The early and unexpected loss of Clifford H. Turen MD in January 2013 left a large void for those of us who knew him, as well as for the orthopaedic trauma community. This symposium contains a collection of studies performed by a small subset of the many academic orthopaedic surgeons whose careers were profoundly influenced by Dr. Turen (Fig. 1). We dedicate this symposium to his memory.

Fig. 1
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Clifford H. Turen MD

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Dr. Turen was a skilled orthopaedic trauma surgeon and his patients benefitted from his tireless work over the many years he worked at the University of Maryland’s R. Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center. Perhaps what stood out most about Dr. Turen’s academic career was his commitment and skill as an educator and mentor (Fig. 2). His ability to teach surgical skills was truly legendary and serves as an essentially unattainable goal for those of us who were fortunate enough to have witnessed it in person. He believed in autonomy in the operating room, and had the uncanny knack to sense just when the fellow or resident needed guidance. Usually, this was a quick adjustment of the exposure or repositioning of a clamp—typically followed by a witty comment (“No charge for that”).

Fig. 2
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Perhaps what stood out most about Dr. Turen’s academic career was his commitment and skill as an educator and mentor. (Published with permission from Jason W. Nascone MD).

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As impressive as this was, in some ways, his commitment to mentoring residents, fellows, and young faculty stood out even more. This is especially rare in today’s too often selfish culture. He would refer to those he had trained as “one of his” and because you were one of his, he would do anything he could to help you along your way. His influence on our field is hard to understate, as he played a crucial role in the training of scores of orthopaedic trauma fellows who remain extremely grateful and loyal to Dr. Turen. Of all his accomplishments in orthopaedics, Dr. Turen was most proud of his involvement in the training of so many surgeons currently in practice.

On a personal note, Dr. Turen was old fashioned in many regards. He had high standards for himself, and expected those around him to live up to those standards. For example, he wore a tie and jacket to work each day and was known to sentence the unfortunate resident caught outside the hospital in scrubs to 2 weeks in clinic. He valued honor, respect, friendship, loyalty, and surgical excellence and held those with similar values in the highest esteem. He was always available if you needed something. There was never “Let me check my schedule” or “I’m not sure, but let me get back to you.” It was, “When do you need me?” For those of us who knew him well, when you ran into trouble at work, or more importantly, in life in general, and were not sure who to call—the answer was always, “Call Cliff.”

This symposium is an effort to present new research from a small subset of those whose careers’ were directly influenced by Dr. Turen. His interest and skills were broad. Similarly, the manuscripts presented in this issue cover a range of topics that continue to challenge orthopaedic traumatologists and will likely be of interest to any orthopaedic surgeon who cares for patients with fractures. We hope that this issue provides new insights in orthopaedic trauma and provides a fitting tribute to one of orthopaedic surgery’s great educators and mentors.

Like so many in our field we greatly miss our friend and mentor and are forever grateful and impressed by Dr. Turen’s contributions to the field of orthopaedic trauma.