Edward Hines Jr. VA Hospital Orthopedic Surgeon celebrates 50 years of federal service

Twenty of his 50 years of federal service were spent as an orthopedic surgeon and physician for the U.S. Army. 

“After graduating from the United States Military Academy at West Point, I attended medical school at Loyola University’s Stritch School of Medicine and completed a five-year orthopedic internship and residency at Fitzsimons Army Medical Center in Aurora, Colorado,” said Hopkinson. 

He then returned to West Point in 1982 for a sports medicine fellowship as the corps squad physician, which would become is favorite assignment.  

“Taking care of people who would go on to become officers and generals was very neat,” said Hopkinson. “There’s not a day that goes by that I didn’t meet individuals who had an incredible military career.” 

Hopkinson next served at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center where he performed 25 orthopedic surgeries on active-duty and retired service members, and their family members.  

His care did not stop there, however. 

While he was at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Hopkinson deployed to Saudia Arabia during the First Gulf War as the head of the with the 28th Combat Support Hospital’s surgical detachment and performed 80 surgeries. 

Upon retiring as an Army colonel in 1994, the Oak Park, Illinois, native returned home to the Midwest as Hines VA’s newest orthopedic surgeon.

Hopkinson chose Hines for several reasons. 

“When I was in medical school at Loyola University Medical Center, I did rotations at Hines and decided to come back because of its great reputation in adult reconstruction orthopedics,” said Hopkinson. 

He said he enjoys working for VA because of its patient-oriented focus and being able to serve his fellow Veterans. 

“A lot of times patients have complicated medical history or past injuries, so taking care of them can be very rewarding when they say, ‘Thanks doc, I can live again.’”

One part of his profession Hopkinson finds rewarding is the rapid change of orthopedic technology over the last several decades. 

“For the past three years at Hines, my partners and I have been able to do robotic joint replacements and I think that is so rewarding because you are not just operating on someone to keep them alive longer, you are operating on someone so they can enjoy their life,” said Hopkinson.