Physician-in-Chief Dr. Stephen Paget to Assume New Leadership Role at Hospital for Special Surgery

New York—February 24, 2009 

Hospital for Special Surgery today announced that Physician-in-Chief and internationally recognized rheumatologist Stephen A. Paget, M.D., FACP, FACR, intends to transition to a new leadership position at HSS as Medical Director for Academic, International and Philanthropic Initiatives. In this new position, he will focus on a wide range of educational, training, research and international outreach projects.

Dr. Paget will continue his current responsibilities as Physician-in-Chief and and chairman of the Division of Rheumatology at HSS while a national search is undertaken for his successor. He will become Physician-in-Chief Emeritus following the appointment of his successor. Dr. Paget also serves as the Joseph P. Routh Professor of Medicine and Rheumatic Diseases at Weill Cornell Medical College.

“We want to take this moment to express our gratitude for all that Steve Paget has done for HSS during his 34 years of service,” said Louis A. Shapiro, president and CEO, Hospital for Special Surgery, in announcing the succession plan. “His unique dedication to assuring the highest quality of care and defining the causes and cures of musculoskeletal and autoimmune disorders through research has become part of the very fabric of this institution.”

“For Dr. Paget, it is all about the patients and what will make their lives better,” noted Thomas P. Sculco, M.D., Surgeon-in-Chief and Chief Medical Officer, at HSS. “He has worked with great vision to assure that HSS is at the pinnacle of care and research for patients with musculoskeletal disorders. Steve has been a role model and leader to his division and fellows. As a clinician, educator and clinical investigator, he has had a significant influence upon the field of rheumatology.”

“Steve Paget had had a real impact upon rheumatology education and research throughout the nation,” explained Steven Goldring, M.D., chief scientific officer, HSS. “His research activities and leadership in the areas of systemic lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoporosis, the systemic vasculitides and premature atherosclerosis in autoimmune disorders have had an immeasurable effect upon these fields. He is able to integrate medicine with science and deliver on the promise of translational research to bring innovations from the laboratory to the bedside where they can improve lives.”

The chairmen of the HSS Board of Trustees, Dean O’Hare and Aldo Papone, said, “Steve Paget’s exceptional intellect, dedication and ability to attract the best and the brightest to HSS has contributed to the reputation of our institution as the best in world in it disciplines. His fundraising abilities have been an invaluable source of support for the many programs that make HSS what it is today. We are fortunate that Steve will continue to employ his many unique talents to support the hospital in an important new role.”

Under Dr. Paget’s guidance and leadership:

• The Rheumatology staff has grown to the largest in the nation.
• An academic and highly respected Perioperative Center has been formed and, through the hiring of superb internists, rheumatologists and hospitalists, has assured timely and excellent care of HSS patients scheduled for surgery.
• A Hospitalist program was created to deliver world-class care to inpatients at night, to add to the cadre of excellent doctors involved in perioperative care for all ambulatory care patients and to perform teaching activities for physician assistants.
• The Kirkland Center for Lupus Research transformed an already impressive lupus expertise into one that has major national impact and serves as a springboard for HSS scientists studying lupus to achieve millions of dollars of NIH research grants. From this and membership in the Lupus Clinical Trials Consortium, a Lupus Center was begun delivering multidisciplinary care to thousands of HSS patients with lupus.
• The Gosden Robinson Inflammatory Arthritis Center integrates world class care for patients with the earliest phases of inflammatory arthritis and throughout the continuum of care for those with rheumatoid arthritis and spondyloarthropathies.
• A model infusion unit was developed and expanded, delivering exceptional care in a safe and supportive environment.
• Centers of excellence have thrived in scleroderma, myositis, lupus and vasculitis. Dr. Paget’s paradigm of building these centers of excellence on the platform of a translational research program has allowed them to develop into nationally recognized entities.

As Chair and fellowship training program director for many years, Dr. Paget has fostered the development of academic, research and educational leaders in rheumatology. As a result, the HSS rheumatology fellowship program is now one of the most sought after fellowships in the nation.

Dr. Paget noted, in making this announcement, that, “My tenure as Physician-in-Chief and head of the Rheumatology Division has been a wonderful experience in large part because of the incredibly talented people with whom I’ve had the opportunity to work. HSS is a truly unique institution, and I look forward in my new role to helping bring the remarkable work done here to an even broader arena where it can help even more people. I look forward as well to continuing my work teaching the next generation of doctors and caring for patients in need, which, at the end of the day, has always been the greatest reward for me.”

About Hospital for Special Surgery
Founded in 1863, Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) is a world leader in orthopedics, rheumatology and rehabilitation. HSS is nationally ranked No. 1 in orthopedics and No. 4 in rheumatology by U.S. News & World Report (2008), and has received Magnet Recognition for Excellence in Nursing Service from the American Nurses Credentialing Center. In 2008 and 2007, HSS was a recipient of the HealthGrades Joint Replacement Excellence Award. A member of the NewYork-Presbyterian Healthcare System and an affiliate of Weill Cornell Medical College, HSS provides orthopedic and rheumatologic patient care at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital at New York Weill Cornell Medical Center. All Hospital for Special Surgery medical staff are on the faculty of Weill Cornell Medical College. The hospital's research division is internationally recognized as a leader in the investigation of musculoskeletal and autoimmune diseases. Hospital for Special Surgery is located in New York City and online at www.hss.edu.