If you or a loved one has had a joint replacement, then your life has been touched by Harlan C. Amstutz, M.D.
A giant in his field, it is not an exaggeration to say that every orthopedic surgeon operating today has been in some way influenced by Dr. Amstutz' contributions.
As proud members of the UCLA family, we are pleased to establish the Harlan C. Amstutz Endowed Chair in Arthroplasty. Working in the spirit of Dr. Amstutz, whose seminal work in joint replacement and joint resurfacing connected basic science research with clinical care, this Chair will support a faculty member whose work includes research that is dedicated to advancing the field of arthroplasty. Our aim is to enable collaborative research that incorporates bioengineering, immunology, and basic research.
We invite you to honor the memory of Dr. Amstutz by joining his family, friends, colleagues, and fellow philanthropists to help establish this Endowed Chair in his name.
HARLAN C. AMSTUTZ, M.D.
Born July 17, 1931; Died May 17, 2021
Faculty 1970-1989
Emeritus 1991
Harlan Cabot Amstutz, M.D. was born in Santa Monica California on July 17, 1931. After graduating from John Marshall High School, he went on to UCLA, graduating Phi Beta Kappa in 1953 with a B.S. in Chemistry. While an undergraduate he played on the UCLA basketball team under legendary basketball coach John Wooden. Following his residency at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York, he served as Chief of Orthopaedics, Consultant Hospital, for the 862nd SAC Division, Area Veterans and local Indian reservations in the U.S. Air Force, stationed in Minot, North Dakota. This was followed by one year in London, England, at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital as an Honorary Registrar and as a Research Assistant at the Institute of Orthopaedics, also in London. Harlan then returned to the Hospital for Special Surgery from 1965-1970, working at various capacities including Chief of Prosthetics and Orthotics, Associate Scientist, Lecturer and Director of Bioengineering. In 1970, he was tapped for the job of Division Chief of Orthopaedic Surgery at UCLA, taking over for the founding Division Chief, Charles Bechtol, who had served since 1959. Harlan served in that capacity from 1970-1989. From 1975 until 1989, he also served as Chief of Section of Orthopaedics at the Wadsworth VA. He became Emeritus in 1991. From 1991- 2007 he was the Medical Director of the Joint Replacement Institute at Orthopaedic Hospital. He then became the Medical Director of the Joint Replacement Institute at St. Vincent Medical Center in downtown LA.
Harlan Amstutz was the epitome of a true academic clinician-scientist. To his credit, he has authored or co-authored 335 refereed journal articles, over 500 abstracts and 75 chapters. He has over 1000 national and international presentations and 76 invited lectureships, as well as holding 13 patents. He was editor of Hip Arthroplasty and Current Status of Metal-on-Metal Hip Resurfacing. Hi is an author and editor of Hip Resurfacing: Principles, Indications, Complications and Results.
In 1996, Harlan was elected to the Royal College of Surgeons of England as an Honorary Fellow (one of only seven American orthopaedic surgeons to have been so honored), and elected in 2005 as an Honorary Member of the German Orthopaedic Society. In 2007 he received AOA-Zimmer Award for Distinguished Contribution to Orthopaedics, and in 2010 he was named Distinguished Alumnus of the Hospital of Special Surgery.
In addition, Harlan seems to have been president of about everything: the Orthopaedic Research Society in 1973, the North American Hip Society in 1979, the Association of Orthopaedic Chairman in 1983, the Association of Bone and Joint Surgeons in 1984, the American Orthopaedic Association in 1992, and the International Hip Society in 2000. In 1970, he was an ABC Travelling Fellow, and in 1974, Harlan, along with Mark Coventry from the Mayo Clinic, were the NIH Travelling Exchange Fellows to Russia. He is a six-time winner of the John Charnley Award in 1977, 1984, 1990, 1994, 2000, and 2006. In 1979, he was the recipient of the Otto Frank Award for cement fixation of the femoral head in canine surface replacements, and in 1987, along with Keith Markolf, PhD, he received the Nicholas André Award for the UCLA knee ligament testing apparatus for ACL insufficiency.
In 2018, he was recognized with the International Society for Technology in Arthroplasty (ISTA) Lifetime Achievement Award, which honors those whose life’s work has significantly contributed to the advancement of the art and science of joint arthroplasty. He was further awarded the UCLA Chemistry & Biochemistry Alumni Award that same year.
