Robert Arthur Chase (January 6, 1923 – September 9, 2024) was an American surgeon, researcher, and medical educator. He specialized in limb reconstruction and contributed to the development of hand surgery. In 1985, he founded the Division of Hand Surgery at Stanford University School of Medicine.

Early life and education

Chase was born in

Keene, New Hampshire Keene is a city in Cheshire County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 23,047 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, down from 23,409 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. It is the county seat and the only city in ...

, on January 6, 1923. During his youth, he worked at a family general store. He earned a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, B.S., B.Sc., SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree that is awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Scienc ...

degree from the

University of New Hampshire The University of New Hampshire (UNH) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university with its main campus in Durham, New Hampshire, United States. It was founded and incorporated in 1866 as a land grant coll ...

in 1945 and an

M.D. A Doctor of Medicine (abbreviated MD, from the Latin ) is a medical degree, the meaning of which varies between different jurisdictions. In the United States, and some other countries, the ''MD'' denotes a professional degree of physician. This ge ...

from

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

in 1947.

Early career

Chase was commissioned as an officer in the

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...

in 1949 during his surgical

residency Residency may refer to: * Artist-in-residence, a program to sponsor the residence and work of visual artists, writers, musicians, etc. * Concert residency, a series of concerts performed at one venue * Domicile (law), the act of establishing or m ...

. He returned to complete his residency at

in 1953 and was then assigned as the Chief of Surgery at the U.S. Army Hospital in

Leghorn, Italy Livorno () is a port city on the Ligurian Sea on the western coast of the Tuscany region of Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Livorno, having a population of 152,916 residents as of 2025. It is traditionally known in English as Leghorn ...

. After his service, Chase specialized in plastic and

reconstructive surgery Reconstructive surgery is surgery performed to restore normal appearance and function to body parts malformed by a disease or medical condition. Description Reconstructive surgery is a term with training, clinical, and reimbursement implicat ...

at the

University of Pittsburgh The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The university is composed of seventeen undergraduate and graduate schools and colle ...

. In 1957, he joined Yale's surgical faculty and established Yale's first plastic surgery division. In 1959, he was appointed

Assistant Professor Assistant professor is an academic rank just below the rank of an associate professor used in universities or colleges, mainly in the United States, Canada, Japan, and South Korea. Overview This position is generally taken after earning a doct ...

at Yale and promoted to

Associate Professor Associate professor is an academic title with two principal meanings: in the North American system and that of the ''Commonwealth system''. In the ''North American system'', used in the United States and many other countries, it is a position ...

in 1962. He was appointed Professor and Chairman of Surgery at the

Stanford University School of Medicine The Stanford University School of Medicine is the medical school of Stanford University and is located in Stanford, California, United States. It traces its roots to the Medical Department of the University of the Pacific, founded in San Fra ...

in 1963. At Stanford, Chase helped develop an integrated program that combined general and plastic surgery training, which preceded the establishment of Stanford’s Division of Plastic and

Reconstructive Surgery Reconstructive surgery is surgery performed to restore normal appearance and function to body parts malformed by a disease or medical condition. Description Reconstructive surgery is a term with training, clinical, and reimbursement implicat ...

Later life and legacy

In 1973, Chase was appointed acting Chairman of the Department of

Anatomy Anatomy () is the branch of morphology concerned with the study of the internal structure of organisms and their parts. Anatomy is a branch of natural science that deals with the structural organization of living things. It is an old scien ...

Stanford University Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...

. From 1974 to 1977, he served as President and Director of the

National Board of Medical Examiners The National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME), founded in 1915, is a United States non-profit which develops and manages assessments of student physicians. Known for its role in developing the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) i ...

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

. In 1977, Chase returned to Stanford and assumed the position of Chief of the Division of

Human Anatomy Human anatomy (gr. ἀνατομία, "dissection", from ἀνά, "up", and τέμνειν, "cut") is primarily the scientific study of the morphology of the human body. Anatomy is subdivided into gross anatomy and microscopic anatomy. Gross ...

until 1992. In 1988, he was also named Professor of Surgery,

Emeritus ''Emeritus/Emerita'' () is an honorary title granted to someone who retires from a position of distinction, most commonly an academic faculty position, but is allowed to continue using the previous title, as in "professor emeritus". In some c ...

and continued teaching

human anatomy Human anatomy (gr. ἀνατομία, "dissection", from ἀνά, "up", and τέμνειν, "cut") is primarily the scientific study of the morphology of the human body. Anatomy is subdivided into gross anatomy and microscopic anatomy. Gross ...

after retiring from full-time faculty duties. His honors included the

Francis Gilman Blake Francis Gilman Blake (22 February 1887–1 February 1952) was an American immunologist. He served as dean of the Yale University School of Medicine, president of the American Association of Immunologists, and physician-in-chief of the Yale� ...

Award from

, several teaching awards at Stanford, the Pettee Award from the

, the Albion Walter Hewlett Award from the Stanford University School of Medicine, and the Golden Apple Award from the California Medical Association. Chase authored more than 100 peer-reviewed publications and 35 books, including the ''Atlas of Hand Surgery''. The Robert A. Chase Library and Museum, located on the ground floor of the

American Society for Surgery of the Hand The American Society for Surgery of the Hand (ASSH) was founded in 1946 to facilitate the exchange of information related to problems of the hand. It is the oldest and largest medical specialty society in the United States devoted to the care of t ...

, was named in his honor.

Personal life and death

Chase and his wife, Ann, had three children, nine grandchildren, and seventeen great-grandchildren. Ann died in November 2013. Chase died on September 9, 2024, at the age of 101.Robert A. Chase
Legacy

References

External links

Robert A. Chase - Legacy of a Modern Hand Surgeon

Stanford Plastic Surgery Stanford Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chase, Robert A. 1923 births 2024 deaths American men centenarians American plastic surgeons People from Keene, New Hampshire Stanford University School of Medicine faculty University of New Hampshire alumni Yale School of Medicine alumni United States Army personnel of World War II Members of the National Academy of Medicine