In memoriam: Dr Marvin Tile
Tile led the AO Foundation during a period when new regional organizations were established to supplement the existing national organizations—AO Switzerland, AO Germany, AO Spain, and AO Austria. Under his presidency, the first regional organization, AO North America (AO NA), was established in June 1992.
An emeritus professor of surgery at the University of Toronto and an orthopedic surgeon at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto, Canada, Tile was a world authority in orthopedic trauma, particularly the treatment of pelvic and acetabular fractures.
Born in Toronto on January 11, 1933, he attended Harbord Collegiate and the University of Toronto, graduating in 1957. As a Detweiler Traveling Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, he visited major orthopedic centers in England and Europe in 1965 and upon his return to Canada joined the staff of St. Joseph’s hospital.
He joined the Sunnybrook surgical staff in 1966 and became chief of orthopedic surgery division in 1971. Tile played a key role in the development of the globally acclaimed Sunnybrook Trauma Unit in 1976, the first—and still the largest—in Canada. From 1985 to 1996, he was surgeon-in-chief at Sunnybrook, and he chaired the Sunnybrook Foundation from 1996 to 2002.
A widely published researcher, Tile has lectured around the world at universities, colleges, and conferences, and has trained fellows who today lead orthopedic trauma departments worldwide. He is the author of Fractures of the Pelvis and Acetabulum and coauthor, with AO Past President Joseph Schatzker, of The Rationale of Operative Fracture Care.
Tile was dedicated to surgical education, mentorship, and philanthropy beyond his engagement at the AO. He was, amongst many other roles, chairperson of the Sunnybrook Foundation and the Royal College of Surgeons of Canada Examining Board and founding president of the Ontario Orthopaedic Association. He served as president of the Canadian Orthopaedic Association and the International Society of Surgery of the Lumbar Spine and was a Patron of the Canadian Orthopaedic Foundation. His passion for furthering academic surgery was expressed through the establishment of the Endowed Martin Tile Chair in Orthopaedic Surgery at Sunnybrook in 2005.
Tile received many awards, among them the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal, and the prestigious Order of Canada, the country’s highest civilian honor. He is survived by his wife Esther, their four children, and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Obituary from the University of Toronto: Passing of Dr. Marvin Tile - UofT Division of Orthopaedic Surgery
Tributes
Marv taught us all what the word commitment meant. He lived a life committed to his family, his profession and to his community including the AO. The AO Foundation was a very special part of his life. He will never be forgotten.
—AO Past President James Kellam
Marv was a mountain in the field of orthopedics. His contributions to patient care, education, and innovation in orthopaedic trauma care were truly monumental. His leadership in a whole host of organizations including as President of the AO was inspirational with enduring impact. Marv will be missed as a man, colleague, and leader but never forgotten.
—AO President Mark D Markel
With Marvin Tile, I and many others lost a mentor, a role model and a close friend. He not only inspired and fascinated generations of surgeons of orthopedic surgery and pelvic and acetabulum reconstruction, but always acted as an honest adviser, empathic physician, and icon in the field. He guided our AO Foundation in difficult times and set the course for sustainability and attractiveness to coming generations. Together with his beloved wife Esther, they represented the AO family at its best. I lost a close friend, and we will make sure to continue as he taught us!
—AO Immediate Past President Tim Pohlemann
As friends and colleagues, we will miss Dr Tile’s bigger-than-life personality, but his legacy will live on. He defined success not by personal contributions, but by the success of his students and mentees, which pass from generation to generation and multiply exponentially. Through the AO he imparted wisdom to surgeons around the world that will live on forever.
— Professor Mark Vrahas, MD