Joseph Anthony Gerardi, D.O., a California pediatric orthopedic surgeon, passed away on March 12, 2024, at the age of 67.
The former naval officer published researcher and medical director at the San Joaquin Valley Children’s Hospital is being remembered for an exceptional career highlighted by both his published research and his devotion to his young patients.
Dr. Gerardi earned his Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine at the Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences. After graduation, he served as a physician and officer in the United States Navy from 1982 to 1990. He completed his internship in the orthopedics department at the U.S. Naval Hospital in San Diego, California, and then transferred to the U.S. Naval Hospital in Guam.
After his honorable discharge from the navy, he did a fellowship in pediatric orthopedic and scoliosis surgery at Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Crippled Children in Dallas, Texas. In August of 1991, he moved his family to the San Joaquin Valley to serve as a pediatric orthopedic surgeon and medical director of pediatric orthopedic surgery at Valley Children’s Hospital.
Dr. Gerardi specialized in treating pediatric orthopedic maladies including scoliosis, fracture care, clubfoot, cerebral palsy, and athletic injuries.
He was an active researchers and podium speaker. His work was published in such peer review medical journals as the Journal of Pediatric Orthopaedics and the American Journal of Orthopedics.
According to Dr. Gerardi’s family, “He retired in 2023 after more than 31 years of care for thousands of children. Thanks to his leadership, Valley Children’s boasts one of the finest pediatric orthopedic departments in the country.”
Gerardi was born in New York City on September 13, 1956, to Joseph and Edna Gerardi. He grew up in Massapequa, Long Island, with his three siblings and graduated from the University of Colorado at Boulder.
Besides his dedication to his young patients, he also had a passion for long-distance running and golfing.
He is survived by his wife of 43 years, Sharon Nemechek Gerardi, whom he met in medical school, and their children Michael, John, Christine, and Joseph and his grandchildren. Gerardi is also survived by his siblings, Jill, Joy and Jeffrey and their families.
