Sometimes, legends are born. And sometimes people become legends by making life better for others with positive actions, words, and attitudes each and every day. Of these, Lawrence Rinsky, MD, retiring pediatric orthopedic surgeon at Stanford Medicine Children’s Health, is the latter.
Fifty-two years ago, Dr. Rinsky began his orthopedic surgical residency at Stanford and never looked back. He jests that he stayed at Stanford because of his love for the area’s good dim sum but admits that the real reason was the culture at Stanford.
“It was, and still is, much lower-key than other places in the country. That doesn’t mean it’s less rigorous, but it has less formalized hierarchies in medicine. I was astounded that as an intern I could speak with the attendings,” says Dr. Rinsky.
Enriching a supportive culture at Stanford Children’s orthopedics
Through the years, Dr. Rinsky not only maintained but fostered the friendly, more open culture that he observed at Stanford. He carried it over to Stanford Medicine Children’s Health, where he’s known among the younger orthopedic surgeons as “Papa Lar,” in reference to his first name—Larry—and his enduring guiding force within orthopedics.
“Doing complex surgeries on children has the potential to be stressful. There is a lot at stake. Larry modeled taking the work seriously and approaching it with reverence, but not taking himself or others too seriously,” says John Vorhies, MD, a pediatric orthopedic surgeon at Stanford and a mentee of Dr. Rinsky’s. “He is one of the people we will reference for generations within our Children’s Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Center care team.”
Dr. Vorhies met Dr. Rinsky during his orthopedic rotation during residency. Working under him was one reason Dr. Vorhies chose orthopedics as a specialty.
“People liked to work with him because he had such a calming effect in the room. He brought humor to everything, and he’s kind,” Dr. Vorhies says.
Thanks to Dr. Rinsky and James Gamble, MD, another early influencer of the orthopedic surgery department, Stanford’s welcoming culture is known across the nation and world. When visiting professors come, they are surprised by the positive energy and the endless laughter.
“That’s the Rinsky influence,” Dr. Vorhies adds.
A long and lustrous career
Dr. Rinsky was hired as an orthopedic surgery faculty member in 1976 at Stanford University’s Department of Orthopedic Medicine. He acted as chief pediatric surgeon for 30 years and department chair for three years at Stanford Medicine Children’s Health. During that time, his research was featured in more than 60 publications.
When Dr. Rinsky started, orthopedists didn’t specialize in kids or adults—surgeons simply cared for both. As chief, he helped grow the pediatric specialty at Stanford Children’s from three pediatric orthopedic surgeons in the early 1980s to 12 today. One of the first was Dr. Gamble, who became a longtime colleague, research partner, and companion on volunteer missions.
“When I first met Dr. Rinsky in the late 1970s, it was apparent right away that he was a special person. He was open, generous, and happy, and you don’t always find that in surgeons,” Dr. Gamble says. “Our relationship was based on mutual respect for each other and for our residents and fellows.”
Dr. Rinsky is an exceptionally skilled spine surgeon who is known as an innovator across the nation and world. He has been considered a top expert in scoliosis surgery in the Bay Area for decades. In the 1980s, he introduced a new technique to Stanford for segmental spinal instrumentation, which helped patients get moving more quickly after spinal fusions. He also ushered in nerve monitoring during scoliosis surgeries, which made them safer.
Dr. Rinsky performed simple to very complex reconstructive surgeries, including removing tumors, salvaging limbs, and correcting spinal deformities.
“We have very specialized areas of orthopedics today, but Larry did everything,” Dr. Vorhies says.
Dr. Rinsky helped establish the Bone & Soft Tissue Tumors Program at Stanford Children’s and advised the creation of the Motion & Gait Analysis laboratory.
“His incredible surgical skill is one of his biggest legacies,” Dr. Gamble says. “But how much he is cared for by his patients, students, colleagues, and family is his biggest legacy.”
Passing on top surgical skills to the next generation
Dr. Rinsky says training new doctors is his biggest career accomplishment. The feelings were mutual because he was often voted best teacher by the residents.
