Jesse C. DeLee, M.D., clinical professor of orthopaedics, was inducted into the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine’s (AOSSM) Hall of Fame on July 21, during the Society’s Annual Meeting in Toronto, Canada. AOSSM Hall of Famers are individuals who have made a substantial contribution to the sports medicine field.
Dr. DeLee is a 1970 graduate of the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston. In his junior year, he was awarded American Orthopaedic Association (AOA) membership. He completed an orthopaedic surgery residency at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio in 1975. He then completed a fellowship in joint reconstructive surgery with Sir John Charnley in Wrightington, England.
He joined the faculty at UT Health San Antonio in 1978, serving as a full-time faculty member until 1983, and still maintains a clinical professorship in orthopaedic surgery. In 1988, Dr. DeLee founded the ACGME-accredited orthopaedic sports medicine fellowship at UT Health San Antonio; more than 40 orthopedic surgeons have completed the fellowship.
Dr. DeLee also founded the Nix Hospital Sports Medicine Clinic in 1983. The clinic provides comprehensive sports medicine care for approximately 1,000 inner-city athletes annually in San Antonio and South Texas. The clinic is also a venue for introducing high school students to orthopaedics and sports medicine as a career. In conjunction with his associate, Dr. John Evans, he also established the DeLee-Evans Foundation for Sports Medicine. This foundation has awarded 85 college scholarships to high school students seeking degrees in athletic training.
Dr. DeLee maintains an active practice of orthopaedic sports medicine in San Antonio and serves as a team physician for multiple area high schools and colleges.