THE HIP SOCIETY LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

Established in 2008, the Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes those who have achieved academic excellence and made significant contributions to study of arthritic diseases of the hip, as well as the accomplishments of the distinguished persons who have created a lasting legacy in this field.

Miguel E. Cabanela, MD

About Dr. Cabanela

A native of Spain, Dr. Cabanela was a resident at the Mayo Clinic (Rochester, MN) between 1968 and 1972.  He then became a member of the Mayo Clinic staff in 1974 after he was hired by Mark Coventry, MD.  Dr. Cabanela has been an integral part of history of the Mayo Clinic's Orthopedic Surgery Department.  He was named Professor of Orthopedic Surgery in 1992 and then appointed as Head, and subsequently Chair of the Division of Adult Reconstruction by Bernard Morrey, MD.  During his time as Chair, the Division of Adult Reconstruction achieved international recognition.  Miguel retired from practice in 2010 and became Emeritus Professor of Orthopedic Surgery.  Even in retirement, he continued to give lectures and participate actively in the visiting fellows program.  Dr. Cabanela dedicated more than 40 extraordinary years to hip and knee reconstruction and was recognized with the Mayo Clinic Distinguished Alumni Award in 2021.

Dr. Cabanela has made outstanding and lasting contributions to the field of hip surgery, both by virtue of his scientific contributions and also by virtue of his remarkable and unique role in the development of hip arthroplasty surgery internationally. Dr. Cabanela’s scientific contributions have included many important papers that have improved the modern practice of hip surgery. These include sustained and important work on the following topics: (1) primary THA in patients with complex underlying diagnoses including THA in patients with hip dysplasia, THA in patients with osteonecrosis of the femoral head, THA in patients with neuromuscular disease; (2) revision total hip arthroplasty including impaction bone grafting; (3) hip preservation surgery.

Dr. Cabanela’s most important contributions, however, have been his huge role as an international educator and ambassador who pioneered and carried out the effective dissemination of information about hip arthroplasty to much of the Spanish speaking world. Dr. Cabanela is revered internationally as the person, who through countless lectures at meetings, visits to hospitals, and time spent with individual orthopedic surgeons, in both their home countries and when they visited the Mayo Clinic as his guests, effectively brought the practice of modern hip surgery to many countries, and thereby to thousands of surgeons and literally hundreds of thousands of patients. Dr. Cabanela was the individual to do this successfully due to his unique combination of exceptional knowledge, surgical skills, and especially his warm and engaging personality—which led so many surgeons to follow him, listen to him, learn from him, and revere him.

Dr. Cabanela has received the highest recognition from his peers when he became President of The Hip Society in 2002.  Subsequently, Dr. Cabanela became President of the International Hip Society in 2009. He served in these roles at a time when hip arthroplasty was being widely adopted internationally, and his effective leadership of these organizations during this formative period played an important role in the safe, effective, and rapid dissemination of knowledge of hip arthroplasty to much of the developing world. It is no exaggeration to state that Dr. Cabanela’s sustained and remarkable efforts in international education, and his personal engagement with international surgeons, have played a huge role in rapidly raising the level of sophistication in the practice of hip surgery around the world.

Past Recipients of the Award

• 2023 Robert B. Bourne, MD, FRCSC (OC) and Cecil H. Rorabeck, MD, FRCSC (OC)
• 2021 Alan E. Gross, MD, FRCSC
• 2019 John J. Callaghan, MD
• 2018 Reinhold Ganz, MD, Professor Emeritus
• 2016 Clive P. Duncan, MD, FRCSC
• 2014 Chitranjan S. Ranawat, MD
• 2013 Charles A. Engh, Sr, MD
• 2012 Thomas H. Mallory, MD
• 2010 Jorge O. Galante, MD
• 2008 William H. Harris, MD