“There’s a quote from the Talmud that says, ‘I have learned much from my teachers, more from my colleagues, and most from my students.’ I have had the privilege of mentoring a couple hundred orthopedic residents in my career,” Dr. Rinsky says.
“Our entire team has been trained by him. He’s a huge influence on our current orthopedic care team. Together, we will carry forward his exceptional technical methods and warm, open approach,” Dr. Vorhies says.
Improving the lives of thousands of patients through the years
Dr. Rinsky was known for always putting patients first. He was never without a toy in his pocket for a nervous child. He had a true desire to connect with his patients and put them at ease.
“Some patients called him ‘Uncle Larry’ because they didn’t think of him as a doctor. He wasn’t intimidating. He was friendly, funny, and emotionally there, always wanting to help. All of his patients loved him,” Dr. Gamble says.
Not many people can say they improved the lives of thousands of people in their career, but Dr. Rinsky can. He fixed rare bone deformities and saved the lives of children with bone cancer, sometimes involving complex surgeries that took 14 to 16 hours. And he treated entire generations of families for genetic bone conditions. One of them was the Navarro family.
“Dr. Rinsky is without a doubt a very respected and admired man, but mostly he is kindhearted and beautiful. The whole world would benefit from more Dr. Rinskys,” says Dave Navarro, a Salinas, California, resident.
Throughout his life, Navarro received three surgeries from Dr. Rinsky, the first at age 14 for a hereditary condition called osteochondromatosis, which results in benign yet painful bone tumors.
“As a teen, I had tremendous faith. I knew a miracle was going to happen, and Dr. Rinsky was that angel that was sent to help me and my family,” Navarro says.
The chance of passing on osteochondromatosis is high, and one of Navarro’s two daughters inherited it. His daughter received several complex surgeries from Dr. Rinsky over the years. Today, she is living an active life.
“I told Dr. Rinsky he couldn’t retire until my daughter was done having surgeries. He kept that promise. My family and I will be forever thankful for his compassionate, knowledgeable care,” Navarro says.
Taking his talents abroad
Throughout his career, Dr. Rinsky went on more than 30 international medical missions and performed close to 1,000 surgeries that changed the trajectory of kids’ lives. He traveled to Guatemala, Peru, Ecuador, Nicaragua, Mozambique, and several areas in China.
“It made me a better surgeon because we were often performing surgeries for birth defects, trauma, chronic infection, and scoliosis with less resources than we have in the United States,” Dr. Rinsky says.
Dr. Gamble accompanied him on nearly all of those missions. He recalls a time in rural China when the two needed to put a child in a body cast, which required bars to connect his legs to the cast. The clinic didn’t have anything that resembled a bar or even a wooden dowel.
“Instead, the doctor reached out the open window and grabbed a branch of a tree. That’s what we used and it worked perfectly. We still laugh about that,” Dr. Gamble says.
Dr. Vorhies and others on the orthopedic surgery team are carrying on Dr. Rinsky’s dedication to helping children around the world by continuing medical missions. A group of three plan to go to Guatemala in October.
A warm sendoff from those who know him best
During retirement, Dr. Rinsky looks forward to traveling with his wife, Susan, and spending time with his family, including his three sons and six grandchildren. The couple has a tradition of taking each of their grandchildren on an overseas trip after their bar mitzvah. The first, they took to Paris. This fall, they will take the latest to London. They have no plans to move from their house of 33 years.
“One of my residents who is now a friend says the secret to a healthy, productive life is two things—one house and one wife. I agree,” Dr. Rinsky quips.
Dr. Vorhies jokes that the department should make a giant cutout of Dr. Rinsky and place it in the office, so when they need to work out a tough case, they can consult with him.
“Everyone values his opinion,” Dr. Vorhies says. “When we have a tough case, we ask ourselves, ‘What would Rinsky do in this situation?’ Generations of caregivers think that way.”
Dr. Gamble, whose own retirement is not too terribly far off, finds it hard to watch his longtime friend, colleague, and surgery partner retire first.
“Watching Larry retire breaks my heart,” Dr. Gamble says. “It’s hard to imagine life in orthopedics without him.”
