Joseph Giordano, M.D., former chair of the Department of Surgery at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, received the Alumni Achievement Award from the Jefferson Medical College Alumni Association for his extraordinary 40-year career in trauma surgery. The Jefferson Medical College Alumni Association created the Alumni Achievement Award in 1964 to honor graduates who bring prestige to the school. The award, presented during an alumni awards banquet on Sept. 21, pays tribute to Giordano’s professional achievements, as well as to his character.
Giordano graduated from Jefferson Medical College in 1967. He completed his surgical residency at GW, and served as a basic science researcher for three years at the Walter Reed Army Institute for Research. In 1976, he joined the staff at GW where he spent the remainder of his professional career. While head of GW’s trauma team in 1981, Giordano was credited with saving former President of the United States Ronald Reagan’s life when he was shot after giving a speech to union representatives at a Washington, D.C. hotel.
While this event is certainly one of the most memorable during his four decades at GW, Giordano is also credited with revolutionizing trauma care at GW. After taking over the emergency department at GW in 1976, Giordano reorganized the department into a Level I Trauma Center, earning the American College of Surgeons certification three years later. He was named chairman of surgery at GW in 1992 and was later named the Lewis B. Saltz Chair of Surgery.
Having retired from surgery two years ago, Giordano now serves on the board of a humanitarian surgical program, Partner for Surgery, which arranges for surgical teams to go to provide care for rural Guatemalans.
