Howard J. Sweeney M.D.

An amazing and great personality. A loving husband and father. A reliable friend. A highly knowledgeable and skilled surgeon. An excellent teacher. He diligently taught me arthroscopic surgery. An unforgettable mentor and benefactor.

Onyebuchi Chukwu, MBBS FWACS FACS FICS
Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery, Alex Ekwueme Federal University, Ndufu Alike, Nigeria
Past Minister of Health, Federal Republic of Nigeria (April 2010-October 2014)

Dr Sweeney was the kindest, most soft spoken man I know, who dearly loved his family and patients.

Thank you Dr Sweeney for operating on my knee back in 1977. The fix you applied has worked for the last 52 years! You were a great surgeon. I did not know you well but I have always known of you! May your family be comforted in this separation knowing the excellence you were!

Please accept my sincere condolences at your loss.

Although I never met Dr. Sweeney, I learned of his talent, generosity, and kindness through his grand-daughter, Shannon, with whom I worked at the time. I was always impressed with his willingness to share his knowledge with others. And, having received my graduate degree at Northwestern University, it also made me proud that he chose to practice his specialty there.

I wish you the comfort that comes with the many memories you have of him.

Dr. Sweeney was an important mentor to me. I had the absolute privilege of spending a month with him, traveling the country. He was so full of energy and wisdom, and despite his MANY accomplishments, so full of kindness and humility. Dr. Sweeney truly changed my life, and I am so thankful.

am so sorry that you have passed Dr Sweeney. You were such and kind and gentle man with great insights and inspiration. You will always be remembered

This is a sad development. God rest his soul.

Dr. Howard Sweeney was a legendary surgeon, teacher, trainer, mentor, philanthropist and a doyen of Global Health.

I was privileged to have been one of his mentees and a beneficiary of his foundation´s scholarship.

My contact with him further fired my interest in arthroscopy. It was actually in his honour that I played a prime role in establishing the Arthroscopy and Sports Medicine Society of Nigeria (ASMSN) of which I was elected the Foundation President and served from 2017 - 2020. Unaware that the Global Arthroscopy Foundation had wound down, ASMSN had written to the Foundation for collaboration. I now know why we did not receive any response!

Dr. Sweeney was a kind and thoughtful man and this reflected in the attention he paid to personal details to make his associates and mentees comfortable and happy.

He was the quintessential family man. I was privileged and honoured, like several other Foundation Fellows, to be invited to his private home to visit with him and his family. I was so warmly received by his wife, children and grandchildren and I spent all of six wonderful and memorable hours with them enjoying their generous hospitality and great camaraderie. How sad I was when I learnt of the demise of Mrs. Sweeney.

Dr. Howard Sweeney will forever remain a great part of my Arthroscopic Surgical heritage and will live forever in my heart.

Prayers and thoughts with his family at this moment. May God comfort them all.





C.O. Onyebuchi Chukwu, FWACS FICS
Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery
College of Medicine
Alex Ekwueme Federal University
Ndufu, Alike (AE-FUNAI),
Ebonyi State, Nigeria
Former Minister of Health Federal Republic of Nigeria

My time with Dr. Sweeney in 2014 is one of the most important days and some of the best memories of my life.Thank you!The greatest teacher and doctor in my mind.

A great man of dignity, professionalism and honesty. I as a student of his hope to keep the dream alive, and hope to train more people in to the field of arthroscopy. He definitely is and was a great teacher and great mentor

Howard was the consummate teacher, surgeon. adviser. and friend.
Fifty plus years ago,We residents were in the Anatomy Lab with Howard, and he pointed to
a structure on the cadaver and said
"What is this? Each of us guessed and was told "wrong". We asked "What is
it ? He replied," I don't know, Let us
look further!" Honest to a fault, He was. I Loved him.

I had the honor of working with Howard for a couple of years. He was the epitome me of "speak softly but carry a big stick" but his big stick was simply his knowledge, prowess and impressive stature in the community. When Howard spoke, people listened.

I did learn a trick from him; if a patient were to have tripped over their dog, named "Spot" and fractured their arm he would make a note of it in the chart. The next time the patient came into the office he would enter the room and ask "How's Spot?"

The consummate gentleman, always ready to teach, ready to give that wry smile, ready to give advice or to just help out. The world will be a poorer place due to his loss.

Dr Sweeney operated on both shoulders in the mid-1990´s. His work was perfection. He frequently is mentioned in many of my conversations as the absolute best doctor that I have ever had. I considered him a doctor´s doctor...the very best at his work.

Dr. Sweeney was a very good friend and collegue of my late father, Dr. Bradley Carr. In the early 80's I worked construction and we put a new roof on his house. I found out it was Dr. Sweeney's residence and that night I mentioned to my Dad if he knew him. Dad just went on and on about how he was a wonderful surgeon and pioneering arthroscopic procedures. I said that I think we were working on his house, and with a twinkle in his eye said "You make sure you tell him he's the 2nd best surgeon in the state." Dad was retired at the time and all I could think was "Well, who's number 1?" Dr. Sweeney had a good laugh when I told him the next day.
In 1992 I was fortunate enough to have Dr. Sweeney surgically reconstruct my left knee after a very nasty accident. Within 2 years post-op I was back playing all the sports I had previously.
He was a kind gentleman who genuinely cared for his patients.

Great doctor and excellent surgeon but most of all a very kind and caring man. He will be missed.

A wonderful man, a great doctor and a fantastic mentor. He will be greatly missed.