Herman Robbins MD (1913-2008)
Herman Robbins, MD, was Chairman of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, NYU Hospital for Joint Diseases from 1972-1981 and a graduate, in 1955, of its orthopaedic residency program.
As surgeon, master anatomist, educator, and skillful administrator, his chairmanship spanned a critical, transforming period in the hospital’s history to include a relocation from the original 1906 site to downtown Manhattan and a return of focus from a general medical center to the original mission of a specialty institute in orthopaedic care and research.
Dr. Robbins' Legacy
Dr. Robbins was the first Director of Pediatrics at the Hospital for Joint Diseases and one of the pioneers of several generations of physicians who contributed to the development of pediatrics into an orthopaedic subspecialty. He was one of the first American orthopaedic surgeons to observe the pioneering technique of low-friction arthroplasty, or total hip replacement, of Sir John Charnley, in England, in 1969, and return with the necessary instruments to perform the surgery in the United States.
Dr. Robbins received his medical degree from the Université de Lausanne in Switzerland in 1941, but initially attended Anderson medical College in Scotland, that educational stage being interrupted by the Second World War. Following an internship and surgical training at Harlem Hospital, he entered the Armed Services in WWII, serving as battalion surgeon in the European Theatre of Operations and entering Paris with the liberation troops as the Nazis were fleeing but sporadic combat continued. He received a Purple Heart and the Bronze Star for Heroism.
Following his later residency training and joining of the hospital staff, Dr. Robbins’ popularity and success was marked by a consistently large private practice, but his passionate interest in residency education never waned and was exemplified both by his long chairmanship, consistent mentoring, and legendary late night anatomy classes he held for residents following a long day of private practice and hospital duties.
Dr. Robbins served as Editor of the Bulletin of the Hospital for Joint Diseases from 1979-1991, one of the oldest continuously published orthopaedic journals in the United States. In 2005, Dr. Robbins received the Frauenthal Medal for contributions to the Hospital in the tradition of its founders, Henry and Herman Frauenthal. He will be remembered well by his patients and colleagues and by the teachings of the many residents he mentored.
The family of Herman Robbins has requested that in lieu of flowers donations be made to the Herman Robbins Library. These donations can be directed to Francine Mele. Please contact Francine Mele at Francine.Mele@nyumc.org or 212-598-6263.