This week marks Perioperative Nurses Week, an annual celebration of the nurses who help our patients through operations and their commitment to safe patient care. 

The date, November 11, 1918, marked the end of the First World War (within the 11th hour of the day of the 11th month). The day was initially celebrated as  Armistice Day and became Veterans Day in the 1950s when it was expanded to honor veterans of all wars. We continue to celebrate Veterans Day every November 11, paying tribute to the selfless service of the men and women of our armed forces.

Please join me in congratulating our colleague Steven Z. George, PT, PhD, FAPTA, on his appointment as editor-in-chief of the American Physical Therapy Association’s (APTA) flagship publication, the Physical Therapy & Rehabilitation Journal (PTJ).

October is National Physical Therapy Month – a time to celebrate, acknowledge, and commend the exceptional clinical efforts and research provided by our providers. This includes work from Physical Therapists, Physical Therapy Assistants (PTAs), and those who teach the next generation of Physical Therapists. The practice of physical therapy dates back to Hippocrates, who advocated using massage, hydrotherapy, and manual therapy techniques to treat his patients.

September is dedicated to many important days of recognition, and I want to share two with you.

Today is National Orthopaedic Technician Day –a time to recognize the outstanding professionals who are the backbone of our practice. We are thankful for our orthopaedic technicians who provide our patients with excellent, compassionate, and thoughtful daily care. Our technicians are critical in patient care, often caring for the most vulnerable people (think about a child getting a cast removed).

The annual U.S. News and World Report (USNWR) rankings came out today. I am delighted to report that Orthopaedics at Duke University Hospital remained ranked first in the southeast U.S., second amongst the ranked specialties at Duke University Hospital (first among the specialties using data for ranking rather than reputation only), and No. 22 overall.   

Please join me in congratulating Alison Toth, MD, on her Duke University Health System (DUHS) Board of Directors appointment.

Please join me in congratulating our Pediatric Ortho Team for Duke Children’s ranking in U.S. News and World Report. Duke Ortho ranked No. 23 – 20 places higher than the year before!

We are thankful for every department member and appreciate the commitment and excellence they bring daily. Whether you have been at Duke one day or for more than 50 years, we are proud to have these individuals on the Duke Orthopaedic Surgery team. Congratulations to the employees receiving milestone years of service recognition this year.