Summer 1997
Fran Tarkenton on the cover of The Mission? Discover inside the reason this National
Football League great chose treatment at the Health Science Center and why his medical history
lends itself perfectly to the theme of this issue—rehabilitating the human body. His story and
two others focus on extraordinary surgical techniques and innovations emanating from the
department of orthopaedics, chaired by James D. Heckman, MD, professor. Also, the trials and
ultimate victories of a 30-year-old liver transplant recipient, patients who have become "whole"
again through the miracles of plastic and reconstructive surgery, and a woman golfer with a leg
prosthesis are profiled. And ethical issues surrounding these and other medical miracles are
discussed by the university's bioethicist. Health Science Center physicians and researchers are
exploring the gamut of rehabilitative measures, from gene therapy to prosthetics, to provide patients
with longer, quality lifestyles. As you read these pages, you may hear yourself saying, "Wow, they
can do that!"
(Please Note: Our Web pages have numerous photos and illustrations—many of them are "clickable"
and accompany additional information.)
