After a series of successful surgeries to address an aggressive giant cell tumor of bone on their daughter’s thigh, Jim and Marti Schmidt asked their doctor, Michael Simon, MD, professor and chair emeritus of orthopaedic surgery, where a philanthropic gift could have the most impact.
“We wanted to make a meaningful contribution. One of the suggestions the doctors gave us was that one of their fellows be sent to the annual Musculoskeletal Tumor Society meeting, and so the Sarah Schmidt Fund was born,” said Marti Schmidt.
Jim and Marti established the Sarah Schmidt Fund in 2003, providing resources for the orthopaedic oncology fellows to attend annual conferences, where they present their research and learn the latest developments in the field. Orthopaedic oncology focuses on the rare cancers of bones and soft tissue. Clinical fellowships provide advanced specialty training to accomplished graduate physicians and physician-scientists to prepare them for careers in advanced specialty care and research. Today’s clinical fellows will be tomorrow’s leading physicians and clinical researchers, spearheading the next wave of breakthroughs in treating disease and caring for patients. Attending the annual conference is an important part of their training.
“We continue to recruit the best fellows and keep the legacy going,” said Simon. “The opportunity for our fellows to present at the annual conference and learn about the latest research in the field is critical to the success of our program.”
The orthopaedic oncology fellowship is now in its fortieth year, and an impressive number of fellows have gone on to be leaders in the field. Among 40 alumni, ten have become department chairs, 12 have served as program directors, three have been or will be president of the American Orthopaedic Association, two have served as president of the Musculoskeletal Tumor Society, and many others hold prominent positions in national organizations.
The Schmidts have continued to give for more than two decades since the fund was first established, citing the success of the fellowship program. “This is why I continued to give,” said Marti, noting the many accomplishments of the fellows.
For their daughter, Sarah Rutten, the quality of care she received was as important as the eminence of the physicians who attended her. “There was never just a doctor visiting me from behind a chart—it was a team that stayed with me through the whole journey, checking in over the years, not just during the acute moments,” she said. “All of them treated me like a person first, not just a patient, and as a young adult who didn’t really know all I was in for, that gave me great comfort. That combination of expertise and genuine warmth is something I’ve carried with me ever since. I’ve emailed them with updates here and there over the years, and I always hear back. I feel real gratitude for that continued connection.”
The reputation of the UChicago Medicine team and their standard of care still guide Rutten’s decisions today, 25 years after the experience as she monitors her health with new doctors. “When they see Dr. Simon’s name in my history, their reaction is immediate: ‘He’s a legend in the field.’ It’s reassuring, even now, years later and states away, to know I was cared for by a team that’s this respected,” she said.
