UPMC and Pitt named Dr. MaCalus V. Hogan their new chair of orthopedic surgery on Monday, succeeding Dr. Freddie Fu, who died in September 2021.
Dr. Hogan joined UPMC in 2013 and specializes in foot and ankle injuries. He has made the “Best Doctors in America” list many times, and was named one of UPMC’s top doctors by Pittsburgh Magazine in 2022. A graduate of Xavier University of Louisiana, he received his medical degree from Howard University College of Medicine in Washington, D.C.
“I am proud and delighted that Dr. Hogan will serve as the new chair,” said Leslie Davis, UPMC’s president and chief executive officer. “He is a compassionate clinician and dedicated researcher who demonstrates the Pitt/UPMC shared values and vision to continuously improve the definition of excellence and leadership in orthopedic care.”
Dr. Fu was a pioneer physician at UPMC, founder of the sports medicine program and beloved by the Pittsburgh community for the level of compassion and care he brought to the field. He was the department chair from 1998 to 2021.
Dr. Hogan is originally from Muscle Shoals, Ala. When he was in high school, he fractured his ankle playing football and said the physician who treated him told him to consider orthopedic surgery as a career path. Then in 2008, Dr. Fu visited the University of Virginia, where Dr. Hogan was a second-year resident physician. He said Dr. Fu “dropped a seed” that he should consider Pittsburgh, and four years later, when Dr. Hogan applied, Dr. Fu immediately offered him an interview.
“Dr. Fu would always say he truly enjoyed to his core helping others do well,” Dr. Hogan said. “The opportunities he gave me have definitely helped me get to this point.”
As department chair, Dr. Hogan is looking forward to building on the foundation that Dr. Fu and others have created, shaping UPMC into a leading medical institution.
“My role will be to continue to bring people together. There will be a lot of listening, to surgeons and to patients, about how we can deliver the best care,” he said.
He said he was excited about the days to come and wants to use this opportunity to work with other UPMC partners to provide the best standard of care in the orthopedic surgery department.
“We have to engage with our community, get out of our comfort zone, and be willing to listen,” Dr. Hogan said.
He stressed the importance of respecting patients’ individual experiences and meeting people where they are, a trait he said Dr. Fu modeled in his own career. “I’ll continue to be a conduit for positive change and progression,” he said.
He serves as a foot and ankle consultant for the athletic departments at the University of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon University, Duquesne University and Robert Morris University. He is the assistant team physician for Point Park University, including the Conservatory of Performing Arts, and the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre. Dr. Hogan also serves as the foot and ankle consultant for the Steelers and Penguins as part of the UPMC Sports Medicine Institute.
Hanna Webster: hwebster@post-gazette.com
First Published: September 12, 2022, 9:10 p.m.
