Orthopedic surgeon O. Tom Johns, MD, died March 31 of a pulmonary issue, according to the Daily News Journal, part of the USA Today network. He was 72.
Dr. Johns practiced at Tennessee Orthopaedic Alliance in Nashville. He provided sports medicine services at local schools, including Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, for more than four decades.
After practicing at Nashville-based Vanderbilt Medical Center early in his career, Dr. Johns founded Murfreesboro Orthopedic Association in 1978.
In 1993, he partnered with Michael R. Jordan, MD, to establish Middle Tennessee Orthopedics and Sports Medicine in Murfreesboro. Dr. Johns also served as a U.S. team physician in the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.
In 2010, The American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine presented Dr. Johns with the Thomas A. Brady Award for excellence in the field.
"He's been an unbelievable asset to community from an orthopedic standpoint and particularly sports medicine standpoint," said Dr. Jordan of Tennessee Orthopaedic Alliance. "He took care of patients with passion. It's a huge loss to the community."