Freddie Fu, M.D., internationally renowned orthopedic surgeon and founder of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center’s sports medicine program died surrounded by friends and family on September 24, 2021.
Dr. Fu was a leading global expert in ACL reconstruction, a prolific medical author and editor, the company physician for the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, as well as the head team physician for the University of Pittsburgh athletic department. His family, friends, colleagues, students, patients and the larger Pittsburgh community are grieving the loss of this remarkable ortho medicine giant.
“Pittsburgh lost a legend,” Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Pedutohe wrote on Twitter. “A pioneer in modern/future surgery. A leader who helped transform Pittsburgh’s economy to eds & meds. A gracious, compassionate man. Our prayers are with Hilda and family. Wishing you peace, my friend.”
A moment of silence in honor of Dr. Fu was held at Heinz Field before the start of University of Pittsburgh’s game against the New Hampshire Wildcats. Athletic director Heather Lyke said, “Dr. Fu led a remarkable life that was dedicated to helping and healing others. Rarely do you find such an exceptionally gifted person who remains so humble and accessible to everyone they meet. That was Dr. Fu. His legacy—as a doctor, father, husband, grandfather and friend—will eternally inspire us at the University of Pittsburgh and beyond.”
Dr. Fu is survived by his wife of almost 50 years, Hilda Pang Fu, his daughter, Joyce Lok-See Fu, his son, Gordon Ka-Hong, five grandchildren, his mother, Mabel Foo, sisters Susan Lam and Jeanette Maeba and brothers Frank Fu and Nigel Fu. Dr. Fu was preceded in death by his father, Mr. Ying Foo.
Education and Scholarship
A native of Hong Kong, Dr. Fu immigrated from Hong Kong to the U.S. in the 1970s at age 18, to study at Dartmouth College. While there, he was active in Chinese and International student associations and played on the champion ping pong team. In 1974, he earned an undergrad biology degree at Dartmouth and in 1975 he earned a Bachelor of Medical Studies from Dartmouth’s Medical School.
Dr. Fu went on to earn his medical degree from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine in 1977. He completed a general surgery internship at Brown University before returning to the University of Pittsburgh for an ortho research fellowship and residency training. In 1982, he became the chair of the orthopedic surgery department. Dr. Fu founded the first sports medicine program in western Pennsylvania in 1986, subsequently advancing and expanding the UPMC sports medicine program. By 1997, Fu was named orthopaedic surgery department chair.
“Freddie Fu and I met the first day of classes at DMS almost 50 years ago. Like all of us, he seemed anxious, but excited to finally start medical school. Freddie never lost that spark- the enthusiasm and love for learning, and later for research and teaching,” said former classmate Oglesby H. Young, M.D., Clinical Assistant Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, at Geisel School of Medicine.
Dr. Fu pioneered a variety of arthroscopic surgical techniques for the treatment of shoulder and knee injuries. He initiated extensive knee joint research, studying biomechanics, comparative anatomy, in vivo kinematics and stem cell and regenerative medicine related to the knee. He published 173 book chapters, over 675 peer-reviewed articles, and edited 30 orthopedic textbooks on sports injury medicine. He was the recipient of over 260 professional awards and honors over the course of his long and expansive career. Fu’s team also had, at the time of his passing, over 100 studies on anatomy and evolution of the knee joint in process.
One of a Kind, a Beloved Pioneer
Dr. Fu pioneered innovative solutions in sports medicine surgery, receiving global acclaim for developing innovative techniques and procedures to address complex knee injury. He was the first orthopedic surgeon to conceptualize opting out of one-size-fits-all ACL tear surgery, suggesting instead a more detailed and effective individualized surgical process. “When we started doing a lot of these it was almost like McDonald’s where every one of them was done the same way,” he said. “But as I began to do more research…it became clear that…every injury is unique, and every surgery should be unique.” Through his long-term academic and team doctor experience at Pitt, Fu grew in notoriety and went on to treat many high-profile athletes. Through his work as company physician for the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, he also treated renowned dancers.
In 2017, famed soccer player Zlatan Ibrahimovic tore his ligament during the return of the Europa League semi-final. The 35-year-old thought he might not ever play the sport again. “Zlatan Ibrahimovic will play for many more years,” said Fu after operating on Ibrahimovic. His prediction was accurate.
