APRIL
24, 2026
The annual Alvin J. Ingram Memorial Lecture honors the memory of a former Campbell Clinic Chief of Staff and Department Chairman who had a larger-than-life presence among his colleagues.
The annual Alvin J. Ingram, MD Memorial Lecture was initiated in memory of former Campbell Clinic Chief of Staff and department chairman Alvin J. Ingram, MD through a gift from members of his family, to honor his commitment to education. He had a larger-than-life presence among his colleagues.
“Alvin Ingram was a thoughtful and very well-respected man,” said Dr. James H. Beaty, who worked under the Jackson, TN native as an orthopaedic resident and during Ingram’s last two years at Campbell Clinic. “He was my mentor, role model and the reason I went into pediatric orthopaedics.”
Beaty described Ingram as a great leader who was President of everything from the Memphis and Shelby County Medical Society to the American Orthopaedic Association, Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America, American Academy for Cerebral Palsy, American Orthopaedic Association, and American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery.
“Dr. Ingram was the kind of person who, when he spoke, people listened,” Beaty said. “He was a con-
sensus builder, but he could make a decision when it needed to be made. He was a wonderful leader in every way.”
Dr. Ingram attended Union University before receiving a bachelor of science degree from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville, then proceeding to UT-Memphis for his medical degree. A graduate of the University of Tennessee-Campbell Clinic’s residency program, Ingram was medical director of the Crippled Children’s Hospital and a world authority on polio treatment. He died in 1999 at age 85.
The lecture in Ingram’s honor highlights achievements in surgeon education and features a distinguished visiting professor and presentations from the Campbell Clinic Foundation graduating residents. Since 2014, under the guidance of Course Director Derek M. Kelly, MD, the lecture expanded to include talks by a distinguished professor, faculty, and an expert panel. In 2024, Kirk M. Thompson, MD and Carson M. Rider, MD took the reins as the Ingram Lecture Co-Directors.
James R. Ficke, MD, Colonel (retired) U.S. Army, FACS, FAOA is the Robert A. Robinson Professor, Orthopaedic Surgeon-in-Chief at Johns Hopkins University. His surgical practice focuses on foot and ankle reconstruction, trauma, and patients with limb loss.
After completing his BS degree in engineering at West Point, Dr. Ficke graduated from Uniformed Services University and served his residency at Tripler Army Medical Center in Honolulu. He completed an AO fellowship in trauma in Munich, Germany, and a foot and ankle fellowship in Dallas.
While on active duty, Dr. Ficke was deployed to Iraq as Senior Orthopaedic Surgeon-in-Country and Deputy Commander for the 228th Combat Support Hospital. He was also Chief of Staff for the Surgeon General’s Dismounted Complex Blast Injury Tack Force, and the Army Lead for the Department of Defense/Veteran Affairs’ Extremity Trauma and Amputee Center of Excellence Development Group. Dr. Ficke served as chair or co-chair of the Steering Committee for the Department of Defense Peer Reviewed Orthopaedic Research Program for eight years.
Dr. Ficke’s last military assignment was at San Antonio Military Medical Center at Fort Sam Houston, where he chaired the Department of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation. In addition, for seven years, he served as the senior advisor for orthopaedic surgery and extremity injuries to the U.S. Army Surgeon General. He currently holds research grants with the Department of Defense and National Institutes of Health, with a focus on post-traumatic ankle arthritis, national trauma systems development, resident research training (T32), and disaster response improvement.
From March 2020 thru June 2021, as a partnership between the Maryland State Department of Health,
University of Maryland Medical System, and Johns Hopkins Health System, Dr. Ficke organized and directed the Baltimore Convention Center Field Hospital as part of the Unified Maryland COVID-19 response.
He has been recognized as Pillar of the American Orthopaedic Association for his leadership, mentoring, and lifelong contributions to the field. He also has received the Society of Military Orthopaedic Surgeons’ COL Brian Allgood Memorial Leadership Award as well as the Surgeon General’s Major General Lewis Aspey Mologne Award for excellence in military academics, education, and clinical care. Dr. Ficke is a Legionnaire in the Infantry Order of St. Michael and a Distinguished Member of the Army Medical Regiment, and he is an Eagle Scout. In 2018, Dr. Ficke received the Johns Hopkins Award for Advancement of Women in Science and Medicine, and the Boy Scouts of America Leaders in Healthcare Award. In 2024, he was recognized by the Ruth Jackson Orthopaedic Society with the annual “He for She” award.
Dr. Ficke serves as the Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation Government Steering Committee Chair. He volunteers as Director for Team Red White & Blue, a veteran service organization of over 200,000 members; the Baltimore Area Council Boy Scout Board, and the Johns Hopkins Medical Board. In 2024, he accepted a 10-year term as Director for the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgeons.
We are honored to have Dr. Ficke serve as our 2026 Ingram Lecture Distinguished Professor!
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