University Times

Morey Sargent Moreland, senior vice chair of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, died Oct. 2, 2011, of complications related to leukemia. He was 72.

A noted expert and researcher on scoliosis and other spinal deformities of children, Moreland came to Pitt in 1989. He was the department’s chief of pediatric orthopaedics for nine years and served as executive vice chair for research, 2003-09. A tenured faculty member, Moreland held the inaugural William F. and Jean W. Donaldson Endowed Chair in Pediatric Orthopaedic Surgery. He also was president of the Children’s Hospital medical staff, 1999-2001.

Moreland started Children’s Hospital’s pediatric orthopaedic research laboratory (now the growth and development laboratory) in 1991; there he led research on the effects of limb lengthening on growth plates and muscles.

Raised in Cheyenne, Wyo., Moreland earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Wyoming and his MD at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry. He served as a Navy flight surgeon then completed his orthopaedic residency at the University of Vermont.

He was a Lord Nuffield Scholar in Orthopaedics at Oxford and a visiting fellow at the Children’s Hospital Medical Center in Boston.

Prior to joining the Pitt faculty, Moreland was a professor of orthopaedics and rehabilitation at the University of Vermont College of Medicine, 1986-89.

Moreland was a member of the American Orthopaedic Association, the Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America, the Scoliosis Research Society and president of the International Research Society for Spinal Deformity.

Freddie Fu, chair of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, remembered Moreland as “a fantastic faculty member” who wanted to do good things for the department, whether it was as a teacher, a surgeon or a researcher. “He was a fantastic human being all around.”

In addition to desiring personal excellence, Moreland “wanted to bring out the best in everybody,” Fu said.

As chief in pediatric orthopaedics, Moreland “built up a really good program,” Fu said, noting that over the past decade he had transitioned from seeing patients to mentoring and managing within the department.

Moreland was skilled at breaking down barriers, Fu said, commending his efforts to cultivate teamwork between clinicians and scientists in the department.

“Under him, our research has come to be one of the top in the country,” Fu said.

Timothy Ward, who worked closely with Moreland as a departmental colleague, said, “In a word: He was steady. He was very, very hardworking, reliable and steady.”

Ward remembered Moreland as gentlemanly and gracious. “He was extremely easy to work with,” Ward said. “He always had a good mood and was respectful of everyone.”

He also was a sound physician, Ward said. “He was extremely good with his patients. He never did anything unnecessary in his treatment with kids. He always did what was in the best interest of his patients.”

Aside from his professional accomplishments, Moreland took time to relax, Fu said. He maintained a home in Taos, N.M., for skiing, and kept a sailboat in Annapolis. Fu said Moreland recently set up his boyhood model train set to share with his sister’s grandchildren.

“He was a great family man,” Fu said.

Ward labeled Moreland a Renaissance man. “He was an excellent educator, interested in students and residents. He was accomplished at what he did but his work didn’t define him. He had a life outside of medicine,” Ward said, adding that Moreland retained a vibrant, youthful appearance and attitude.

Ward said, “He had a passion for his work and a passion for his hobbies.” In addition to his clinical and research interests, Moreland was an accomplished pilot, sailor and skier, sometimes skiing in areas accessible only by helicopter. “He sailed and skied at a higher level than most people ever would,” Ward said.

Moreland also volunteered with the nonprofit CURE International, which cares for needy children in 10 nations. Moreland and his wife, Marilyn, traveled to the CURE hospital in Honduras regularly to perform surgery on children with musculoskeletal disabilities and to train local doctors.

“He did a lot of charity work in Central America,” Ward said. “It was an important part of his professional work.” Moreland traveled at his own expense and donated his services, Ward said. “He did a lot of very complex surgery on indigent kids there. That was important to him. He gave back a lot.”

Moreland didn’t seek attention for himself, Ward added. “He wasn’t a flashy guy.”  In his typical understated fashion, Moreland continued to work up until just a few days before his death, colleagues said.

Diagnosed with leukemia, Moreland had been undergoing chemotherapy in advance of a bone marrow transplant.

Moreland recognized the difficulty of the course of treatment, but he was determined to pursue it in hopes of extending his life. “He really handled the ordeal with a lot of courage,” Ward said. “He understood what he was facing and he remained upbeat and resolute in what he needed to do. Whether the going was easy or the going was rough, he did what he had to do.”

In addition to his wife, Moreland is survived by his daughter, Michelle Moreland, and his sister, Bambi Sturbois.

The family suggests donations to CURE International (Honduras), 701 Bosler Ave., Lemoyne, PA 17043, or to the Stem Cell Research Center, UPMC Sports Medicine, Bridgeside Point II, Suite 206, 450 Technology Drive, Pittsburgh 15219.

—Kimberly K. Barlow