‘He was great in bringing back health’

Dr. Randy Puno had a ‘heart of gold.’ He healed and restored his patients’ health. He was great at helping them.

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Who is the Filipino surgeon who holds multiple US and international patents?

I framed this question witha fond wish that today’s generation of young Filipinos will do what is needed to honor the memory of my high school classmate, Rolando ‘Randy’ Puno.

In January 2019, he joined our Don Bosco Makati class in celebrating our golden jubilee. Later, as the pandemic was waning, he took off from his clinical duties and invited us to his home for a jovial gathering. Then, too, he would join the Zoom meetings that we held to honor our classmates who had passed away.

This was prior to his retirement from a long career with the Norton Leatherman Spine Center in the summer of 2023. Norton Leatherman Spine is a world-renowned program delivering groundbreaking care and treatment for back, neck and spine conditions and procedures. This is how and why Dr. Randy opted to settle and establish his practice in Louisville, Kentucky, which is also the hometown of the legendary Muhammad Ali.

I am now taking the liberty of echoing excerpts of a narrative from the Facebook account of Laurence Tabanao Gayao who honored Dr. Randy’s service as a past president of the UE Ramon Magsaysay Memorial Medical Center (UERMM) alumni association:

“Dr. Puno was an outstanding orthopedic spine surgeon, inventor, and innovator whose work transformed the field of spinal surgery. He pioneered the world’s first polyaxial pedicle screw, now an industry standard worldwide, and held over 90 U.S. and international patents for spinal devices and surgical instruments.

“During his 32 years at the Norton Leatherman Spine Center in Louisville, Kentucky, he also served as Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Louisville and Medical Director of its Biomechanics Laboratory.

“His surgical excellence and compassion touched countless lives — from children with spinal deformities to adults with complex spinal disorders.