Celebrating a Legacy: Centenarian Milton Weinberg, Jr., M.D., reflects on his career

Renowned cardiothoracic surgeon and decorated war surgeon Milton Weinberg, Jr., M.D., achieved one more remarkable milestone this year. Something less than 0.03% of the U.S. population achieves: Becoming a Centenarian!

During a recent luncheon, Dr. Weinberg celebrated his 100th birthday with his wife of 68 years, Joan (who turned 95 this year!), their three children, and their families, including four grandchildren and three great-grandchildren, and several close family friends.  With such a large extended family scattered across the U.S., people came from seven states to help celebrate this remarkable milestone with the Weinbergs. “It was a wonderful and memorable day,” he said. “We are blessed to be doing exceptionally well and enjoyed having everyone celebrate with us.”

Weinberg has had a storied career and is no stranger to making life-and-death decisions under extraordinary circumstances, whether serving in the 8055 Mobile Army Surgical Hospital (MASH) unit during the Korean War or a five-decade career as one of Chicago’s preeminent cardiothoracic surgeons, Weinberg’s eyes have seen a lot throughout his life.

The book Legends Leaders Pioneers: Surgeons Who Built Vascular Surgery, authored by the late James S.T. Yao, M.D., and Walter J. McCarthy, M.D., brings together the recollections of over 90 prominent surgeons, including Milton Weinberg, Jr., M.D., who were instrumental in shaping the field. Weinberg is considered a leader and pioneer in vascular surgery for his role in shaping the field of aortic surgery and aneurysm repair, which is chronicled in the SVS interview that complements the book.

Born and raised in Sumter, South Carolina, he recalls an idyllic childhood in a small rural community filled with family values, faith, and friendship. Weinberg graduated from Duke University School of Medicine and entered his residency at Roper Hospital in 1949. His residency was interrupted in 1951 by military service in the 8055 MASH Unit, a fully functional hospital in a Korean combat zone that inspired the famous movie and TV show M*A*S*H. While in Korea, Dr. Weinberg became a decorated military surgeon, rising to the rank of Major and earning a Bronze Star Medal for his meritorious service in a combat zone.

His MASH unit crossed the historic 38th parallel several times and saw a massive onslaught of wounded when the fighting was heavy. “Sometimes our unit would see up to a thousand casualties in a day,” he said. “I’m told that 95 percent of all wounded soldiers that came to the unit survived, and never before had survival rates been so high in any other army corps unit.” He believed if the young soldiers could endure combat, he could certainly do his job to the best of his ability. The Real Mash movie (trailer link) traces the original stories that inspired the fictional TV series and film set during the Korean War.

Returning home from service, Weinberg re-entered his residency at Roper Hospital and began his residency at MUSC, first in pathology, and then surgery. “The MUSC residency program was a great experience. You did procedures that almost no one ever did – the program was ahead of its time,” he recalls. 

H. Biemann Othersen, Jr., M.D., was also a senior resident in 1955. “Dr. Weinberg’s brilliance and skill was evident very early on,” Othersen said. “He was an excellent administrative chief, but what always impressed me was his kindness and strength of character.” He recalls a time during his senior year when Weinberg’s character and thoughtful nature helped change the trajectory of his personal life.  He and Weinberg were scheduled to be on call together on the weekend that he wanted to take a nurse he fancied to the senior ball.  “Dr. Weinberg told me not to worry - he would cover me, and we went to the ball,” said Othersen.  “That nurse, Janelle, and I have been happily married for 65 years!”

During Weinberg’s training, Eddie Parker, M.D., a recognized leader in thoracic surgery in South Carolina, was one of his mentors. “There was no formal or approved residency program in cardiothoracic surgery until 1965. Dr. Parker knew I was interested in cardiothoracic surgery and helped guide my path,” said Weinberg, who served as MUSC Chief Resident in General Surgery in 1955.

“It was Dr. Kredel, Chairman of the Department at the time, who recommended I visit Dr. Egbert H. Fell in Chicago, attending surgeon at Presbyterian and Cook County Hospitals in Chicago. I visited Dr. Fell, and we hit it off right away.  In 1955, I began my fellowship in Cardiovascular Surgery at Presbyterian Hospital in Chicago, Illinois, under the direction of Dr. Fell.”

Once Weinberg completed his fellowship, he received his first appointment at Cook County Hospital. He settled into a five-decade career as one of Chicago’s preeminent cardiothoracic surgeons and founding member of the Chicago-based Society of Thoracic Surgeons.

When the SVS was founded in 1946, cardiac surgery played a significant role in its early development as the field of vascular surgery was still emerging and closely tied to cardiac procedures. The first decade (1947-1956) was the breakthrough decade with the introduction of direct arterial surgery, including the aortic homograft for aortic aneurysms. 

In Weinberg’s SVS video interview, which chronicles many innovations in cardiothoracic surgery and cardiovascular surgery during those early years, Weinberg explained the process of using homografts (now referred to as allografts) for direct arterial surgery and the significance of building the Central Artery Bank of the Chicago Heart Association. Weinberg said the use of homografts kept direct arterial surgery evolving until the introduction of prosthetic grafts.

“Dr. Fell founded the Central Artery Bank, and I served as its assistant director if there was a title,” he said. “It grew to include several hospitals and preeminent heart surgeons across Chicago. The collaboration created more of a cooperative, with Cook Hospital as the central bank, and smaller banks existed in area hospitals.” According to Yao, it was one of the milestones in vascular surgery. Weinberg is the first author of an article published in JAMA in 1959, which reported on information obtained from the 38 surgeons in the Chicago area who used these grafts.

At Cook County Hospital, Weinberg was the Founder and Chairman of the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery (1964-68). At Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke’s Medical Center, he served as President of the Medical Staff and a member of the Board of Trustees from 1977-79.

His tenure at Lutheran General Hospital was filled with accomplishments, including Chairman of the Department of Surgery (1989-94), Chairman Emeritus, and Vice-Chairman of the Department of Surgery (1994-98, 1999-2003). He also held faculty appointments at the University of Illinois School of Medicine, Rush Medical Center, and the University of Chicago School of Medicine.

During the 2015 American College of Surgeons Annual Clinical Congress Meeting in Chicago, Prabhakar Baliga, M.D., Chair of the MUSC Department of Surgery, visited the couple in their Lake Forest home. “Joan and I very much appreciated the visit,” he said. “I’m delighted to be a part of MUSC again – the residency program was such a great experience.”  In Fall 2025, the ACS meeting will be back in Chicago, and Baliga says he looks forward to getting together with the Weinbergs again.

*A complete list of all 90 interviews can be found at https://vascular.org/about/history in the section: The Giants of Vascular Surgery - Video Interviews.