3/4/2009

Jewish Hospital Pays Tribute to World Renown Hand Surgeon Harold Kleinert

The legacy created by world-renowned hand surgeon, Harold E. Kleinert M.D., is certainly memorable and one that is second-to-none. To honor the legacy of Dr. Kleinert, Jewish Hospital will name its Hand Care Center emergency room the “Harold E. Kleinert International Hand Emergency Center.”  The name will be unveiled at a ceremony on Monday, March 9, at 3 p.m. in the Hand Care Center’s first floor at 225 Abraham Flexner Way.

“Jewish Hospital & St. Mary’s HealthCare is proud to have shared a close and enduring relationship with Dr. Kleinert since he first came to Louisville in 1953,” says Bob Shircliff, JHSMH president/CEO.  “To recognize his many accomplishments and our long-time association with him, Jewish Hospital has chosen to name the Hand Emergency Center in his honor. The Jewish Hospital & St. Mary’s HealthCare Board of Trustees wholeheartedly endorsed the move at a recent board meeting.”

Jewish Hospital President/CEO Martin Bonick stated, “This is a fitting and enduring tribute to the medical achievements of this internationally acclaimed pioneer in hand and microsurgery.  Through his unceasing personal leadership and professional expertise, Dr. Kleinert has left an indelible impact on the lives of many grateful physicians and patients around the world.”

“I am truly honored to have the hospital place my name on a wall that has seen, and will continue to see, many people with hand injuries for years to come,” said Dr. Kleinert.  “I would like to see the continued training of surgeons in my specialty, encouraging them to do research and develop new treatment procedures which will help guarantee that the remarkable advancements achieved in health care over the past 100 years – during the last 55 years in particular – will carry on into the future.”

“It is difficult to mention the term “hand surgery” in this community, this nation, or in the world for that matter, without bringing up the name Harold E. Kleinert, M.D., at the same time,” added Shircliff.  “His reputation for leading-edge hand and microsurgery sets him apart from his peers.”

###
About Dr. Harold E. Kleinert
Dr. Kleinert has designed microsurgical instruments and techniques, been honored many times for his pioneering achievements and written articles for more than 200 scientific publications.

Dr. Kleinert has spent his life improving hand care. After graduating from Temple University Medical School in Philadelphia and serving an internship and residency at Grace Hospital in Detroit, Dr. Kleinert came to the University of Louisville School of Medicine in 1953, where he opened a hand clinic in the old Louisville General Hospital that became the University’s Hand Clinic for the comprehensive care of hand patients. He nurtured his interest in research by setting up a new lab in what had been the coal storage area in the former UofL Medical School building. In 1960, he created the Christine M. Kleinert Fellowship Program, known worldwide for research and education in upper extremity care and microsurgery. Since that time, more than 1,200 hand fellows from 57 countries around the world have been trained at the Kleinert Institute.

About Jewish Hospital Hand Care Center
Jewish Hospital is the first facility in the United States to open a dedicated Hand Care Center 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week complete with an emergency room, operating suites and an overnight recovery center. The Jewish Hospital Hand Care Center opened in 2001 to provide immediate and emergency care to patients. The Center allows more direct and rapid treatment for those with specific injuries and problems to the hand, arm and shoulder -- all in one location.