Duke Orthopaedics receives endowment from Aaron A. Hofmann Foundation
- Updated on: 2018-04-21
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Durham, N.C. - Through a gift of $500,000 from the Aaron A. Hofmann Foundation, The Hofmann Family Resident Education Fund has been created at Duke Orthopaedics in honor of Dr. Michael Bolognesi. This is an endowed fund that will provide educational and research support for medical residents in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery in perpetuity.
Dr. Hofmann was a Professor in the Department of Orthopedics while at the University of Utah Health Sciences Center where he worked for 30 years. He also served as Chief of Orthopaedics at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Salt Lake City for 29 years. He holds 19 patents on orthopaedic devices and is a surgeon designer for hip and knee prosthesis systems.
After retiring from the University, Dr. Hofmann opened the Hofmann Arthritis Institute where he continues to train fellows. He also founded and oversees Operation Walk Utah, a non-profit volunteer medical service organization providing hip and knee replacements to people in developing countries.
Dr. Hofmann has trained and mentored 5 Duke trainees through their fellowships (Drs. Michael Bolognesi, Jeff Hodrick, Shawn Hocker, Jordan Schaeffer, Dan Mangiapani, and Mike Morwood (beginning in summer 2018)). In addition, two residents (Drs. Ben Hansen and Rhett Hallows) who were trained under Dr. Hofmann at the University went on to complete their fellowships with the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at Duke. Dr. Hofmann helped secure their placement due to the relationship he had cultivated with the faculty there.
Through the years, the relationship has grown between Duke residents and Dr. Hofmann. The training of his past fellows from the Duke program as well as the lasting friendships he has made led the family to donate these monies. The reciprocity between Dr. Hofmann and the Duke program has led the Hofmanns to feel like they are a part of the Duke family.
Dr. Michael Bolognesi currently serves as Professor and Chief of the Adult Reconstruction Division at Duke Orthopaedics.
Dr. Bolognesi completed his undergraduate studies at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, where his 4-year football career led to an interest in orthopaedic surgery. He went on to complete his medical degree and residency at Duke. After residency, Dr. Bolognesi completed an Adult Reconstructive Surgery fellowship at the University of Utah Medical Center under the mentorship of Dr. Aaron Hofmann.
After fellowship, Dr. Bolognesi returned to the Duke Adult Reconstruction Division, where he remains an active contributor to both research and resident education. His research focuses on how patients do after hip and knee replacement procedures as a result of implant design, new surgical approaches, new implant and instrument technology, rapid patient recovery and accelerated discharge, different pain management techniques, and even cost effectiveness.
"I really can not thank Aaron enough for this gift to Duke and even more importantly the support and mentorship he has afforded me over the last 15 years," said Dr. Bolognesi. "One year in Utah as a Fellow under him helped inspire me to pursue a career in academic orthopaedics but his influence on my career did not stop there…in fact it has never stopped. Pretty amazing to have someone make a gift of this size to a program they did not train at or work for!"
Duke Orthopaedics is deeply grateful for the Hoffman family’s generosity, their investment in the future leaders of Orthopaedic surgery, and this extraordinary tribute to Dr. Bolognesi.
Click here or on the images below to view photos from the Emily Berend Adult Reconstruction Symposium.
