Edward T. Habermann passed away at his home on April 19th, 2009, after a long battle with cancer. Dr. Habermann had a long and distinguished medical career. After graduating from Johns Hopkins University, he earned his medical degree from the State University of New York at Syracuse. He did his orthopaedic surgery residency at the Hospital for Joint Diseases in New York City, after which he became a full-time faculty member of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in 1966. He served as chairman of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at the Montefiore Medical Center for nearly three decades. In 1967, Dr. Habermann did a fellowship in hip surgery with Sir John Charnley and became one of the first surgeons to introduce total joint replacement surgery to New York City. He was also a member of the design team for the types of prosthetic joints (both hip and knee) that, over the course of the last twenty-five years, have been implanted in several million patients. During his long and distinguished career, he was a visiting professor at more than 122 universities and medical centers in the United States and abroad.
As the head of one of the largest residency training programs in the country, Dr. Habermann was instrumental in the education of several hundred orthopaedic residents. He was a dedicated teacher and mentor, arriving in the early hours of the morning for formal and informal conferences and counseling and most often not leaving until late at night after conducting teaching rounds on the entire orthopaedic service. He also had a great sense of obligation and duty to the community and to the welfare of his patients. As a prime example, during the infamous milk delivery strike in New York City in the 1980s, Ed actually drove a delivery truck to make sure the hospital had an adequate supply. He participated extensively in continuing medical education during the three decades before his retirement in 1998. Even after his retirement, he continued to be active in continuing medical education.
He also was a contributor to orthopaedics in many other ways, including serving as vice chairman of the Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation for several years. During the Israeli wars of 1967 and 1972, he traveled there to take part in the care of injured Israeli soldiers. In 2001, he was honored by the Ruth Jackson Orthopaedic Society for his contributions to diversity in training women in orthopaedic surgery. The residency program at Montefiore Medical Center was one of the first in the country to offer positions to women.
But the measure of a man is not only with regard to his professional accomplishments. At the time of his retirement, Dr. Habermann still had a young family. One of his most prized possessions was a framed article about himself as a coach, titled "Renowned Surgeon Finishes Season as Assistant Coach." Ed was a superb athlete and played basketball and lacrosse as an undergraduate at Johns Hopkins. He finished his athletic career as an assistant coach in lacrosse at the local high school in Chappaqua, New York. "He brought integrity and strength to a team of young men, desperately in need of these traits" said Terrence Higgins, who played lacrosse under Habermann's coaching during high school and went on to play the sport at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. "He taught us that the greatest aspect of sports is not the game, but rather, what you learn from the game; what has the game taught you to become a better person."
Ed Habermann's sunny disposition brought happiness to all who knew him. He will be missed. Our condolences go to his wife Susan and his four children. Memorial contributions can be made to the Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation.
—D.S.H.
S.H.