In memory of AO Past President Christopher Lewis Colton (1937–2025): Educator and pioneer in trauma surgery
It is with deep sadness that the AO Foundation announces the passing of AO Past President Christopher Colton, who died on December 24, 2025. Colton was a visionary leader whose contributions have shaped the field of orthopedic trauma worldwide.
Born in England in September 1937, Colton was inspired at a young age to study bones. In a 2023 interview with the AO, he recalled: “In my first biology lesson at school, at the age of 11 years, I sat next to the lab skeleton, a real one in those days, not plastic. I was immediately fascinated by the bones that had once been the framework of a living person. The homework that evening was to learn the names of as many of the bones as possible, and for the test the next day, I got 100% marks.”
Colton carried this early spark forward and pursued his medical studies at St Thomas Hospital Medical School, London University, earning multiple distinctions, including MBBS, LRCP, MRCS, FRCS, and FRCSEd (Orth). His commitment to trauma care was evident early in his career, including service at Dala Orthopaedic Hospital, Ahmadu Bello University, Nigeria.
When Colton was a junior resident in Bristol, UK, his chief, Keith Lucas, was very interested in rigid fixation and early mobilization. Lucas arranged for Colton to spend six weeks in 1967 in Chur, Switzerland, with AO Founder Martin Allgöwer. For Colton, this was pivotal: “This was a life-changing experience for me, working with the big man and his assistants at the time, such as Thomas Rüedi, Peter Matter, and Stephan Perren.”
Colton’s leadership within the AO marked a period of significant progress for the Foundation. As the AO President from 1996 to 1998, he championed global education and innovation in fracture care. He later served as a Lifetime Honorary Member of the AO Board of Trustees and was a founding member of the AO Alliance Foundation, extending the AO’s aim to transform surgery and change lives to underserved regions.
A renowned educator and professor, Colton was an Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) instructor and an international lecturer, sharing his expertise in Colombia, New Zealand, the USA, Iran, and Sweden. He published extensively in peer-reviewed journals and served as Executive Editor of AO Surgery Reference. His editorial influence extended to major journals, including Injury, Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, and Journal of Orthopaedic Trauma.
Colton’s impact reached beyond the AO. He was a founding member of the International Board for Research into Air Crash Events and held leadership roles at the British Orthopaedic Association, including chairman, treasurer, and president. His dedication to education was recognized with the A.B.I. Medical Community Award—Bronze Medal for Outstanding Service in Health Education and the British Orthopaedic Trainees Association Award for Outstanding Contributions to Orthopaedic Training.
We will remember Colton not only for his clinical excellence and leadership but also for his warmth, generosity, and commitment to advancing trauma care globally. When asked to reflect on what he was most proud of as a person and as a surgeon, he shared: “I am proud that I worked hard and honestly for my patients and was able to teach my experience to others.”
Colton’s legacy will live on, and the AO extends heartfelt condolences to his family, friends, and colleagues.
Tribute from AO Honorary Trustee and AO Faculty member Paul Szypryt
Paul Szypryt is an Honorary Trustee of the AO Foundation and a retired Consultant Trauma & Orthopaedic Surgeon at Nottingham University Hospitals. He worked closely with Christopher Colton, sharing emergency on-call duties in Nottingham until Colton’s retirement in 1987. Szypryt offers the following personal reflection:
I, like so many of his students and colleagues both in Nottingham and around the world, owe him so much, in terms of his influence on our learning and attitudes to our patients.
He was a larger-than-life character who lived life to the fullest. He had a huge intellect which he was happy to share. He was never happier than giving a lecture to an appreciative audience of his peers and always entertained us with imaginative slides that he created himself and a humor that had us in stitches of laughter.
After arriving in Nottingham as a Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon in 1973, he set about creating a center with an international reputation for the highest standards of care in trauma and pediatric orthopedics. Such was his enthusiasm and success that surgeons and patients from all over the world visited our unit for training and treatment. Nottingham is now a world-renowned orthopedic trauma unit, largely due to his efforts and the people he inspired to continue his vision and dreams. His 'disciples' have populated many of the major trauma units throughout the UK and beyond. He was honored with a special Professorship by the University of Nottingham prior to his retirement from the NHS in 1997. …
… Chris once wrote a letter to himself as a medical student—when he was in his eighties! Some of the following quotes highlight the quality of him as a doctor and as a man:
Dear Chris,
You are nearing the end of your time as a medical student, and I know that you will do well. Remember that it does not mean that you know everything, you simply know enough!
I warn you that this is not the top of the ladder, just a chance to stand on the bottom of the next one. There will always be another ladder, but that is the essence of medicine—a lifetime of learning and challenge.
Never forget that you have a bounden duty of care to your patients, your colleagues, your profession, and to yourself.
Your journey ahead can take many paths and only you can choose which. My instinct is that you are more a surgeon than a physician; should you select a surgical route, remember that you are first and foremost a doctor… one who also operates. Surgery is fun, but the hallmark of a good surgeon is to know when not to operate….
… Chris, whatever you decide, always remember that surgery is not a science, it is a scientific art: the art is two-fold. The first is the art of handling tissues with biological finesse and delicacy; the second is the art of handling your patients and their near ones with respect, humanity and humility.
To my dear friend Chris, I thank you for your friendship, kindness and support through both easy and difficult times. We will never forget your enthusiasm, humor and kindness.
You said to me not too long ago “.. Paul, I have had a wonderful life, but am now in the checkout lounge, waiting for my final flight...”
Sadly, your flight has been called. We will miss you, my friend. RIP.
—Paul Szypryt, December 24, 2025
