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Hand Surgery Practice In Retirement

By Robert L. Horner, MD

Doors have been opened because I choose to be a Hand Surgeon. There had been a limit for membership to 100 in the American Society for Surgery of the Hand –but, just in time for me, that arbitrary number was upped to 125, and I was elected to membership in 1971.

I took advantage of it and took every opportunity I could to travel to Joint Meetings in England, Germany, Japan, Russia, Hawaii and back to Puerto Rico, where I had previously worked for the Crippled Children’s Bureau for six years (1958-1964).

Dr. Paul Brand gave me the opportunity to pursue my special interest in the care of leprosy. First in Carville, Louisiana at the special U.S. Public Health Service Hospital.

And then in Ethiopia All Africa Education and Research Training Center. This was in preparation for 5-week periods at Masanga Leprosy Hospital in Sierra Leone, West Africa in 1973 and 1979. I also had an opportunity in 1990 to be with Dr. Brand in India at Vellore and Kirigiri and then back later to Masanga in 1990.

All of this travel cut back on my opportunity to save for retirement. At 90 years of age, I am still doing evaluations of injured workers. But, each year since I’ve left my Hand Surgery Practice in Denver, I have earned more money. For the first 24 months, I was a consultant at the Mayo Clinic and subsequently with Medical Legal Management doing evaluations in California (call Donna Fink at 909-890-9732 for further information if you are interested).

Since leaving Denver, I have been able to double my income and still do volunteer work at the Prosthetic Clinics at Loma Linda University Health.

Evaluating patients with hand problems and helping children with limb loss continues to bring joy (and income) to my life.

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