In memoriam of AO Foundation founder Prof Dr Peter Matter

The AO community is deeply saddened by the death of Prof Peter Matter, an AO pioneer whose leadership bridged the first and second generations of the organization’s governance. 

Matter participated in the very first AO Davos Courses as an assistant in 1960 and went on to become one of the founders of the AO Foundation; his legacy is seen in the AO’s vast expansion of its global surgeon network and educational offerings that have improved patient outcomes around the world.    

A front-row seat to the birth and evolution of the AO

Peter Matter was born on July 26, 1932, and attended school in Zollikon, Switzerland. At the age of 25, he completed his medical studies at the University of Zurich and received his doctorate from the same university in 1958. Matter completed residencies at the Kantonsspital Chur and later at the University of Texas, Galveston, US. At Galveston, he was a junior resident in their department for plastic surgery, where he also performed clinical work in reconstructive surgery and burn treatment.

As a young surgeon at Kantonsspital Chur, Matter received training in general surgery under the direction of Prof Martin Allgöwer. This was where he first encountered the AO’s principles of osteosynthesis, as Allgöwer belonged to the small group of Swiss surgeons who founded the AO in 1958 to champion revolutionary internal fixation techniques. Matter attended the inaugural AO Davos Course in 1960 and witnessed the AO grow from this small group of surgical pioneers to the international network of surgeons it is today—not just from the sidelines but also through numerous leadership roles at the AO.

Matter remained close with Allgöwer throughout his career. When the latter was offered a professorship in surgery at the University of Basel, he took Matter with him as a senior resident. Many years later, Matter returned to the university as an associate professor. By 1967, Matter was an established senior physician, and in 1970, he officially became an AO Member, following more than a decade of engagement with the AO and its methods and research. "I didn’t join the AO, I was part of the AO. I sometimes called myself the first AO baby, because I was with the group, and specifically Prof Allgöwer, as a young surgeon in training, straight from the beginning," Matter stated when asked about onboarding with the AO. "I was witnessing a lot of discussions between the pioneers, and many of them I only understood many years later. But it was a fascinating time which certainly helped me to stick to the AO for my career."

In 1971, Matter joined Spital Davos as its medical director and head of surgery; he remained at the helm until 1994. The Davos hospital was an excellent place for Matter to master osteosynthesis, given the number of fractures it received due to its location at an international ski resort—so much so that additional assistants were hired in Davos during the winter months. Matter led extensive studies in alpine ski equipment and accidents, collaborating with the Basel teaching staff and Prof Stephan Perren from the AO’s Laboratory of Experimental Surgery Davos—now known as the AO Research Institute Davos (ARI)—to organize courses to further this research. 

Growing with the AO

Meanwhile, Matter’s leadership was also growing within the AO, as the organization underwent a period of significant transition and growth in the late 1970s and early 1980s. In 1982, Matter succeeded Robert Schneider as AO Switzerland’s president. At this point, Matter took over the organization of the AO Davos Courses.

In December 1984, the Charter of the AO Foundation was signed in Davos, Switzerland, formally establishing the AO as an international organization, with Allgöwer as its first president. Consequently, the AO Foundation appointed a board of trustees—the AO’s legislative body that remains firmly in place today. The physical presence of the AO in Davos also reflected this growth. In 1992, the construction of the AO Center was completed—a unifying project that Matter was vital in realizing.   

Matter served as President of AO International (1993−99), the AO’s educational institute at that time, and shortly thereafter, he became President of the AO Foundation (2000–02). For Matter, these two roles informed one another: “During my presidency of the AO Foundation, I intensified my activities in education in different areas of the world,” he recalled in an interview. As president, he supported the formation and efforts of AO East Asia and AO Latin America while also working on a concept for educational activity in China. 

The AO was not the only group to benefit from and honor Matter’s seasoned leadership— Matter was widely recognized by colleagues in his field and local community for his expert guidance. He held positions as President of the Association of Grison Hospital Doctors (1976−83) and Vice President of the Association of Davos Doctors; he served as an Advisory Board member for Science City Davos and as a founding member of the Academia Raetica; and in 2007, he received the Davos Crystal for his life’s work.