Alumnus receives Great Pioneers in Osteopathic Medicine award
Posted: August 21, 2012
David W. Smith, DO, KCOM ’62, has been selected by the American Osteopathic Association (AOA) as one of its Great Pioneers in Osteopathic Medicine. The award is given to those who have made pioneering differences in osteopathic medicine.
Dr. Smith has been a member of the American Osteopathic Academy of Orthopedics (AOAO) since 1966 and served as president from 1981 to 1982. He also served as president of the American College of Osteopathic Surgeons in 1995 through which he received the Distinguished Osteopathic Surgeon Award.
Dr. Smith’s accomplishments include being the first to complete the first total joint implants in Stark County (Ohio), founding the first bone bank there, and installing the first “clean air system” for joint replacement surgery. He also developed surgical patents for cervical spine arthrodesis instrumentation.
The AOA Bureau of Osteopathic History will be audiotaping a living history with Dr. Smith, which will be featured in the AOA’s online History Museum.
*Photo courtesy of American Osteopathic Association