In his 19-year tenure at UCLA, he established the Division of Orthopaedic Surgery as a dominant presence in bioengineering and joint replacement surgery. There, in collaboration with the Department of Engineering, he started the first PhD program in Biomechanical Engineering. He performed the first leg lengthening procedure, established the CEU (clinical evaluation unit) in 1973, and performed the first hip surface replacement in 1975. In the ‘80s, Harlan introduced the DANA shoulder replacement, “Designed After Normal Anatomy,” to round out the complement of joint replacement systems and technologies. Dr. Amstutz’s illustrious career as an academic orthopaedic surgeon spanned over 5 ½ decades. Harlan's passion for orthopedic surgery and his patients lasted his entire lifetime. His wife Patti reports that, at the age of almost 90, he started working on a new academic paper only two days before his death.
Your generous donation will help us ensure that the important work of Dr. Amstutz continues in perpetuity. Help enable UCLA to remain a leader in bioengineering and joint replacement surgery with your gift today!
CHECKS & MAILING INSTRUCTIONS
Please make checks payable to "The UCLA Foundation" (Tax ID 95-2250801). Indicate "Harlan C. Amstutz, M.D. Endowed Chair, Fund #14970E" in the Memo line.
Mail by check via USPS:
The UCLA Foundation
PO Box 7145
Pasadena, CA 91109-9903
Mail by check via FedEx or UPS:
The UCLA Foundation
Attn: Patrick Bruno
Lockbox 7145
14005 Live Oak Ave.
Pasadena, CA 91109-9903
PLEDGES & OTHER DONATION INQUIRIES
If you would like to pledge your contribution or have any questions about your gift, please contact Gretchen McGarry, Senior Executive Director of Development, at 310-794-4746 or gmcgarry@mednet.ucla.edu.
MATCHING CONTRIBUTIONS
Many employers sponsor matching gift programs and will match any charitable contributions made by their employees. To find out if your company has a matching gift policy, please visit matchinggifts.com/ucla and search your employer or company name.
If your company is eligible, request a matching gift form from your employer and send it completed and signed with your gift at the below address. We will do the rest. The impact of your gift to UCLA may be doubled or possibly tripled! Some companies also match gifts made by retirees and/or spouses.
If you do not wish to receive further fundraising information from UCLA Health Sciences, please either call us at (855) 364-6945 or email us at OptOutUCLAHSD@support.ucla.edu, providing your name, address, phone number, email, and from which department you're requesting to be removed. Please review UCLA and the UCLA Foundation’s Disclosure Statements for Prospective Donors at www.uclafoundation.org/disclosures. The amount approved for distribution annually by UCLA will support the work of the Chair holder, who will be selected in accordance with University Policy and Procedure. The establishment of this Chair must comply with current Policy and Administrative Guidelines of the University of California with approval by the UCLA Chancellor as recommended by the Academic Senate. If this remains a term-appointment chair, the incumbent will serve a term of five years and may be reappointed in accordance with University policy. Upon relinquishment of the Chair, the holder is entitled to be referred to as the Harlan C. Amstutz M.D. Endowed Chair in Arthroplasty, listing dates of incumbency. Although the Chair is intended to exist in perpetuity, unforeseen circumstances may alter or remove the subject area from UCLA’s academic plan or it may become impossible or impracticable to administer. In such an event, the Chancellor is authorized to re-designate the purpose of this endowment, after taking into consideration the designated purposes described in this Gift Agreement. The UCLA Foundation will manage and invest this gift in accordance with its endowment investment policies. The total return earned in excess of the amount approved annually for payout will be retained in the endowment principal to protect from the effects of inflation and to allow for growth. Furthermore, the return of payout to the endowment fund principal is authorized at the discretion of the appropriate campus official when the payout is not needed for purposes of the fund. In addition, during periods when the Chair is vacant, the appropriate campus official is authorized to utilize the payout amount for purposes closely related to the academic field represented by the Chair.
Every contribution helps honor Dr. Harlan Amstutz's incredible legacy. Thank you for your support!
Every contribution helps honor Dr. Harlan Amstutz's incredible legacy. Thank you for your support!
Every contribution helps honor Dr. Harlan Amstutz's incredible legacy. Thank you for your support!
Every contribution helps honor Dr. Harlan Amstutz's incredible legacy. Thank you for your support!
Every contribution helps honor Dr. Harlan Amstutz's incredible legacy. Thank you for your support!
Every contribution helps honor Dr. Harlan Amstutz's incredible legacy. Thank you for your support!
Every contribution helps honor Dr. Harlan Amstutz's incredible legacy. Thank you for your support!