Norman Y. Otsuka, MD
1961 - 2024
We regret to announce that Dr. Norman Y. Otsuka passed away on November 16, 2024. He was a POSNA member for 27 years. The following notice was provided by his wife, Sharon.
Dr. Otsuka was an exemplary visionary and leader in his field of pediatric orthopaedic surgery, equal parts academician and clinician but always wholly humanitarian. He was a prolific academic and researcher; his work includes a range of publications from articles, book chapters, and presentations given nationally and internationally. He authored over 130 research articles and 110 presentations. Dr. Otsuka served as a reviewer and editor for the Journal of Pediatric Orthopaedics and the Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (JAAOS). He held extensive leadership roles on the executive boards at the AAOS, AAP, ABOS, and ACGME. Throughout his career, he received countless awards and accolades lauding his distinguished service and accomplishments in teaching, patient care, and academia. Most importantly, his passion lay in teaching as he endeavored to train, inspire, and counsel the next generation of orthopaedic surgeons.
Dr. Otsuka’s childhood dream was always to be a doctor and he dedicated his efforts to fulfilling that ambition. He completed his postgraduate specialist physician training at the University of Toronto and Children’s Hospital Boston/Harvard Medical School. During that period, he received training from several pioneers of academic orthopaedic surgery, including Dr. Robert B. Salter, Dr. James G. Wright, Dr. John E. Hall, and Dr. James R. Kasser.
Dr. Otsuka pursued a storied, illustrative career: assistant professor and chief of pediatric orthopaedic surgery at UCSF Medical Center; chief of staff at Shriners Hospitals for Children, Los Angeles as well as clinical professor at UCLA; the Joseph E. Milgram Professor of Orthopedic Surgery at NYU and director of both the Center for Children and the Neuromuscular and Cerebral Palsy Center at the Hospital for Joint Diseases at NYU Langone Medical Center; professor and vice chairman of Academic Affairs at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and chief of pediatric orthopaedics at the Children’s Hospital at Montefiore; professor, chairman, and chief of orthopaedic surgery at Southern Illinois University (SIU) School of Medicine in Springfield; the Dr. Brad and Dawn Olney Chair in Pediatric Orthopaedic Surgery and chairman of the department of orthopaedic surgery and musculoskeletal science at Children’s Mercy Kansas City. He retired in 2024.
