Milwaukee, WI (September 23, 2021) – During the 56th SRS Annual Meeting in St. Louis, MO USA the Scoliosis Research Society (SRS) announced recipients for several prestigious awards.
The 2021 SRS Lifetime Achievement Awards were presented to Dr. Donald P.K. Chan and Robert N. Hensinger, MD. The SRS Lifetime Achievement Award honors an SRS member for distinguished service to the Society as well as significant contributions to spinal deformity care.
About the Recipients
Dr. Donald P.K. Chan was born and raised in Rangoon, Burma, and he received his medical degree in 1960 from the University of Rangoon. His advanced training was done at the University of Hong Kong Queen Mary Hospital, where he pioneered the development of anterior spinal techniques with Professor Hodgson.
Dr. Chan and family immigrated to the United States in 1968 to do a residency at University of Vermont, after which he became board certified. He was awarded the SRS traveling fellowship, which he chose to spend at Harvard University Boston Children’s under Dr. John Hall and University of Rochester Strong Memorial Hospital under Dr. Louis Goldstein. Dr. Chan joined Strong Memorial Hospital in 1972 as Assistant Professor and quickly rose to become Chief of Spine in 1974 and served through 1994.
Dr. Chan is acclaimed for his surgical techniques and traveled the world to train surgeons in spinal surgery. Dr. Chan has contributed significantly to the procedures of spinal instrumentation and fusion. He was involved in the development of Moiré topography, a technique for acquiring contour images of childrens’ torsos, to reduce radiation exposure during follow up. He was also involved in developing a machine for monitoring spinal cord function during surgery.
Read more about Dr. Chan’s accomplishments in our 56th Annual Meeting Program.
Dr. Hensinger was born and raised in Jackson, Michigan. He was accepted to the University of Michigan Medical School and graduated in 1964. From 1966-1968 he served in the United States Navy as a Submarine Medical Officer. He returned to Michigan and finished his residency in Orthopaedic Surgery. At the completion of his training in 1971, he moved to the Alfred I. DuPont Institute in Wilmington, Delaware for a fellowship in Pediatric Orthopaedics. He remained on the faculty, returning to the University of Michigan in 1974 as the first Pediatric Orthopaedist at the University of Michigan.
Dr. Hensinger was selected to be the Orthopaedic Section Head in 1996. In 2001, he was named the William S. Smith Collegiate Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery and Chairman of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery.
During his career, he received many honors and awards including the Arthur H. Huene Memorial Award, for outstanding contributions to Pediatric Orthopaedics – 1999; Distinguished Achievement Award the Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America – 2005; and Distinguished Service Award from the University of Michigan Alumni Society - 2005. With the help of his patients, associates, and former residents, - The Robert N. Hensinger, MD Collegiate Professorship was established in 2013.
He has had over 200 publications in peer-reviewed journals and 40 chapters on all aspects of orthopedic issues in the growing child. He published 12 books; the topics include Management of Multiply Impaired Children, Neonatal Orthopaedics, Pediatric Spine, and Standards in Pediatric Orthopaedics. In 1980, he and Lynn Staheli, MD founded the Journal of Pediatric Orthopaedics, now in its 41st year.
Read more about Dr. Hensinger’s accomplishments in our 56th Annual Meeting Program.
About Scoliosis Research Society
The Scoliosis Research Society is a non-profit, professional organization, made up of physicians and allied health personnel. Our primary focus is on providing continuing medical education for health care professionals and on funding/supporting research in spinal deformities. Founded in 1966, SRS has gained recognition as the world's premier spine deformity society. Please visit www.srs.org for further information. Also follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.