Joseph Selwyn Gruss, F.R.C.S.(C.), 1945 to 2019

Field: Medicine (Health Sciences)

Joseph Selwyn Gruss (Fig. 1) grew up in Johannesburg, South Africa. A competitive soccer player with the potential for a professional career, he pursued medicine instead, graduating from the University of Witwatersrand, in Johannesburg, South Africa, in 1969. After training in general surgery in South Africa and head and neck surgery in England, Joe completed plastic surgery training in Toronto, where he subsequently joined the faculty. Here, he pioneered techniques now routinely used in craniofacial trauma management; he was among the first surgeons in the world to utilize modern craniofacial exposures and rigid internal fixation techniques. In 1988, he received the American Association of Plastic Surgeons’ Barrett Brown Award for pioneering work related to immediate bone grafting for complex craniofacial injuries. Now taken as dogma, at the time it was highly controversial; critics were convinced by Joe’s honest presentation and assessment of results.Fig. 1.: Joseph S. Gruss, M.B.B.Ch., F.R.C.S.(C.), April 5, 1945, to June 26, 2019.Through shared expertise and respect, Joe Gruss became a close friend and colleague of Dr. Paul Manson: “Our interest in facial injury reconstruction resulted in us spending much time together. The ‘Tessier-trained’ surgeons adopted us and, because several rigid fixation courses were at Disney Orlando, we became known as the ‘Mickey Mouse surgeons.’ (See Figure, Supplemental Digital Content 1, which shows Joseph Gruss and Paul Manson, “Mickey Mouse Surgeons,” at an Orlando Facial Injuries Symposium, https://links.lww.com/PRS/D974.) We entertained ourselves by giving each other’s talks. Our friendship was punctuated by friendly rivalry: to our combined trainees, Joe would often ask, ‘Who taught you that?’ He was not only a ‘best surgeon,’ but was known for his great honesty.” Together with Michael Yaremchuk, Drs. Gruss and Manson published a landmark textbook on rigid fixation of the craniofacial skeleton1; their shared contributions helped define contemporary facial fracture management. In 1990, Dr. Gruss relocated to the University of Washington. There, he developed the Craniofacial Center at Seattle Children’s Hospital and the craniofacial trauma program at Harborview Medical Center, becoming the first holder of the Marlys C. Larson Chair in Craniofacial Surgery in 1998. His numerous honors include Distinguished Fellow and Clinician of the Year awards from the American Association of Plastic Surgeons, the Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Society of Maxillofacial Surgeons, and Honorary Fellowship in the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons. Dr. Nicholas Vedder, who was recruited to the University of Washington contemporaneously with Dr. Gruss, recollects, “Joe has always been a hero to me. He is the best plastic surgeon I have ever worked with, truly a ‘renaissance’ plastic surgeon who was comfortable operating anywhere in the body. He would regularly take on the greatest surgical challenges with ease. He was an incomparable mentor to countless students, residents, and surgeons. His contributions to the field of plastic surgery are profound. His innovations created the future of the specialty. He was a gentle and generous giant who is deeply missed.” Dr. Richard Hopper, Dr. Gruss’ clinical partner for 18 years, remembers a mentor whose skills extended far beyond facial trauma. “He authored one of the seminal papers on the diagnosis of lambdoid synostosis, differentiating it from deformational plagiocephaly. The book on oculoplastic surgery that he co-authored with Jacques van der Meulen is the foundation of how I treat periorbital conditions today. Joe was an intrepid natural surgeon who always embraced the most complex of cases. I never ceased to be in awe as he accomplished things like successful dissection of the facial nerve from the bulk of a giant neurofibroma, while constantly chatting and educating the mass of people circled to watch him.” A natural athlete, Joe enjoyed fly-fishing, hiking, and cricket. Above all, he was an avid golfer. He would always manage to play a round with friends at conferences worldwide (Fig. 2), frequently speaking in his golf gear.Fig. 2.: Joe Gruss and his American Society of Maxillofacial Surgeons golfing friends, William Crawley, Jon Jacobs, and Norman Rappaport. Not pictured are Austin Mehrhoff, Kant Lin, and Steven Buchman.The first “Gruss Symposium” was held in Seattle, Washington, on January 26, 2019, 5 months before Joe passed. [See Videos 1, 2, 3, and 4 (online), which show Dr. Gruss discussing lessons learned over a 40-year career spent managing patients with complex craniofacial trauma, in four parts.] He joined friends and fellows from around the world in fierce discussion and debate, requiring the “Gruss Gong” to bring order from chaos (Fig. 3). Joe felt the Symposium was his eulogy and wished to eschew further memorial services. {"href":"Single Video Player","role":"media-player-id","content-type":"play-in-place","position":"float","orientation":"portrait","label":"Video 1.","caption":"This video is part 1 of 4, in which Dr. Joseph Gruss discusses lessons learned over a 40-year career spent managing patients with complex craniofacial trauma.","object-id":[{"pub-id-type":"doi","id":""},{"pub-id-type":"other","content-type":"media-stream-id","id":"1_uunieowb"},{"pub-id-type":"other","content-type":"media-source","id":"Kaltura"}]} {"href":"Single Video Player","role":"media-player-id","content-type":"play-in-place","position":"float","orientation":"portrait","label":"Video 2.","caption":"This video is part 2 of 4, in which Dr. Joseph Gruss discusses lessons learned over a 40-year career spent managing patients with complex craniofacial trauma.","object-id":[{"pub-id-type":"doi","id":""},{"pub-id-type":"other","content-type":"media-stream-id","id":"1_pjerjwo8"},{"pub-id-type":"other","content-type":"media-source","id":"Kaltura"}]} {"href":"Single Video Player","role":"media-player-id","content-type":"play-in-place","position":"float","orientation":"portrait","label":"Video 3.","caption":"This video is part 3 of 4, in which Dr. Joseph Gruss discusses lessons learned over a 40-year career spent managing patients with complex craniofacial trauma.","object-id":[{"pub-id-type":"doi","id":""},{"pub-id-type":"other","content-type":"media-stream-id","id":"1_3cszg6rb"},{"pub-id-type":"other","content-type":"media-source","id":"Kaltura"}]} {"href":"Single Video Player","role":"media-player-id","content-type":"play-in-place","position":"float","orientation":"portrait","label":"Video 4.","caption":"This video is part 4 of 4, in which Dr. Joseph Gruss discusses lessons learned over a 40-year career spent managing patients with complex craniofacial trauma.","object-id":[{"pub-id-type":"doi","id":""},{"pub-id-type":"other","content-type":"media-stream-id","id":"1_2uydfc0v"},{"pub-id-type":"other","content-type":"media-source","id":"Kaltura"}]} Fig. 3.: The faculty and attendees of the first Joseph S. Gruss Symposium, January 26, 2019, in Seattle, Washington. The “Gruss Gong” was used unmercifully to keep the presenters on time.On June 26, 2019, an announcement was sent to his colleagues around the world: “It is with a heavy heart that I let you know that Joseph Gruss died June 26, 2019. He passed in his sleep at home with his loving family present; they faced his pancreatic cancer illness with courage and dignity. All Joe asked was that his wife, Eve, and daughter, Jennie, scatter his ashes at St. Andrew’s Golf Course in Scotland.” This tribute celebrates the amazing career and friendship of this extraordinary spirit and surgeon. His contributions and legacy have profoundly impacted plastic surgery practice and will affect many generations to come. His personality, honesty, and humility were loved by many, as were his smile, jokes, and worldly advice. Joe, you are sorely missed and will always be remembered.