Northwestern University Athletics
Michael Schafer Bio -
Michael F. Schafer, MD, GME '72, is the Ryerson Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at Northwestern University.
After earning his medical degree from the University of Iowa, he completed an internship at Chicago Wesley Memorial Hospital and a residency in orthopaedic surgery at Northwestern University. He fulfilled two fellowships--National Foundation Traveling Fellowship in Spine Surgery (Australia) and North American Traveling Fellowship. He is the longest serving chair of orthopaedic surgery in the medical school's history and specializes in sports medicine and diseases and disorders of the spine.
He has served as an orthopaedic consultant for the Chicago Cubs for 30 years and spent a number of years providing orthopaedic care for the Chicago Bears. Dr. Schafer has received numerous accolades and awards. Most recently, he was the recipient of the William W. Tipton, Jr., MD 2008 Leadership Award given by the Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation (OREF) for outstanding leadership in orthopaedic surgery.
Active in numerous professional societies, Dr. Schafer is on the Board of Directors of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) as well as a member of the Chicago Medical Society, the American Medical Association, the Scoliosis Research Society, the Illinois Medical Society, the American Orthopaedic Association, the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine, the Ruth Jackson Orthopaedic Society, among many others. He sits on several committees and advisory boards, and serves as a peer reviewer and associate editor for Spine, the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, and AAOS Now.
He is married to Eileen and they have five children and 16 grandchildren.
