Central Louisiana orthopedic surgeon Christopher J. Rich, MD, died, according to KALB.com.
A board-certified orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Rich served as managing partner at Alexandria, La.-based Mid-State Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Center from 1988 until retiring in 2011.
Dr. Rich was the first medical director of Louisiana's Office of Workers' Compensation Administration. With expertise in sports medicine, Dr. Rich also served as team physician of Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, La., and provided medical care to 44 high schools in the area.
A former president of the Louisiana Orthopaedic Association, Dr. Rich was recently honored with the organization's Lifetime Achievement Award, according to Town Talk.
In January, Mid-State Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Center renamed its annual physical day, which Dr. Rich started in 1993, to Chris Rich High School Physical Day.
Dr. Rich had been battling a rare liver cancer for 15 months, according to the report.
"It's a tremendous loss to the community," Michael Leddy III, MD, a longtime co-worker of Dr. Rich, told KALB.com. "But, I really and truly believe with all the people that [Dr. Rich] touched and all the people who he had the opportunity to add to their careers, he has left the community in good hands with other people. That is going to be his legacy moving forward."