Philly's Richard Rothman turned a talent for replacing hips into a medical empire

Back in 1969, when the young Richard Rothman traveled to England to learn how to perform hip replacements from surgical pioneer John Charnley, Philadelphians with bad hips had "only bad choices," he said.  They could use a walker or have surgeries that didn't do much good.  "You were really out of luck."

Rothman, who was among the first surgeons in the city to embrace hip replacement, was only a couple of years into his practice when Walter Annenberg, the publisher and philanthropist, decided to do something about his arthritic hips. Like other wealthy Philadelphians at the time, he sought out Charnley.  But, in a move that would transform Rothman's career, Charnley persuaded Annenberg that his young protégé in Philadelphia would do a fine job.

To read more of Dr. Rothman's story, click here.