In Memory of Dr. Tim Stephens

We are sad to announce the passing of Dr. Timothy L. Stephens, MD, MBA, FAAOS on April 5th, 2021 in Sarasota, Florida.

Dr. Stephens was born in Cleveland, Ohio on July 30, 1932. He attended Howard University, where he obtained a Bachelor's in Science and a Doctorate in Medicine. He completed his post graduate training in orthopaedic surgery training at Tufts University in Boston Massachusetts.

Dr. Stephens was the first African American board certified orthopaedic surgeon in Ohio. He had a clinical appointment as an assistant clinical professor at Case Western Reserve Medical School and also a private practice where he practiced all of orthopaedic surgery from spine reconstruction to general and trauma orthopaedics to joint arthroplasty. His daughter Susan, who specialized in spine surgery, joined him in practice in 1991 making it a “Father Daughter” orthopaedic practice. He served on many boards in both the business and medical community. He was politically active with his Congressman Louis Stokes in the Cleveland area, addressing both business and medical issues in the black community.

Dr. Stephens was an a founder and integral part of the JR Gladden Orthopaedic Society. He provided endless mentorship to all medical students and orthopaedic surgery residents receiving the JR Gladden Orthopaedic Society Alvin Crawford Mentorship Award. He individually funded and created an endowment for black medical student research from around the country annually at the Orthopedic Surgery Section at the NMA annual meeting. He truly was about giving back to the future generations in orthopaedic surgery. Dr. Stephens has received numerous awards for his contributions in orthopedic surgery and his community activism in the Cleveland, Ohio community, servicing many boards including the Greater Cleveland Round Table, GLENCO and the First National Bank Association, the first African American bank in the state of Ohio. He continued his philanthropic activities in the Sarasota, Florida area where he was the president of the Howard University Southwest Florida Alumni and a patron of the Sarasota West Coast Dance Troupe. He was a proud member of the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity, a member of the Boule and Guardsman. He is survived by his daughter Susan Stephens, a spine surgeon in the city of Cleveland who is quite active in the JR Gladden Orthopaedic Society and served on the board, Amy Stephens, MD, an OB Gyn at Cleveland Clinic and Chair of Fairview Hospital, and 4 grandchildren. He will be dearly missed by the JR Gladden Orthopaedic Society family. We send our condolences and prayers to the family on behalf of the JR Gladden Orthopaedic Society.