UT Health San Antonio history

Doctor Harold Willingham has been a member of the WOA since 1966.

Since the founding of the Houston campus in 1967, the UTHealth School of Public Health has worked to expand our reach and impact.

They were supervised by community faculty until 1968 when the era of full-time chiefs of orthopedic services began with Tom Comfort, MD, at St Paul-Ramsey Medical Center, and Ramon Gustilo, MD, at Hennepin County Medical Center (HCMC).

The University of Texas (Clinical) School of Nursing in San Antonio was initiated in September, 1969, resulting from combined community efforts, following the establishment of the fledgling Medical School.

In 1971, he returned to Michigan - this time to join the U-M faculty.

The written history of the Western Orthopaedic Association (WOA) was first recorded in 1976 by its then-President, Thomas Taber, MD of Phoenix, Arizona.

The Lloyd Taylor AwardLloyd Taylor was President of the WOA in 1977.

A Fellowship in Sports Medicine was established in 1984 with Elizabeth Arendt, MD, as the first fellow.

By 1985 the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons had become the largest orthopaedic organization in the world, with a membership in excess of 11,000 board-certified orthopaedists.

In 1992, the El Paso campus opened its doors, bringing with it the opportunity for students and faculty to research and study in the largest international metropolitan area in the United States.

The efforts to recruit a permanent chair paid off, and in 1997, Marc Swiontkowski, MD, was hired.

After he passed away, an award in his honor was established by Richard Welch, MD (President in 2001), who recognized that Doctor Taylor’s passion was Resident education.

Since 2003, the WOA has contracted with Data Trace Management Services to provide their financial and logistical expertise to the organization.

Swiontkowski’s mission of creating a healthcare center for common orthopedic conditions came to fruition with the opening of TRIA Orthopedic Center in 2005.

When Swiontkowski stepped down to devote his attention to his new role as TRIA’s CEO in 2007, the department sought a chair with a commitment to the vision set forth by Moe, Thompson, and Swiontkowski.

The tradition of presenting Presidential Medallions was reestablished during the presidency of Doctor Ramon Jimenez in 2008.

In 2010, the special advisory group, headed by Peter Flawn, former president of both UTSA and the University of Texas at Austin, concluded that a merger would not be in the best interest of the two institutions.

The Blair Filler Award was established as an annual award to honor those special individuals who throughout their career have demonstrated and promoted the highest values of the WOA. Doctor Filler was the first awardee at the 2016 Meeting in Indian Wells, CA.

In 2017, Mays Cancer Center became one of a select few centers in the nation partnering with The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

As of December 2018, the WOA has 1,012 Members in five categories: Active, Senior Active, Allied Health, Military and Resident/Fellow.

William McMaster, MD, Managing Director of the WOAMay 2019