On The Shoulders Of Giants

On the Shoulders of Giants: The History of NYU Langone Orthopedics captures the history of scientific achievement by the pioneers who helped develop the field of orthopedics. The voices of orthopedic surgeons, past and present, serve to channel the energy that has driven innovation in the department for more than 150 years. First, they were associated with Bellevue Medical College before starting a seven-bed “dispensary” called the Jewish Hospital for Deformities and Joint Diseases, which would later become the Hospital for Joint Diseases and is today known as NYU Langone Orthopedic Hospital. Towering over the cast of characters animating this one-hour documentary are a number of physicians who found refuge from antisemitism at the hospital first established in 1905 by Henry and Herman Frauenthal. Henry had completed medical training under Bellevue’s Dr. Lewis Sayre, the first professor of orthopedics in America, and survived the maiden voyage of the RMS Titanic following his marriage in Europe.

When he returned to New York City he continued expanding the self-funded, family-run institution dedicated to orthopedic care that tended to underserved and dispossessed people of every faith in what is now Harlem. Among notable achievements in the field, the film spotlights Dr. Marian Frauenthal Sloane, the first female orthopedic surgeon in New York who later became the first female orthopedic surgeon published in an academic, peer-reviewed journal. Later, in a common thread that has run throughout the institution’s history of invention, as well as leadership in diversity, Haitian American surgeon Dr. J. Serge Parisien helped to develop modern arthroscopic surgery through his work at the hospital. Those legacies of innovation, teaching, equity, and inclusion carry on today through the hospital’s residency training program, which has the most diverse group of orthopedic residents in the nation. The many lines of transmission running throughout the film culminate in a symbolic tree that interlaces patient care, education and research.

The tree stands as a metaphor for the legacies and driving forces in the practice of orthopedic surgery that have sought to conquer pain, cure musculoskeletal disease, and restore humanity among patients.

CRITICAL REVIEWS

“Sanders likes to say he does it all-concept through realization-and once you encounter him, that seems a believable claim.”
- Jim Applebaum- Putnam County Courier and Recorder

“What we’ve achieved in patient care, research, and innovation is the result of standing on the shoulders of orthopedic giants highlighted in this film, and we are so grateful for Peter’s vision in creating this work.” Dr. Kenneth Egol NYU LOH
- Marlene Naanes NYU Langone Health

The film also highlights the department’s place in the history of New York City and its commitment to gender, racial, and cultural diversity.
- Marlene Naanes NYU Langone Health

“This film shows the trajectory of our department as an amalgamation, with roots in the beginning of the field at Bellevue in the 1850s to a humble specialty hospital in a Harlem brownstone to a powerhouse of innovation and influence in the field and in our patients’ lives. We are pleased that Tribeca Festival is honoring this special film that tells our story.” Dr. Zuckerman
- Marlene Naanes NYU Langone Health

The film is both an oral history of the department and its hospitals and its institutional predecessors and a document that preserves the contributions of clinicians and scientists."
- Carly Behm – Beckers Spine Journal

A groundbreaking film chronicling the legacy of NYU Langone Orthopedics, aptly titled “On the Shoulders of Giants: The History of NYU Langone Orthopedics,” has achieved a prestigious recognition. Selected as an Official Selection for the 2024 Tribeca X Award Competition.
- Mac Sorensen, AM New York

“the documentary promises to captivate audiences with its blend of historical narrative and cutting-edge medical procedures.”
- Mac Sorensen, AM New York

“At the Shoulders of Giants” promises an immersive experience, interweaving historical retrospectives with riveting footage of real orthopedic surgeries. Viewers will witness firsthand the intricate procedures performed by NYU surgeons, from correcting traumatic injuries to pioneering innovative techniques like arthroscopic surgery.
- Mac Sorensen, AM New York

“Cold Spring will be represented by what is being called “a groundbreaking film,”On the Shoulders of Giants” at the Tribeca X Film festival.
- Jim Applebaum- PCNR

“doctors slice through body parts and there’s blood everywhere. That’s nothing compared to the sounds of orthopedic surgery: hammering, grinding, sawing. The camera also lingers on graphic photos, X-rays and descriptions of gruesome injuries. On the flip side, many people will enjoy watching procedures that can improve people’s lives.”
- Marc Ferris-The Highlands Current

“On the Shoulders of Giants, tracks the hospital's journey through economic and institutional hardships to a new location and financial commitments cultivated by billionaire businessman Ken Langone. “
- A Key-Denton Record Chronicle

Sanders got access to the operating room for three different surgeries, capturing moments that show how much expertise is within the surgical bay, and made bone surgeries better and less.
- A Key- Denton Record Chronicle

PRODUCTION:
Eight 12 Productions presents an Alumni Association of the Department of Orthopedic Surgery of The Hospital For Joint Diseases & NYU Langone Health.Produced and Directed by Peter Sanders. Executive Producers Dr. Joseph D. Zuckerman and Dr. Kenneth A. Egol. A Premiere Digital Distribution.

CREW:
Directed and Produced by Peter Sanders; Cinematography: Bryan Sarkinen; Editor: Andrew Coffman; Music: Malena Kuss and Andrew Coffman; Music supervisor: Chris Roberts; Sound Design: Patrick Donahue.Archival research: Peter Sanders, Graphics Manager: Hugh Nachanie

Featuring:
Joseph D. Zuckerman, MD
Lew Schon, MD
James Frauenthal
Kenneth A. Egol, MD
Kenneth G. Langone
Robert I. Grossman, MD
Joseph Bosco III, MD
William L. Jaffe, MD
Michael J. Alaia, MD
Andrew S. Rokito, MD
Martin Posner, MD
Kirk A. Cambell, MD
Mark I. Pitman, MD
Eric J. Strauss, MD
Wallace B. Lehman, MD
Jacques Serge Parisien, MD
Julius Oni, MD
Steven Shin, MD
Sonia Chaudhry, MD
Sharon Hame, MD
Scott Marwin, MD
Paul Brief, MD
Steven Green, MD
Raphael S. Longobardi, MD
Yong H. Kim, MD
Stuart Elkowitz, MD
Thomas J. Errico, MD
Jacques Hacquebord, MD
Emily Pflug, MD