Orthopaedic surgery to remember colleague through his art

The UNMC Department of Orthopaedic Surgery will be displaying a special collection of a former resident’s orthopaedic artwork to memorialize a friend and colleague.

Benjamin Ogden, MD, completed his residency in orthopaedic surgery at the med center in 2018. He was later diagnosed with a brain tumor and died in 2021 at the age of 36.

Outside the orthopaedic resident lounge on the fourth floor of the Lauritzen Outpatient Clinic, 13 of Dr. Ogden’s orthopaedic drawings will be displayed in three frames. They will show Dr. Ogden’s detailed drawings of a pelvis bone, a femur and detailed musculature of a shoulder and an arm, among other images.

Fellow residents from Dr. Ogden’s time at the med center have arranged for the display to happen, making prints of his artwork. Those classmates and colleagues are Todd Gilbert, MD, Leonid Grossman, MD, Sayfe Jassim, MD, and Noah Porter, MD.

Dr. Gilbert, who now practices in Utah, said his friend Dr. Ogden had an artistic gift, and his classmates wanted to create the display to remember their friend and highlight his talent.

But beyond that, Dr. Gilbert said, he hopes people who see Dr. Ogden’s artwork to recognize how much colleagues and friends can impact other people’s lives. Perhaps future residents, Dr. Gilbert said, will “recognize how special of an opportunity that is to form really deep bonds with someone other than your family.”

Matthew Mormino, MD, professor of orthopaedic surgery and residency program director, said it’s touching to see how much of a friend Dr. Ogden was to his residency classmates and how much he impacted their lives.

“Ben was an excellent physician with a keen attention to detail and a drive to be the best surgeon for his patients,” Dr. Mormino said. “His presurgical plans were a testament to his desire for self-improvement. The detail and the artistry of his surgical plans were like no other.”

He added, “These representations of his skill as an artist and his classmates’ words about Ben are truly touching, and our department is proud to be the recipients of their efforts to memorialize our friend and colleague.”