Dr. Steven Kates Honored for Leadership in Care Delivery and Fundraising

“I want to be Dr. Kates when I grow up.” 

A moment of levity among serious praise from Art Saavedra, M.D., dean of the VCU School of Medicine, as he shared how the contributions of Stephen Kates, M.D., professor and chair of the school’s Department of Orthopaedics and the James W. and Frances G. McGlothlin Chair in Orthopaedics, have elevated VCU Health to a global leader in orthopaedics. 

“People consider Dr. Kates a master, a teacher, but what really makes him special is that he considers himself a learner,” Dean Saavedra said. “He is outstanding because he uses our patient population and our moral imperative to innovate and heal, and at the same time, exports that knowledge all around the country.”

“I’m simply in awe of what Dr. Kates is able to do,” Dean Saavedra said. “He moves quickly, he understands priorities and more importantly, his heart is in the right place.”

Wilhelm Zuelzer, M.D., has provided orthopaedic care for nearly four decades. Dr. Kates’ arrival in 2013 ushered in a new paradigm for their department in nearly every way, he said.  

Those pursuits include fundraising, and those efforts earned Dr. Kates the prestigious W. Robert Irby Award from the MCV Foundation during its annual awards event on June 16 at the Jefferson Hotel. Established in memory of Robert Irby, M.D., an MCV rheumatologist who was devoted to securing financial support for campus, this award is presented to a faculty member who has assisted with major fundraising efforts. 

He is an amazingly astute clinician who exhibits high standards and expects those standards from others.

Wilhelm Zuelzer, M.D., VCU School of Medicine

“I’ve seen all sorts of chairs but there is nobody like him — he’s the most remarkable chair I have ever encountered,” Dr. Zuelzer said, explaining that Dr. Kates’ knowledge and expertise, coupled with his passion and enthusiasm for seeking better outcomes for patients, has completely changed how VCU Health and other health systems around the world address two issues in particular: geriatric fractures and patient infections. 

“When he talks to people about his research, it is incredibly exciting and readily understandable,” Dr. Zuelzer said. “He relentlessly presents data and action plans that are supported and when implemented, make a major difference.” 

“He is an amazingly astute clinician who exhibits high standards and expects those standards from others,” Dr. Zuelzer said, noting that Dr. Kates earned VCU a highly competitive P50 grant from the National Institutes of Health. 

“The greatest compliment I could give him would be to say that I wish I was a young faculty member in his department,” Dr. Zuelzer said. “He ushered in a paradigm shift in the way we take care of patients.”

One of those patients is Steve Gaidos, chair of the MCV Foundation Board of Trustees. Gaidos needed a hip replacement earlier this year.

“He’s an amazing surgeon whose approach in dealing with patients is very comforting,” Gaidos said. “He’s plain spoken but he will answer questions you haven’t even asked yet just to make sure you’re getting the information you need to feel comfortable.” 

He said Dr. Kates works tirelessly within the community and through the MCV Foundation to promote VCU’s orthopaedics department.

“He has definitely raised the bar on standards of care,” Gaidos said. “He works with potential donors and helps the foundation with grateful patient conversations. He does a tremendous amount of work outside of normal office hours.”