“Freddie Fu gave me a second chance in my career. I’m still on top just because of him. I owe him everything. Thank you, Freddie Fu. Rest in peace,” AC Milan soccer player Zlatan Ibrahimović posted on Instagram upon hearing of Fu’s passing.
At the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Freddie Fu Sports Medicine Center, photos of Dr. Fu with famous patients decorate the walls. The photos include football legends Dan Marino, Jerome Bettis, Joe Namath and Larry Fitzgerald, former Pittsburgh Pirate Andrew McCutchen, and ballet superstar Mikhail Baryshnikov.
“Dr. Freddie Fu, thank you for what you did for my knee and my career,” McCutchen wrote on Twitter. “My heart hurts knowing your life was cut short due to cancer. Literally talked to you less than a month ago. May your legacy live on! I’m going to miss those random pics of nature you would send me daily. RIP.”
“When people talk about Pitt legends, Dr. Freddie Fu should absolutely be included in that discussion,” wrote Pittsburgh University football coach Pat Narduzzi. He described Fu as a gifted doctor who was as invested in everyday patients as much as well-known athletes and dancers. “When you think of all these major orthopaedic surgeons in the world, Freddie Fu’s name is right there. But you would have never known that because he treated everyone with respect and gave everyone the time,” said Andrew McCutchen, Philadelphia Phillies player.
Since Dr. Fu founded the sports medicine program at Pittsburgh University in 1986, and it has become one of the top clinical-research programs and sports medicine training sites in the world. Dr. Fu also helped design and implement the 60-acre UPMC Rooney Sports Complex in 2000. The complex features outdoor and indoor training facilities for the Pittsburgh Steelers and University teams, a fitness center, concussion center and sports medicine research and rehabilitation facilities. In 2018, the complex medical building was renamed the UPMC Freddie Fu Sports Medicine Center. The practice and training center built in 2015 for the Pittsburgh Penguins, the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry, was modeled after the complex.
“Freddie Fu proved that you didn’t have to be a professional athlete to make a massive impact on the sports world,” said the Penguins’ president and chief executive David Morehouse.
Patients treated at the Complex include Steelers, Pirates, Penguins, five-time Tour de France winner Miguel Indurain and ballet legend Mikhail Baryshnikov.
Dr. Fu and his Mrs. Fu, a trained painter, were supporters of the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, the Pittsburgh Symphony, and other arts organizations. Along with acting as company physician for the Pittsburgh Ballet since the early 1980s, Dr. Fu also served on its board of directors. Fu assisted in designing the Benedum Center for the Performing Arts floor in the late 1980s. The “sprung” stage floor helps reduce dancers’ injuries. “Because of Dr. Fu, my career was saved. I had an injury at that point in 1986 that people in my position, with what I had to do physically, didn’t always recover enough to continue on with their career,” said dancer Joe Briggs of the Pittsburgh Ballet.
An Infectious Passion for Life
The President of the Asian Federation of Sports Medicine Patrick Yung Shu-hang tributed Dr. Fu in the South China Morning Post, saying, “He was an energetic person who could work from 6 a.m. in the morning to 10 p.m. and still be 100 percent focused. He was a legend [in his field] and was a world-renowned giant in orthopaedics and sports medicine. Most of all he was a very true friend.” Columnist David Shribman of Pittsburgh Post-Gazette wrote, “Fracture your hand? Freddie would be on your porch at 6:30 in the morning. (‘I was up anyway,’ he would say.)” Dr. Fu was known for his high levels of energy and lifelong work ethic. These energy levels drove innovative research into ortho medicine, but also inspired and activated Fu’s peers.
Fu was known for many years to commute to work by bicycle. He worked at an impressive pace throughout his career, with an extensive caseload, several mornings of teaching a week, a surgery schedule and involvement with ongoing research and writing. Dr. Anthony DiGioia, M.D., medical director of the bone and joint center at UPMC Magee Women’s Hospital and an ortho colleague who met Fu in the early 1980s, described him as “a tornado of energy all the time. “It was unusual for a physician to be involved in research then,” said DiGioia. “He came in like a tornado talking about projects and getting things done. That energy carried through with his work as a clinician and researcher. The orthopaedic community will certainly miss him in Pittsburgh and internationally.”
