Freddie H. Fu, M.D.

Tributes to Dr. Freddie Fu, the pioneering sports medicine doctor and orthopedic surgeon, poured in Saturday following his death at age 70 on Friday. Athletes, government officials and healthcare leaders paid respects to the man who helped treat star athletes and everyday alike for injuries, concussions and other conditions.

“Dr. Freddie Fu, thank you for what you did for my knee and my career,” Andrew McCutchen, the former Pirates and current Phillies outfielder, wrote on Twitter. “My heart hurts knowing your life was cut short due to cancer. Literally talked to you less than a month ago. May your legacy live on! I’m going to miss those random pics of nature you would send me daily. RIP… Continue reading.

There really aren’t many awards that Freddie Fu, M.D. has NOT received during his distinguished career at the University of Pittsburgh. But a few of his ardent admirers have found a new way to honor him. Dr. Fu has been appointed as a Distinguished Service Professor and on November 3, 2016 he presented the Dr. Freddie Fu Inaugural Lecture.
According to the November 3, 2016 news release, designation as a Distinguished Service Professor recognizes distinctive contributions and a high-level of dedication to the university community, as well as performance excellence and national stature in their field or discipline.

Dr. Fu told OTW, “It is a tradition for distinguished faculty members to present an inaugural lecture to celebrate their appointment. I was honored to deliver my Inaugural Distinguished Professorship Lecture entitled, ‘60 Years of Orthopaedic Research in Pittsburgh.’”

The legendary Chair of “Pitt” orthopedics, Freddie H. Fu, M.D., was recently inducted into the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine’s (AOSSM) Hall of Fame during the Society’s 2016 Annual Meeting.
Dr. Fu is a Past AOSSM President and the David Silver Professor and Chairman of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. He holds secondary appointments as Professor of Physical Therapy, Health and Physical Activity, and Mechanical Engineering and serves as the Head Team Physician for the University of Pittsburgh Athletic Department. In 1999, he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Science degree from Point Park University, an honorary Doctor of Public Service degree from Chatham University, and in 2010 was appointed Distinguished Service Professor by the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Fu received the 2014 Kappa Delta Elizabeth Winston Lanier Award for “Anatomic ACL Reconstruction: A Changing Paradigm” presented by the Kappa Delta Sorority and the Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation (OREF) and received it at the 2014 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS).
Dr. Fu graduated summa cum laude from Dartmouth College in 1974 and received his BMS in 1975 from Dartmouth Medical School. He earned his medical degree in 1977 from the University of Pittsburgh and completed his general surgery internship at Brown University. He then completed an orthopedic research fellowship—as well as his orthopedic residency—at the University of Pittsburgh. During that time, Dr. Fu was an AO International Fellow at the Hannover Trauma Center in Germany and an arthroscopic surgery fellow in East Lansing, Michigan. In 1984, Dr. Fu was selected as an AOA North American Traveling Fellow. As an ESSKA-AOSSM Sports Medicine Travelling Fellow in 1988, he visited more than 30 sports medicine centers in Europe.
Dr. Fu is a member and has held offices in numerous academic organizations, including the Herodicus Society and the American Orthopaedic Association. He has served as President of the Pennsylvania Orthopaedic Society, AOSSM and the International Society of Arthroscopy, Knee Surgery and Orthopaedic Sports Medicine (ISAKOS). He has held board positions with the Arthroscopy Association of North America and the Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation and AOSSM.

Freddie Fu received the George D. Rovere Award for education at the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine meeting in Seattle. The annual award recognizes a society member’s contribution to sports-medicine education. Fu is the David Silver Professor and Chair of the University of Pittsburgh Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and founder of the UPMC Center for Sports Medicine.

The work of the prolific Dr. Fu is known around the globe, as is evidenced by his multitudes of awards. Now, Freddie Fu, M.D., chair of the department of orthopaedic surgery at the University of Pittsburgh, has been recognized by yet another international entity—the Japanese Orthopaedic Society of Knee, Arthroscopy and Sports Medicine (JOSKAS). Recently, Dr. Fu was presented the Masaki Watanabe Award in Hiroshima, Japan, in recognition of his contributions to the field of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction. The award was presented to Dr. Fu by JOSKAS Congress President Dr. Mitsuo Ochi, eirector of Hiroshima University Hospital and chairman of the department of orthopaedic surgery in the Graduate School of Biomedicine and Health Sciences at Hiroshima University.