedics, the largest private practice group in San Francisco. He has practice over 40 years, devoted much of his time to teaching and training shoulder surgeons, and often vacations in the Idaho mountains with family.

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