Harold E. Kleinert (October 7, 1921 – September 26, 2013) was an American

surgeon In modern medicine, a surgeon is a medical professional who performs surgery. Although there are different traditions in different times and places, a modern surgeon usually is also a licensed physician or received the same medical training as ...

. As one of the hand surgeons at the

University of Louisville The University of Louisville (UofL) is a public research university in Louisville, Kentucky. It is part of the Kentucky state university system. When founded in 1798, it was the first city-owned public university in the United States and one of ...

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

, he and fellow surgeon Mort Kasdan performed the first

revascularization In medical and surgical therapy, revascularization is the restoration of perfusion to a body part or organ that has had ischemia. It is typically accomplished by surgical means. Vascular bypass and angioplasty are the two primary means of reva ...

of a partial

digital Digital usually refers to something using discrete digits, often binary digits. Technology and computing Hardware *Digital electronics, electronic circuits which operate using digital signals **Digital camera, which captures and stores digital i ...

amputation Amputation is the removal of a limb by trauma, medical illness, or surgery. As a surgical measure, it is used to control pain or a disease process in the affected limb, such as malignancy or gangrene. In some cases, it is carried out on indi ...

on November 12, 1962. Born near

Sunburst, Montana Sunburst is a town in Toole County, Montana, United States. The population was 333 in the 2020 census. It is roughly 30 miles north of Shelby and is near the Canada–US border. History Sunburst has its origins as a farming community and la ...

, Kleinert graduated from Temple University Medical School in 1946 and received its Distinguished Alumni Scientific Achievement Award in Surgery in 1987. His postgraduate training was completed at Grace Hospital in Detroit, Michigan. Kleinert founded the University of Louisville Hand Clinic in 1953 for comprehensive care of hand patients. In 1960, the Christine M. Kleinert Fellowship in Hand Surgery was established for those residents desiring postgraduate training and is the largest training program for hand surgeons in the United States. Kleinert was Clinical Professor of Surgery Emeritus at the University of Louisville and at Indiana University-Purdue University, and served as President of the American Society for Surgery of the Hand in 1976. He was the recipient of the Scientific Achievement Award from the American Medical Association in 1980. Kleinert was appointed a National Consultant in Hand Surgery to the Surgeon General, United States Air Force in 1973. He has written more than 200 scientific publications. In 1980, he received the

AMA Scientific Achievement Award The AMA ''Scientific Achievement Award'' is awarded by American Medical Association. It may be given to either physicians or non-physician scientists who have contributed significantly to the field of medical science. The award itself consists ...

from the

American Medical Association The American Medical Association (AMA) is a professional association and lobbying group of physicians and medical students. Founded in 1847, it is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. Membership was approximately 240,000 in 2016. The AMA's state ...

, for significant contributions to the field of medical science. The award itself consists of a gold medallion. Kleinert died September 26, 2013.

References

1921 births 2013 deaths American surgeons Physicians from Kentucky University of Louisville faculty Physicians from Louisville, Kentucky People from Toole County, Montana {{US-physician-stub