We have many fields of excellence at the MSU College of Veterinary Medicine, and one of the most renowned is orthopedics. Our leadership in orthopedics began with Wade O. Brinker, and we have continued and built on that leadership in research, training, and clinical work.

Dr. Brinker’s legacy owes, in part, to the students, colleagues, and friends who made possible the Wade O. Brinker Endowed Professor of Veterinary Surgery. The endowment was established when Dr. Brinker retired from MSU and has received more than a thousand donations. He was still active at MSU when the College appointed Dr. Steven Arnoczky as the first Wade O. Brinker Endowed Professor of Veterinary Surgery and was present as Dr. Arnoczky’s Laboratory for Comparative Orthopaedic Research (LCOR) first took shape.

As a researcher and as a mentor, Dr. Arnoczky has honored and advanced Brinker’s legacy and has established a legacy of his own, which is now carried on by his past and present students. Some of those students are at MSU, and some are at other institutions, private practice, or industry here in the United States and abroad. 

Dr. Brinker was known for his generosity. I benefited from that generosity and was fortunate to conduct surgery with him. Dr. Brinker’s former students Drs. Gretchen Flo, Terry Braden, and Charles DeCamp have carried on his work. Each of these orthopedists influenced Dr. Loïc Déjardin, who also had the opportunity to know and perform surgery with Dr. Brinker. Dr. Déjardin is now head of orthopedic surgery.

Recently, we have recruited three new orthopedic clinicians and scientists. Dr. Kurt Hankenson joined us as the associate director of LCOR, and Drs. Karen Perry and Sun Young Kim joined the Veterinary Medical Center’s Orthopedic Service. 

This is a good year to look forward and to celebrate our history in orthopedics. It is the 25th anniversary of LCOR and the Wade O. Brinker Endowed Professor of Surgery. To mark this important milestone, this issue of Perspectives has a focus on orthopedics.