This momentum and drive influenced the Pittsburgh community, the ortho community and any others who met Fu. “If anyone could come close to perpetual motion, it was Freddie Fu,” reflected Anantha Shekhar, Pittsburgh University’s Senior Vice Chancellor for the Health Sciences and the John and Gertrude Petersen Dean of the School of Medicine. “Dr. Fu was always learning, thinking, teaching, doing something to make life better for his patients, trainees and the community. His influence in the field of orthopaedics—in Pittsburgh and throughout the world—is monumental, and his legacy profound.”
Dr. Fu’s Global Legacy
Freddie Fu was known not only for his orthosurgical prowess, but for his great compassion for others and love for family and community. Dr. Young shared, “More than medicine, Freddie loved his family and his friends. He credited his wife, Hilda Pang Fu, with providing him the support and the guiding light he needed to soar as he did in his professional career…Throughout his bustling successful career, I was taken back by his frequent emails to me. Recently, these emails contained many wonderful photos, accompanied by music, expressing his love of nature, Pittsburgh, and family. It seemed a wonder that Freddie made time for an old classmate like me, but he was someone who always made those around him feel special.”
James D. Kang, M.D., Thornhill Family Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery and Chair, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at Brigham and Woman’s Hospital, remembered Dr. Fu,
I worked with Dr. Fu as a resident, then as a faculty colleague, and then as his Vice Chair of the Department at UPMC, before I moved to Boston to become Chair of Orthopaedics at the Brigham. I lived through his entire vision of conceptualizing the UPMC Center for Sports Medicine from its inception to what it has become over a 30-year span. Dr. Fu always taught all of us to “think big” and bring enthusiasm and energy to everything you are engaged in. Although Dr. Fu was a true visionary, his greatest gift was that he had near photographic memory of everyone he ever met and got to know a special little bit of information about you that he could recall years later. This endearing trait made many patients and colleagues feel special when they were with Dr. Fu. He built this “big vision” and brought it to reality by being the ultimate “people person.” His passion for Orthopaedics was infectious and his charisma was bigger than life. Dr. Fu shaped my career, and many of us owe a huge debt of gratitude for his part in enabling our collective success. I am heartbroken that he has been prematurely taken from our Orthopaedic community, but I am also energized more than ever to carry on his legacy so he can be proud of the people that he influenced and nurtured as he watches over us from above.
Dr. Fu is remembered as a philanthropist, lover of community and a benefactor of a variety of local projects. In 2016, the Pittsburgh City Council recognized his dedication to medicine, research, education and ongoing community involvement by declaring a marked “Dr. Freddie Fu Day” in the city. Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald said, “He came here as a young adult, and he and his wife Hilda have been such positive people in the fabric of our community. His personality and charisma were infectious. He will be sorely missed.”
Diversity, inclusion and social justice had a place in Dr. Fu’s heart along with philanthropy and community general involvement. “A significant part of Dr. Fu’s legacy is the diversity of staff he built at UPMC,” said DiGioia. “He was always doing outreach and inviting international fellows here,” he said. “He was a champion for diversity in orthopaedic surgery and has been for many years.”
David S. Jevsevar, M.D., M.B.A., the chair of Orthopaedics at Geisel School of Medicine and Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, said of Dr. Fu, “Most importantly in his career, he broke down the barriers against diversity within orthopaedics. He again didn’t have to do it, but he knew he was uniquely successful and respected and had the opportunity to do so.”
“Freddie’s academic progeny led orthopedics in virtually every country in the world. His leadership in [diversity, equity and inclusion] in orthopedics especially for women was unparalleled. Freddie walked the walk,” tweeted clinical researcher Lynn Snyder-Mackler.
His practice of medicine reflected his love of humanity and deep regard for the sanctity of both community and each human life. He is remembered as generous and kind as well as brilliant. “I have a good attitude about everything,” Dr. Fu said in 2002. “I practice medicine with unconditional love, the way you are with your children. You don’t expect anything back. But it does come back to you.”
Dr. Fu’s family asks that in lieu of gifts or flowers, contributions be made to the Fu Family Legacy Fund, which will support the work of the University of Pittsburgh Department of Orthopaedic Surgery.
