Robert B. Winter, MD
1932 - 2014
Born in 1932 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Dr. Robert B. Winter attended Grinnell College in graduating in 1954. Following college, he went to medical school at Washington University in St. Louis and graduated in 1958. Dr. Winter interned at Minneapolis General Hospital, and completed his subsequent residency in orthopaedics at the University of Minnesota where he was greatly influenced by John Moe, MD. During his second year, on August 24, 1960, Dr. Moe invited Dr. Paul Harrington to show the residents and staff Harrington’s new spinal rod system and perform two scoliosis surgeries at Gillette. Dr. Winter was selected as a resident for one of the two cases.
Upon completion of residency in 1963, Dr. Winter entered general orthopaedic practice in St. Paul, Minnesota, while simultaneously spending one day a week at Gillette on the scoliosis service. During this time, he wrote the classic article on congenital spine deformity, which was published in 1968. In 1966, he went to Sao Paulo, Brazil to assist Dr. Moe in the establishment of two scoliosis centers, a trip that would profoundly affect his career. In 1971, Dr. Winter accepted a full-time position with the University of Minnesota, solely focused on scoliosis and pediatric orthopaedics.
In 1973, Dr. Moe, Dr. John Lonstein, Dr. David Bradford and Dr. Winter formed the Twin Cities Scoliosis Center. They began their spine fellowships in 1971 and published their first textbook in 1978. Dr. Winter retired from clinical practice in 1993, but continued to be heavily involved in research and teaching until 2011. He was president of SRS in 1974, as well as secretary of the Pediatric Orthopaedic Society from 1974 to1979. In 2012 he won the SRS Lifetime Achievement Award. However, he said his greatest accomplishment was marrying Jane in 1957 and helping her raise five wonderful children.
