Gunnar B.J. Andersson, MD, PhD, an expert in spinal mechanics and a longtime orthopedic leader at Rush, has died at the age of 84.
He served as chairman of the Department of Orthopedic Surgery from 1994 to 2008 and retired in 2014 as the Ronald L. DeWald, MD, professor and chairman emeritus of the Department of Orthopedic Surgery.
“Gunnar was the ultimate quadruple threat,” said Joshua Jacobs, MD, the Grainger director of the Rush Arthritis and Orthopedic Institute and co-director of the Institute for Translational Medicine. “He achieved excellence as a clinician, researcher, educator and administrator, while remaining a thoughtful colleague and mentor.
“His vision transformed Rush Orthopedics into a world-class destination for patient care, research and education. His legacy will endure through the generations of surgeons and scientists he inspired, and through the institution he helped build.”
Over the course of his 55-year career, he made countless contributions to the advancement of orthopedic spine care through clinical practice and translational research programs at Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush and the Orthopedic Surgery Department, which are widely recognized for their pre-eminence in clinical care, teaching and research.
Nationally recognized physician and scholar
He was voted among the top 10% to 15 % of Top Doctors in America by U.S. News & World Report and Castle Connolly. The Top Doctors list is widely regarded as a high-quality reference guide to the medical profession.
Among his many achievements, he was given the Muybridge Medal from the International Society of Biomechanics and the ISSLS Stryker Spine Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Society for the Study of the Lumbar Spine in 1989. He received the Kappa Delta Award from the AAOS/ORS, the Freedom of Movement Award from the Arthritis Foundation and is a recipient of the Trustee Medal from Rush University Medical Center. He was honored numerous times nationally by Castle Connolly Medical Ltd. in its America's Top Doctors and a Chicago magazine’s Top Doctors. While serving on 17 editorial boards, Andersson was editor-in-chief of ˆ, a deputy editor of Spine, founding editor of Contemporary Spine Surgery and an associate editor of Clinical Biomechanics. He was the author of more than 320 original publications, 160 books and book chapters and 530 abstracts.
He received his M.D. from the University of Göteborg, Sweden in 1967; completed his residency at Sahlgren University Hospital and obtained a Ph.D. in medical science at the University of Göteborg in 1974. After a fellowship at the London Hospital, he joined the faculty at the University of Göteborg for 10 years.
Bringing global expertise to Rush
In 1985, he moved to the United States and Rush University Medical Center as professor of orthopedic surgery. His clinical area of interest was spine (neck and back), while his research interests were in disc degeneration, epidemiology and occupational biomechanics.
Andersson was a past president of the Orthopaedic Research Society, the International Society for the Study of the Lumbar Spine and the American Academy of Disability Evaluating Physicians and was the president-elect and treasurer of the International Society for the Advancement of Spine Surgery from 2014 to 2015. He was a council member of the National Institutes of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases at NIH, chairman of the Research Committee at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, a member of three Institute of Medicine committees, and a fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering.
“Gunnar Andersson was one of those rare individuals who excelled in every aspect of academic medicine,” Jacobs said. “He was an outstanding surgeon, a pioneering researcher, a dedicated educator and a visionary leader. Orthopedics at Rush as it is today, was built in large part because of his vision, perseverance and commitment to excellence. His influence extends far beyond the countless patients he treated and trainees he mentored. It lives on in the culture of discovery, collaboration and clinical excellence that defines Rush Orthopedics today. We are deeply grateful for his contributions, and he will be sorely missed by all who had the privilege of knowing and working with him.”
