32nd Annual Smith Day & 9th Annual Jupiter International Forum

Richard J. Smith, MD was an extraordinary individual and one who could not be replaced. Henry Mankin, MD, in writing Richard Smith’s obituary in the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery in 1987, stated so eloquently, “his capacities, talents, and commitment made him, in the eyes of man, our finest flower and the thirty years he gave to hand surgery, one of its finest periods.”

Dr. Smith was born in the Bronx, New York, attending the prestigious Bronx High School of Science. He received his college education at Brown University, graduating in 1951. His medical education was obtained at New York Medical College, where he was elected to AOA and graduated in 1955. Following a surgical internship at Bellevue Hospital, Dr. Smith began his Orthopaedic surgical training at the Hospital for Joint Diseases in New York City, completing the program in 1960. During his training at the Hospital for Joint Diseases, he became a disciple of Emmanuel Kaplan, MD, who at that time was a leading authority in anatomy of the hand. Under Dr. Kaplan’s tutelage, Dr. Smith became determined to pursue a career in the relatively new field of hand surgery.

Following a two-year obligation to the Public Health Service in Boston, Dr. Smith spent a year of Hand Fellowship, divided between Mr. Guy Pulvertaft in Derby, England and Dr. Joseph Boyes in Los Angeles, California. In 1963, Dr. Smith returned to the Hospital for Joint Diseases to join Dr. Kaplan and later in 1968 to succeed him as the Director of the Hand Service. During this time, he established himself as an outstanding clinician, surgeon, and most of all, a renowned educator.

In 1972, Dr. Smith moved to Boston to become the Chief of the Orthopaedic Hand Service at the Massachusetts General Hospital and, in 1980, was named Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at Harvard Medical School. During his tenure at the MGH, he expanded his activities in hand surgery to an international level and in 1982 served as President of the American Society for Surgery of the Hand.

Dr. Smith always found the time to be a devoted husband to his wife Jane and a devoted father to his daughters Lisa and Tracey, and late son James.

For all who had the unique good fortune to have known Dr. Smith, studied under him, or worked with him in any capacity, what will endure most of all was his remarkable skill and devotion to education, the pursuit of excellence, and the advancement of the specialty of hand surgery.

In 1989, the MGH Orthopaedic Hand Service, led by Jesse B. Jupiter at that time, designated a day in honor of Dr. Smith and his life’s work. This year marks the 29th Annual Richard J. Smith Memorial Lecturership commonly known as “Smith Day” with Thomas J. Fischer, MD as the distinguished orator.

Jupiter Day began at Massachusetts General Hospital in 2014 to honor the clinical and educational work of one of our leading orthopedic surgeons, Jesse B. Jupiter, MD, MA. Dr. Jupiter is the Hansjorg Wyss AO Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at Havard Medical School. He earned his MD at Yale in 1972 and completed his surgical internship at the University of Pennsylvania Hospital in 1973.

Following his internship, Dr. Jupiter completed a two-year commitment as a general medical officer in the US Public Health Service’s Indian Health branch with the Pima Indians in Arizona. His interest in medical education led him to focus on the development of educational programs improving primary care treatments for diabetes and arthritis.

In 1975, Dr. Jupiter began the Harvard Combined Orthopaedic Residency Program, a training program, still in existence, that allows residents to work across several leading Boston-area hospitals. In 1980, he traveled to Basel, Switzerland, for an AO Fellowship, followed by a hand and microvascular fellowship in Louisville, KY.

Dr. Jupiter returned to Boston in 1981 and began his academic and clinical career at Mass General. During his 39 years on the faculty, he had the opportunity to lead multiple teams, including the Trauma Service, the Foot and Ankle Program and the Hand and Arm Service. Dr. Jupiter retired from his clinical practice in 2020.

Dr. Jupiter is considered one of the world’s leading experts on problems of the wrist and elbow, with extensive specialized knowledge on all conditions involving the hand and upper limb. He is an honorary member of more than 20 international surgical societies of either Hand Surgery or Orthopaedic Surgery and, has been named to America's Top Surgeons annually and frequently appears on the list of the Best Doctors in Boston since 2007.

Dr. Jupiter is a world-renowned hand and upper limb specialist who has given more than 1000 scientific presentations, published more than 220 original publications, 140 analytic reviews and 115 chapters in scientific texts. He is an author and editor of 10 major orthopedic texts.