Changing the Face of Orthopedics
Hungerford specialized in primary hip and knee joint replacements, complex revision surgeries, diagnosis and treatment of osteonecrosis and cartilage regeneration. The field of orthopedic surgery has grown and evolved in so many ways since he first became an orthopedic surgeon and his contributions have helped shaped it to what it is today, especially with regard to hip and knee replacement surgery.
Jay Khanna, M.D., a Johns Hopkins spine specialist and former colleague and mentee of Hungerford described Dr. Hungerford to OTW as a man before his time. He wanted to help so many more people than he could reach with his own hands and that was what attracted him to becoming an inventor and a researcher as well. He made significant contributions to the study of core decompression, and on the function and mechanics of the patellar femoral joint.
Hungerford and Robert Kenna, a medical engineer, together developed a porous coated anatomic total knee replacement which allowed the patient’s bones cells to grow into the prosthesis, which provided more stability and longevity for joint replacements. They also developed and produced a universal instrumentation system for use in knee replacement surgery.
According to former colleagues, as an inventor and a practicing surgeon Hungerford was always very cognizant of how important the real world applications of new products created in the cadaver lab were.
To help further innovation in joint replacement, Hungerford became a founding member of the American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons and was the first editor-in-chief of the Journal of Arthroplasty at a time when hip and knee arthroplasty were still fledgling areas of research.
“Dave saw a need for a hip and knee arthroplasty-focused journal when the field and the study of the field was tremendously expanding in the 1980s. He carried out his vision by starting the Journal out of his office at the Good Samaritan Hospital in Baltimore. He gave all rights of administering the Journal to the [American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons] in 1990 when we started the organization so we could call this already established journal ‘The Official Journal of AAHKS,’” John J. Callaghan, M.D., Journal of Arthroplasty editor–in-chief said in a statement.
Importance of 7 Daily Habits
His passion for teaching others important tenets in orthopedic surgery and in life is another thing Hungerford will be remembered for.
A. Seth Greenwald, DPhil (Oxon), founder of Current Concepts in Joint Replacement meetings and president of Orthopaedic Research Laboratories met Hungerford at the end of 1968 as he was coming to Oxford University as part of his military service, and he will never forget how passionately Hungerford shared all the nuances of orthopedic surgery with him.
“He even bought me a recorder at the PX to record it all. I still have it,” he told OTW.
Greenwald said that Hungerford both as a surgeon and teacher contributed so much to the orthopedics community and will be missed by all.
Greenwald remembers how Hungerford shared Thanksgiving 1969 with him and others in his home in an English town that interestingly shared his last name.
“He was always willing to share what he knew and frequently opened his home up to students and colleagues,” Greenwald said.
Jay Khanna, M.D., an orthopedic spine surgeon at Johns Hopkins also has many memories of Hungerford’s generosity as a teacher and mentor.
He first met Hungerford in 1998 when started his orthopedic surgical residency at Johns Hopkins. At the time Hungerford was a professor of orthopedic surgery and chief of joint arthroplasty and joint replacement there.
“I would see patients and perform surgeries with him. He was a gifted surgeon and physician and more importantly a gifted educator. He taught the science and art of orthopaedic surgery, and always emphasized the doctor-patient relationship and its importance in the overall care of a patient,” Khanna said.
Khanna left Johns Hopkins after completing his residency training in 2013 to complete a spine surgery fellowship at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, but returned to John Hopkins as a faculty member in 2004 to work with Hungerford again.
“He continued mentoring me during the early stages of my career as faculty member and also guided me on how to develop a successful orthopaedic surgery practice. Specifically, he taught me how to allocate my efforts between the three missions of Johns Hopkins which are clinical care, education and research.”
He added, “He was also very generous with his home and would have me and other residents over for journal club and holidays. And what he did for me, he did for countless other medical students, residents, fellows and young faculty members over his 38-year career at John Hopkins.”
“I have fond memories attending his son’s wedding in their backyard and spending time with David, his wife and family. He will be missed,” he added. “He often asked me to call him ‘David’ but I would always revert back to calling him what I was more comfortable with, which was ‘Big H’ and I think and hope he liked that.”
I was fortunate to have been a Hungerford/Krackow fellow back in 1991. David taught surgeons of all levels not just how to operate but how to think as a surgeon. Every action had a purpose and he extended that dogmatic approach to other aspects of patient care while maintaining a most human touch. He was a scientist who manifested great compassion and faith. Even his approach to golf had a scientific flair which made it so fun. I was blessed to have had the opportunity to know him and will miss him greatly, Ted Firestone MD
I remember hometown hero, David Hungerford, from my formative years growing up in Sodus, NY, and am saddened to hear of his passing. May he have favorable tailwinds enroute to his final destination.
Dr. Hungerford was my commanding officer in Amberg, Germany in 1967. I remember him as a very good man.
It is obvious that he made a lasting impression on my, as I still remember working with him 53 years later.