CLEVELAND – Matthew Kraay, MD, Director of Joint Reconstruction and Arthritis Surgery at University Hospitals Case Medical Center (UHCMC) and Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, is the recipient of the Kingsbury G. Heiple, MD, and Fred A. Lennon Professor of Orthopaedics Endowed Chair.
The Fred A. Lennon Charitable Trust created the Heiple-Lennon Chair to support research and technology advancements in orthopaedics at UHCMC and Case, while honoring Dr. Kingsbury Heiple, former chairman of the UHCMC Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, for his numerous contributions to the hospital. Fred A. Lennon was the founder of the Swagelok Company, a privately held company that designs, manufactures and delivers an expanding range of the highest-quality, fluid system products and solutions.
Dr. Kraay is a national leader in research and joint replacement. His research interests focus on evaluating the long-term effectiveness of artificial joints. He is a recipient of the Hip Society’s 2006 Otto Aufranc Award and is an investigator in numerous National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants, including a $2.4 million grant to study the mechanics and performance of hip replacements.
“We are pleased to recognize Dr. Kraay’s outstanding dedication to our patients and his contribution to advancing orthopedics by presenting him with the Heiple-Lennon Chair,” said Fred C. Rothstein, MD, President of University Hospitals Case Medical Center. “Dr. Kraay is highly deserving of this honor and he will sustain the legacy of excellence that this chair represents.”
Dr. Kraay was the 2006 recipient of the Volunteer Leadership Award from the Arthritis Foundation of Northeastern Ohio. He is consistently named among Consumers Research Council of America’s “Best Doctors in America” and in Cleveland Magazine’s “Top Docs,” a yearly publication which recognizes outstanding local physicians.
A formal Chair dedication ceremony will take place in the Ruhlman Conference Center at 5 p.m. on the UH Case Medical Center campus.
“We are distinctly privileged to have Dr. Kraay as part of our faculty,” Randall E. Marcus, MD, Charles H. Herndon Professor and Department of Orthopaedic Surgery Chairman, said. “His dedication towards advancing treatment and quality care of patients reflects the great legacy in which this endowment was created.”
Prior to joining University Hospitals Case Medical Center where he completed his orthopaedic residency, Dr. Kraay earned his Master’s Degree in Science-Bioengineering from the University of Michigan. In 1983, he received his medical degree from Wayne State University. Dr. Kraay completed his fellowship in the Comprehensive Arthritis Program at The Hospital For Special Surgery, Cornell Medical Center in New York.
Dr. Kingsbury G. Heiple served as chairman of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery from 1982 to 1988. He served as president of the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery and an editor of the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery.