Five Landmark Medical Breakthroughs Mark America's 250th Anniversary, Doctors Say
U.S. physicians have identified five medical innovations — spanning orthopedics, psychiatry, oncology, cardiology and neuroscience — that define the nation's contribution to medicine as America marks 250 years since its founding in 1776. Experts affiliated with Baptist Health in Florida and a West Virginia-based psychiatrist cited advances from joint replacement surgery to brain stimulation therapies as having fundamentally reshaped patient outcomes.
Key takeaways
- U.S. physicians identified five medical innovations — in orthopedics, psychiatry, oncology, cardiology and neuroscience — that define America's contribution to medicine as the nation marks 250 years since its 1776 founding.
- Advances in imaging, navigation and robotic-assisted technology now let joint replacement patients walk the same day as surgery and return home sooner.
- The FDA recently expanded clearance for an accelerated Deep TMS protocol that shortens the initial treatment phase from about four weeks of daily visits to six treatment days.
- In Deep TMS clinical trials, roughly 78% of patients reached remission and more than 80% remained in remission a full year later.
- Experts cited the understanding that cancer is fundamentally a genetic disease, along with coronary stents, catheter-based valve replacement and mechanical thrombectomy, as transformative breakthroughs.
U.S. physicians have identified five medical innovations — spanning orthopedics, psychiatry, oncology, cardiology and neuroscience — that define the nation's contribution to medicine as America marks 250 years since its founding in 1776. Experts affiliated with Baptist Health in Florida and a West Virginia-based psychiatrist cited advances from joint replacement surgery to brain stimulation therapies as having fundamentally reshaped patient outcomes.
Joint Replacement Surgery
John Uribe, MD, orthopedic surgeon and system chief executive at Baptist Health Orthopedic Care in Florida, named the evolution of joint replacement — particularly of the hip and knee — as the greatest breakthrough in orthopedics. A generation ago, severe arthritis or joint damage often meant a lifetime of pain and loss of independence, Uribe said. Advanced imaging, navigation tools and robotic-assisted technology now allow surgeons to personalize implant positioning; patients can walk the same day as the procedure and return home sooner than in the past.
Neuromodulation and Mental Health Treatment
Dr. Russ Voltin, a West Virginia-based practicing psychiatrist and medical consultant at BrainsWay, identified deep transcranial magnetic stimulation, or Deep TMS, as psychiatry's defining breakthrough. The non-invasive outpatient treatment targets brain circuits involved in depression and OCD without anesthesia or sedation. The FDA recently expanded clearance for an accelerated Deep TMS protocol that shortens the initial treatment phase from roughly four weeks of daily visits to six treatment days. In clinical trials, approximately 78% of patients reached remission and more than 80% remained in remission a full year later.
Cancer as a Genetic Disease
Leonard Kalman, MD, acting system chief executive at Baptist Health Cancer Care and acting executive medical director at Baptist Health Herbert Wertheim Cancer Institute in South Florida, said the most consequential oncology development is the understanding that cancer is fundamentally a genetic disease. That insight has enabled physicians to cure certain leukemias and lymphomas that were once far more difficult to treat, Kalman said. Advances in targeted therapies, immunotherapy and molecular testing have pushed care toward individualized treatment, including for metastatic lung cancer, melanoma and prostate cancer.
Cardiology and Neuroscience
Tom Nguyen, MD, system chief executive at Baptist Health Heart & Vascular Care and chief medical executive at Baptist Health Miami Cardiac & Vascular Institute, said procedures including coronary stents, catheter-based valve replacement and robotic heart surgery have transformed cardiovascular outcomes. Patients who might have died in their 40s or 50s now routinely live into their 80s and 90s, he said. Michael McDermott, MD, system chief executive of Baptist Health Brain & Spine Care and chief medical executive at Baptist Health Miami Neuroscience Institute, said the ability to safely perform brain surgery — supported by improvements in anesthesia, imaging, surgical navigation and intraoperative neurophysiologic monitoring — represents neuroscience's greatest advance. He cited mechanical thrombectomy, which allows physicians to remove a clot and restore blood flow during an active stroke before permanent damage occurs, as equally transformative.