NAS S. EFTEKHAR M.D.

EFTEKHAR--Nas S., MD

1935-2016. A pioneer in hip and knee replacement surgery, died November 14, 2016, in Los Angeles, CA. He was 81, and a former resident of Englewood, NJ. Emeritus Professor of Orthopedic Surgery at Columbia University, College of Physicians and Surgeons, from 1969 to 1998, he performed over 4000 hip and 2000 knee replacements. He performed the first total knee replacement in the United States in 1969. He designed and implanted the Mark I (1969) and Mark II (1973) that served as a model for future knee replacement designs. Dr. Eftekhar started his orthopedic surgery residency at Johns Hopkins University in 1962 and finished in 1967 at the University of Illinois in Chicago as chief resident, followed by an eighteen-month postgraduate hip fellowship with the legendary Professor Sir John Charnley at Wrightington Hospital, in England. As a teacher-scholar, Dr. Eftekhar taught orthopedic surgeons, residents and fellows the importance of putting patient care first. He lectured and trained doctors in implant surgery across the globe. His passion for writing about and documenting his practice in total hip and knee replacement resulted in a myriad of peer-reviewed articles, including the seminal article "The Classic" (1976). These articles morphed into two textbooks and a collaborative monograph. His third textbook "Total Hip Arthroplasty" (1993) is considered the benchmark of total hip replacement surgery. His textbooks continue to be essential reference materials for hip surgeons and orthopedic residents. In 1997, Anne Youle Stein, a former patient of Dr. Eftekhar generously donated the largest single gift in the 132 year history of the orthopedic hospital to establish both the Nas S. Eftekhar Professorship in Orthopedic Surgery and the Center for Hip and Knee Replacement including The Eftekhar Documentation Center, to continue clinical research for hip and knee replacement. As a thoughtful leader, Dr. Eftekhar expressed a passion for excellence and accountability in all his endeavors. He served as President of the Hip Society (1991-1992) and was a founding member of the International Hip Society (1975). In 2005, the Columbia Orthopedic Department honored him with the Distinguished Alumnus Award. His colleagues revered him as a surgeon, lecturer, researcher, innovator, mentor and friend. Mobility was an essential part of Dr. Eftekhar's life. As a global trekker or local hiker, he took photos to create and gain new insights about life and to share his visual art with others. In 2011, he authored, "A Visual Language of Patterns" exploring the idea that a visual pattern formation, both in natural and man-made worlds, are infinite. The book featured hundreds of his photos from his world travels, including his favorite destination, Mt. Everest. Secondly, as a hip and knee replacement pioneer, his joy was to treat patients, with serious disabilities or injuries, to help them become functionally ambulatory and free of pain. He is mourned by his loving wife, Barbara, daughter, Kimberly, son, Kirt and daughter-in-law, Valerie Schadt, grandsons, Westley and Rylan, sister-in-law, Catherine Pastore and friends. Memorial gifts to Yosemite Conservancy: https://www yosemiteconservancy.org/