Codman Shoulder Society

Dear Colleagues: It is not clear to me who helped and supported Codman, let alone mentored him. His life was marked by controversy and friction with colleagues. Although he found a friend in Harvey Cushing, the great neurosurgeon, I do not know whether anyone helped him navigate his own shortcomings or the personal approach he took to advancing his ideas. Perhaps, some of you have been fortunate enough to have a mentor — a leader who not only gave you opportunities but helped

Dear Colleagues: E.A. Codman was not only a champion of the "End-Result" concept, the precursor of what we now call value-based healthcare, but also an innovator. He believed that an individual with the courage to challenge the status quo and pioneer new methods of treatment was essential to improving the value of care we offer our patients. I will speak about such individuals in my Codman Lecture in Vancouver in a few weeks. For now, I'd like to introduce you to one such ind

Dear Colleagues: The first Codman Lecture at the annual American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons meeting was given in Boston in 2016. Our speaker was Professor Robert Kaplan of Harvard Business School, who spoke on “Value-Based Healthcare Delivery for Orthopedic Surgery.” Professor Kaplan is an expert in accounting and has developed many of the tools now used to determine the value of healthcare treatments. Yet, more than a century earlier, Codman had already grappled with the co

Dear Colleagues: At this year’s International Congress of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery, I will deliver the 16th Codman Lecture — one of the great honors of my professional life. Unfortunately, none of the 15 prior lectures survive in print or on video. Carter Rowe gave the inaugural Codman Lecture in 1980, addressing Codman's influence on the development of shoulder surgery. Dr. Rowe was, in fact, one of Codman's last students at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and went on

Dear Colleagues: E. A. Codman was a forerunner to the "Pioneers" of shoulder surgery. Decades before orthopedics was a recognized specialty—and long before "shoulder surgery" existed as its own subspecialty—he was among the first to describe clinical tests and treatments for shoulder disorders. The Codman Lecture will explore these and his many other contributions, offering perspective on our own drive to "innovate" in the name of better patient care. Best regards, Jon “J.P.”

Dear Colleagues: We know a great deal about E. A. Codman and his contributions to orthopedics before it emerged as a distinct specialty. His innovations extended well beyond shoulder surgery. But what do we know about his values and motivations? Bill Mallon, Codman’s biographer, offers a vivid portrait of Codman the man, and his book should be required reading for anyone seeking a deeper understanding of him. By examining Codman’s values—and the trials he faced in advancing t

Dear Colleagues: It is the privilege and honor of my career to give the 16th Codman Lecture at this year's International Congress of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery in Vancouver, Canada. My presentation won't focus on surgery, but on something that should motivate and inspire us all as surgeons: values. Codman was a remarkable person, and thanks to Bill Mallon's biography, we now know a great deal about what he did. But who was he, and what were his values? Why should they inspire

Dear Colleagues: Please see below the link to a video posted to Vumedi for "Vumedi Week 2026"that may be of interest to you. https://www.vumedi.com/video/the-french-connection-a-three-part-video-series-on-arthroscopic-suprascapular-nerve-release-for-supr/ Kind Regards, Jon “J.P.” Warner MD Founder, CSS +++

Dear Colleagues: I just returned from a fantastic meeting in Brazil. The Brazilian Shoulder and Elbow Society Meeting drew almost 1,000 shoulder surgeons from around the country, which is the fifth largest in the world (8,515,767 square kilometers or 3,287,956 square miles). For comparison, the United States is the third largest country (approximately 9,833,517 square kilometers or 3,794,100 square miles). If one excludes Alaska and Hawaii, then Brazil is larger than the lowe

Dear Former Fellows: It has been a privilege to play a role in your careers. As I move through the last part of my academic practice, I’d like to recognize all of you and say thank you. I recently received this amazing gift of legacy from a former fellow, Dr. Florian Grubhofer. I wanted to share this with all of you. I apologize to all the Sports Medicine Fellows and visiting international fellows who are not in this image; however, there was insufficient room for all my past