John Bergfeld, MD
Senior Orthopaedic Surgeon
Senior Orthopaedic Surgeon John Bergfeld, MD, presented the latest installment of the Ralph & Mary Wilson Visiting Professor Gift Lecture Series on May 29, 2025. UBMD Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine physicians, residents and fellows attended, along with students, as Dr. Bergfeld gave a lecture titled “50 Years With the Anterior Cruciate Ligament — From Obscurity to Pre-Eminence, Lessons Learned.”
The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of the key ligaments in the knee, connecting the thighbone to the shinbone. Located in the center of the knee joint, the ACL plays a crucial role in stabilizing the knee, preventing excessive forward movement of the tibia and limiting rotational movements. ACL tears are common injuries that can result from sports or other activities where the knee experiences sudden changes in direction or experiences a direct blow.
A question-and-answer session after the lecture enabled attendees to ask Dr. Bergfeld questions and engage in exchanges to enhance their methods of practicing orthopaedic medicine.
Dr. Bergfeld is honored as a pillar of the orthopaedic profession for his exceptional leadership, mentorship and lifelong contributions to orthopaedic surgery and sports medicine. A graduate of Bucknell University and Temple University Medical School, Dr. Bergfeld served as Chief of Orthopaedics at the US Naval Hospital in Annapolis before a distinguished career with the Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland Browns, Cleveland Cavaliers and U.S. Olympic teams. He founded the Cleveland Clinic Orthopaedic Sports Medicine Fellowship, training over 150 fellows who now serve in academic and team physician roles worldwide. Dr. Bergfeld has held numerous national leadership positions and received multiple prestigious awards recognizing his impact on orthopaedics and sports medicine.
Attracting some of the world’s most distinguished and renowned orthopaedics and sports medicine experts, the Ralph & Mary Wilson Visiting Professor Gift Lecture Series is a biannual symposium sponsored by a legacy grant, originally awarded to the Department of Orthopaedics at the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University at Buffalo in 2015 by the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation. The grant also supports the educational efforts of the Department of Orthopaedics in the Sports Medicine Instruction Laboratory and is used to foster clinical and translational research.