Dr. Raoul Rodriguez given Lifetime Achievement and Legacy Award
Raoul P. Rodriguez, MD, a native of La Habana, Cuba, came to America in 1957. His father Raoul M. Rodriguez, MD, an orthopaedic surgeon, oversaw the National Institute of Orthopaedic Surgery in La Habana, Cuba. As political unrest worsened in his homeland, he transferred from the University of Habana School of Medicine to Tulane University School of Medicine. He would graduate in 1960, marry his childhood sweetheart Marina E. Valhonrat, and move to Ann Arbor, Michigan for two years of general surgery training followed by three years of orthopaedic surgery at the University of Michigan. Upon completing his residency, he took a clinical faculty position in the Orthopaedic Department at Tulane and entered private practice.
He eventually assumed a full-time position in the department at Tulane as full professor. There he would be instrumental in the teaching and training of hundreds of students and residents over the years. His early career had him running the amputee clinic at New Orleans Children’s Hospital, as well as, pioneering the treatment of children with osteogenesis imperfecta with a telescoping intramedullary rod. Later in his career, he would focus his attention on foot and ankle surgery. He has served as Vice-Chair and Chair of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at Tulane University. Presently, he serves as Chairman Emeritus.
He has been an active member of many orthopaedic societies, serving as president of the COS and the Louisiana Orthopaedic Association, and chaired the admissions committees for both the AAOS and AOA. He was awarded the J Elmer Nix Ethics Award by the COS in 2000; the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Tulane Medical Alumni Association in 2010 and LOA in 2015; and the Medical Role Model Award from Medical Association of Southeast Louisiana in 2024. Raoul and Mari are the parents of five children, two of whom followed his footsteps into orthopaedic surgery. They are also devoted grandparents to 15 grandchildren, one of which is currently in medical school, and six great-grandchildren.
In proud recognition of a lifetime devoted to healing, teaching, and inspiring, the Clinical Orthopaedic Society presented Dr. Raoul P. Rodriguez with the Lifetime Achievement and Legacy Award at their Annual Meeting on September 5, 2025. Several friends, colleagues and family members were there to celebrate his achievement. A visionary leader, cherished mentor, and past president of the Society, Dr. Rodriguez has shaped the field of orthopaedics not only through surgical innovation but through his enduring impact on generations of students, residents, and colleagues. His legacy is one of compassion, excellence, and steadfast dedication, a legacy that continues to guide and elevate the mission of the Clinical Orthopaedic Society.
