Former president of the Racine, Wisconsin Medical Society (1979) and a member and fellow of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, Dr. James R. Hammes, one of the first large joint arthroplasty surgeons in Wisconsin, died peacefully at his residence in Wind Point Wisconsin on May 25, 2025, at age 95.
Dr. James Hammes, Pioneering Wisconsin Surgeon, Dies Age 95
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Dr. Hammes was born on July 23, 1929, in Racine, Wisconsin. He attended St. Rose Catholic School and Washington Park High School. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree at the University of Miami before graduating from Northwestern University Medical School in the mid-1950s.
Dr. Hammes went on to intern at Harper Hospital in Detroit, Michigan. Harper Hospital, founded in 1863 to treat wounded civil war soldiers, is one of the oldest hospitals in the United States. Following his stint at Harper, Dr. Hammes was accepted into Northwestern University’s residency program at the very moment that large joint arthroplasty was emerging as a viable surgical treatment for patients with intractable hip osteoarthritis.
Dr Hammes became one of the first surgeons in Wisconsin to provide large joint arthroplasty surgery to patients in Racine, a beautiful community on the shores of Lake Michigan, just south of Milwaukee.
Dr. Hammes served his country as captain in the U.S. Air Force during the Korean War, treating patients at Ramsey Air Force base hospital in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico (today it is a Marriott Hotel). Ramsey Air Force base was closed in 1973.
His wife Barbara (née Workman) survives him with their three children including Guy Hammes from Hopedale, Massachusetts and Chad Hammes from Sherman Oaks, California and Kim Hammes Frank from Mequon, Wisconsin. His grandchildren include Meredith Frank who lives in Houston, Texas and Maddie Frank who resides in Louisville, Colorado and Tyler Hammes who lives in Austin, Texas and Nel and Logan Hammes who reside in Sherman Oaks, California. The extended family includes various nieces and nephews.
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This is a fascinating development. In my practice we've seen similar outcomes with the revised protocol. The key differentiator seems to be patient selection criteria. Has anyone else noticed the correlation with BMI thresholds?
Great point. I'd push back slightly on the conclusion, the sample size in the cited study is too small to draw population-level inferences. That said, the directional signal is compelling and worth a larger RCT.
We implemented a similar approach last year. Early results are promising but we're still gathering 12-month follow-up data. Happy to share our protocol if anyone is interested.
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