Remembering ASPS past President Norman Hugo, MD, 1933-2024

Plastic surgeons are paying tribute to ASPS past President Norman Hugo, MD, who passed away on Dec. 9 at age 91.

"He was always 'the professor' to us," recalls ASPS past President Richard D'Amico, MD, who trained under Dr. Hugo at Columbia-Presbyterian Hospital in New York. "He was a leader. He took on tough tasks and never backed down from his principles. He made us better people and better surgeons. He taught us about leadership – not just in the O.R., but in society and in our Society."

Dr. Hugo completed his general and plastic surgery training at Cornell Medical School, training at New York Hospital with The PSF past President Herbert Conway, MD, who Dr. Hugo counted as his most important mentor. He held true to Dr. Conway's mantra that "If you do not write, it did not happen" – and Dr. Hugo was a frequent contributor to several medical journals throughout the course of his career.

Following his residency, Dr. Hugo served as a professor at Indiana University from 1966-1967, when he was drafted into the U.S. Army (where he served as a major). He suspended his private practice and was stationed at Walter Reed Hospital from 1967-1969 as assistant chief of plastic surgery. The experience during the Vietnam War had a lasting effect on him, and he would speak at various events to honor American veterans and pay tribute to those who suffered lasting effects from the wounds sustained in battle.

Following Dr. Hugo's discharge from the Army, he relocated to Chicago, where he served as associate chief of plastic surgery at Michael Reese Hospital from 1969-1971, and then as associate chief of plastic surgery at Northwestern Hospital from 1971-1982. In 1982, Dr. Hugo was named chief of plastic surgery at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital in New York – a role he maintained until his retirement on Dec. 31, 1997.

"He was a larger-than-life character – both physically and in how he acted," notes Richard Peinert, MD, past president of the Massachusetts Society of Plastic Surgeons and a friend of Dr. Hugo's for more than 40 years. "If he had an opinion, you would know it. He was a wonderful, amazing guy."

During his time as ASPS president in 1988, Dr. Hugo encouraged the Society to become more involved in political and economic activities. He also began the work of providing standards for clinical care for the specialty – a years-long effort that involved input from several ASPS members. The result of their efforts, the Society's first "Clinical Practice Guidelines," was published in 1994. He also served as vice chairman of the ABPS.

After retirement, Dr. Hugo continued to maintain an active schedule – both as a nationally ranked squash player and in auto shows around the country where his Morgan (a handmade British automobile crafted from wood and steel) took home no fewer than 15 first-place awards. He enjoyed traveling around the world with his wife, Geraldine, family and other friends.

"My advice to young surgeons is to stay true to your ideals and work hard," he told PSN in 2007.