In Memoriam: John Samuel Gould, M.D.

He was an accomplished orthopedic surgeon, a leader, and he had a passion for writing. John Samuel Gould, M.D., Professor Emeritus at The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) School of Medicine passed away on September 29, 2015.

Dr. Gould was preceded in death by his parents, Dr. Nathaniel and Edith Marion Gould. He leaves his wife and loving companion of 50 years, Sheryl, and their four children: Elisabeth Rachel Fowler (Michael) of Birmingham; Katherine Rebecca Mathews (Joe Bill) of Sylva, North Carolina; Carolyn Virginia Burton (David) of Atlanta, Georgia; and John William Nathaniel Gould (Alexandra) of Franklin, Tennessee; and seven grandchildren: Frances Claire Fowler, Abigail Hartford Fowler, Benjamin Luther Mathews, Timothy Samuel Gould, Charlotte Rose Gould, August Nathaniel Burton, and Halsey Thomas Burton.

A private burial was held on October 1 at Southern Heritage Cemetery in Pelham, Alabama. A celebration of Dr. Gould’s life took place November 14, 2015 in Birmingham.

John Gould was born in St. Johnsbury, Vermont, on May 10, 1939. He graduated from Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and in 1964 from the University of Vermont Medical School in Burlington.

Dr. Gould began his general surgery internship at Boston City Hospital that year, and met and married his wife, Sheryl Hartford, in 1965. At the completion of his internship and one more year of general surgery, Dr. Gould joined the U.S. Navy and was stationed in San Diego, California.

During the first year of his two-year assignment he served as medical officer aboard the guided missile cruiser USS Canberra, which was deployed to Vietnam. After his time in the Navy, Dr. Gould began a residency in orthopedic surgery at the University of Pittsburgh. He then joined his father in private practice in Brockton, Massachusetts, for three years, after which time he decided to specialize in orthopedic hand surgery, and began a fellowship at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina.

Dr. Gould was selected to be full Professor of Surgery at University of Alabama Birmingham (UAB) in 1982. He remained chief of the Hand Section until 1986. He was then recruited to be Chief of The Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at the Medical College of Wisconsin.

During his time in Milwaukee he began to change his focus from hand surgery to surgery of the foot and ankle and instituted a fellowship for orthopedic foot and ankle surgery at the Medical College. He headed that orthopedic program for 10 years before deciding to return to the warmer winters in Birmingham to join Alabama Sports Medicine and Orthopaedic Center until 2004. Dr. Gould then joined Orthopaedic Specialists of Alabama at Baptist Montclair Hospital.

In 2006 he rejoined UAB, this time as Chief of the Foot and Ankle Section of the Orthopaedic Division. There he treated hand and foot and ankle patients, with a special interest in nerve problems and total joint replacement for arthritic ankles. He was awarded the title Professor Emeritus of the UAB School of Medicine by the Board of Trustees on November 7, 2014.

At various times in his career Dr. Gould was selected to serve as president of the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society, of the Clinical Orthopaedic Society, of the Mid-America Orthopaedic Association and of the Alabama Orthopaedic Society.

Following his death, his friend wrote of Dr. Gould, “Writing was one of his greatest passions, and he had a true gift for it. He was Editor in Chief of the journal, Microsurgery (1986-1996), the American Journal of Orthopaedics (1996-2006), Foot and Ankle Editor for Orthopaedic Knowledge Online Journal, and authored four professional books: ‘The Foot Book’ Williams and Wilkins, 1988; ‘Operative Foot Surgery’ W.B. Saunders, 1994; ‘My First Love: The Art, The Practice, and The Ethics of Medicine’ Seacoast Publishers, 2004; and ‘The Handbook of Foot and Ankle Surgery: An Intellectual Approach to Complex Problems’ Jaypee Bros. 2013. He also self-published ‘The Medical College of Wisconsin: The Gould Years, ’ where he described his ten years as chief of that department.”

Rob Crabtree, administrative director of the UAB Division of Orthopedic Surgery, said of Dr. Gould, “My fondest memory of him is how loyal he was to the organizations wherever he worked. I affectionately nicknamed him ‘The Professor’ when we were still in private practice, never knowing we would have the opportunity to work in academic medicine together at a later date. I can recall numerous counseling and mentoring sessions that he conducted with his own fellowship trainees, younger new-to-the-practice surgeons, and most importantly, his ability to communicate with senior management partners/directors and administration. One of my highest honors was the Sunday evening he called me and asked me to co-author a book chapter with him about an administrative process. He was a communicative and wise champion.”

“A specific example would be he actually kept a scorecard of our faculty at UAB on who attended resident interviews and resident graduation activities. As a seasoned leader who could have allowed others to assume more duties, he instead chose to lead by example, stressing the importance of the educational and research processes and initiatives in academic medicine. Even after progressing into his later years, he still attracted the Grand Rounds speakers overseeing that process and often sat down with me to go through the ‘faculty roster’ anytime we had an event because he believed in the highest of expectations of commitment.”

“The orthopaedic community is aware of his passion for orthopaedics and his unsurpassed ability as a teacher and researcher/writer; however, having been very close to him, he had a tremendous love for his family and was a huge sports fan. He loved his alma mater of Harvard University and often updated me of their football scores from the prior weekend. He also supported the University of Alabama (constantly ribbing me as an Auburn University graduate!!) and loved tailgating with friends. He followed traditional teams supporting the Boston Red Sox having grown up in the Northeast (I was so happy for him when the Sox won the Series in 2004 after a century drought) and also the Green Bay Packers in the NFL (having served as a Department Chairman in Wisconsin). He also was well-versed in national politics and would often share his views with me in his office during what we called our ‘fireside chats.’”

Joseph Sherrill, M.D. had the pleasure of knowing Dr. Gould for many years. He said of his longtime friend, “I have had the privilege to have known, to have been mentored by, and to been an associate of Dr. Gould. John came to Birmingham in 1975 after finishing a fellowship in hand surgery with Dr. Leonard Goldner, who was a true pioneer in hand surgery.”

“I began my orthopedic residency in 1977 where I was fortunate to be mentored by John for three months each year followed by a fellowship in hand surgery. Over a four-year period we spent a considerable period of time working together. John’s greatest asset or love or strength was teaching. And this was perfect for me as my love was also to learn everything possible about caring for hand conditions.”

“John was gifted with a brilliant intellect and ability to organize and train a team of physicians (residents, fellows, nurses) to provide quality care. Over 40 years John has trained a very large number of hand and later foot surgeons. I suspect most of his fellows and residents would attest to his teaching or mentoring skills and would place or rank him number one in this skill set. After completion of my hand fellowship I went into private practice with my father. John offered me a position to join staff at UAB in hand surgery but understood my need to work with my dad also having on orthopedic father.”

“During his time in Birmingham until 1986 we continued our friendship thru our common love of hand surgery. When John returned to Birmingham in 1986 we finally became partners at Alabama Sports Medicine. I feel John’s legacy as regards orthopedics, as well as hand and foot surgery, lies in his ability to teach and I know that his knowledge, surgical judgment and skill survives him and will be continued and will be passed on to the next generation by his numerous fellows and associates.”