Hampton Roads orthopaedic group honors founder who pioneered specialty in Tidewater area 90 years ago
This year marks the 90th Anniversary of the founding of Atlantic Orthopaedic Specialists. In 1919, Foy Vann, M.D. pioneered the specialty of orthopaedics in Hampton Roads by starting his medical practice in the Ghent section of Norfolk. It was in 1928, under the auspices of the Newport News Kiwanis Club, that Dr.Vann began conducting the Crippled Childrenís Clinic. There he treated more than 7,500 pediatric patients with musculoskeletal problems over a 25 year span. Five years later he met with nine other surgeons in Lynchburg for the founding meeting of the Virginia Orthopaedic Society. During World War II, Dr. Vann was the sole orthopaedic consultant in Tidewater and in later years dedicated untold hours to other orthopedic clinics in the area. In 1947, John A. Vann, M.D. joined his fatherís practice located on York Street in Norfolk. Over the years as the practice grew larger, Dr. Vannís legacy has continued to live on. Today, Atlantic Orthopaedic Specialists is the largest orthopaedic group in the region.
