Department of Orthopaedics, Office of the Chairman (Robert S. Siffert, MD) records

Identity elements

Reference code

US AA096.S007.SS024.SS002

Name and location of repository

Level of description

Subseries

Title

Department of Orthopaedics, Office of the Chairman (Robert S. Siffert, MD) records

Date(s)

  • 1905-2010 (Creation)

Extent

2 boxes (30 inches)

Name of creator

(1910-)

Administrative history

History of Orthopaedics Department through Dr. Siffert’s Tenure

1910 - Orthopedic department organized in Out Patient Department (OPD); 2,015 consults first year; Philip William Nathan, Chief of Service

1911 - Orthopedic in-patient service established; OPD service expands; Philip W. Nathan still chief of all

1938 - Orthopedics graduates first resident, Samuel Rupert, from a one year residency

1939 - Robert K. Lippmann and Seth Selig appointed Orthopedists to Hospital; they served together until Selig's death in 1941. Lippmann continued as Director until 11/1960

1946 - A pediatric Orthopaedic clinic is established; they believe it to be the first such in New York City in a general hospital

1949 - Orthopaedics Dept. affiliates with Blythedale Home; a separate ward is created for pediatric orthopaedic cases

1949 - Residencies in Surgery and surgical subspecialties changed to conform to changes in residency requirements by Boards making the residency in Orthopaedics 3 years

1960 – Robert S. Siffert is appointed Director of the Department; when Mount Sinai School of Medicine is created he serves as the first Professor and Chairman of Orthopaedics; he is the last voluntary physician to serve as a Chairman at Mount Sinai School of Medicine

1961 – Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation Medicine Departments establish a special weekly Amputee Rehabilitation Clinic

1963 - Affiliation with Hospital for Joint Diseases begins; ends in early 1970s

1966 - Robert K. Lippmann Orthopaedic Research Laboratory is dedicated

1975 – A sports medicine program is established

1983 – The Robert K. Lippmann Chair in Orthopaedics is established; Robert Siffert is the first recipient of the chair

1986 – Dr. Siffert retires and Michael Lewis is appointed the first full-time Chairman of the Department and the Lippmann Chair

1986 – Dr. Siffert is named the Bernard J. Lasker/Robert S. Siffert Distinguished Service Professor; in 2000 when Siffert steps down, this becomes the Lasker Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery

1989 - A gift from Mr. and Mrs. Peter May endows the Leni and Peter W. May Dept. of Orthopaedics; it is dedicated on June 7, 1990

1993 – Dr. Lewis leaves and Dr. Siffert becomes the Acting Chairman for one year

1994 – Richard Ulin becomes Acting Chairman of the Department

Name of creator

(1918 - 2015-02-18)

Biographical history

Robert S. Siffert was born in 1918. He attended New York University for both his undergraduate and medical education and was elected Phi Beta Kappa and Alpha Omega Alpha. He came to The Mount Sinai Hospital in 1946 as a Resident in Orthopaedics. When his three year residency ended, he joined the Voluntary staff. In 1960 he was named Director of the Department of Orthopaedics and Orthopedic Surgeon-in-Chief, a title he retained until 1986. With the formation of Mount Sinai School of Medicine, he became the first chairman of the Department (1966) and the Robert K. Lippmann Professor. Over the years, Siffert was also on the staff of the Hospital for Joint Diseases (1968-86) and the Blythedale Hospital (1951-2000). He served as a Senior Consultant to the Department of Health of New York City from 1952-60.

Siffert stepped down from the Chairmanship and the Lippmann Chair in 1986. He then became the Bernard J. Lasker/Robert S. Siffert Distinguished Professor of Orthopedic Surgery, a chair he held until 2000, after which he maintained the rank of Distinguished Service Professor. Dr. Siffert remained a member of the Voluntary staff throughout his chairmanship, only joining the full-time faculty in 1986. He was the last Voluntary Chairman on the Mount Sinai staff.

Dr. Siffert had a long-standing interest in pediatric orthopaedics and in the 1970s he founded the Pediatric Orthopaedic Club of New York. Siffert authored almost 150 articles and chapters as well as four books in his field. He lectured and taught around the world, and performed many medical service missions abroad. Dr. Siffert died February 18, 2015.

Content and structure elements

Scope and content

These files are arranged in two series and span the career of Robert S. Siffert, MD. One series is the office files of Dr. Siffert from when he served as Chairman of the Department of Orthopaedics at Mount Sinai from 1960-1986 and then as Acting Chairman in 1993. These files include some departmental information in the Administrative folders, outlining in particular the relationship between Mount Sinai and the Orthopaedic services at Elmhurst, the VA, and the Hospital for Joint Diseases. Many of the files relate to Siffert’s outside activities. Of particular note are files outlining his involvement in the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and his work on handicapped children. There are also files about his work with CARE/MEDICO and his many foreign trips to attend meetings and present papers.

The other series contains material from the Orthopaedics Department History and Archives Project that Dr. Siffert began in his retirement, starting in 1994. This material is composed mostly of reprints and photocopies of articles written by early departmental staff. (Reprints for physicians after Dr. Siffert were not retained as they are usually available electronically.) There are lists created by Dr. Siffert of staff and residents over the years from 1910 to 1995, and photocopies of the Orthopaedics section of Mount Sinai’s Annual Report from 1967-1993. There is also a bibliography of the Orthopedics Research Laboratory. These materials were gathered and made available in the department’s Edgar Bick Library. A display was created showing photographs, books, articles, as well as a compression screwbolt and a transfixion prosthesis developed by Robert K. Lippmann, MD. The display was dismantled in 2012, allowing these items to be sent to the Mount Sinai Archives.

System of arrangement

Conditions of access and use elements

Conditions governing access

This material may be closed for a minimum of 25 years from creation, depending on their content. Please contact the Archives (MSArchives@mssm.edu) for additional information.

Physical access

Technical access

Conditions governing reproduction

Languages of the material

  • English

Scripts of the material

    Language and script notes

    Finding aids

    Acquisition and appraisal elements

    Custodial history

    The bulk of these records were received May and July of 2012 from Jonathan Kaufman, Ph.D. and Robert Siffert, MD. Photographs have been removed to the photograph collection. This collection was processed by Barbara Niss in August/September 2012. In 2015, more files were sent from the department. These were added to the collection.

    Immediate source of acquisition

    Appraisal, destruction and scheduling information

    Accruals

    Related materials elements

    Existence and location of originals

    Existence and location of copies

    Related archival materials

    Related descriptions

    Notes element

    Specialized notes

    Alternative identifier(s)

    Legacy ID from CMS

    AA.000614

    OCLC Number

    882089773

    Description control element

    Rules or conventions

    Sources used

    Archivist's note

    Processed by Barbara J. Niss in August 2012. Finding aid updated by Barbara J. Niss in October 2015.

    Access points

    Place access points

    Genre access points

    Accession area