John Agee, M.D., 78, a prominent hand surgeon and founder of the Hand Biomechanics Lab in Sacramento, California, passed away on Thursday, April 13, 2023, while in hospice care in Sunriver, Oregon.
Dr. Agee had the great good fortune to train under two orthopedic legends and pioneers, Drs. Paul Brand and Daniel Riordan. Following his training, Dr. Agee established both his private orthopedic practice and the Hand Biomechanics Biolab in Sacramento, California. Dr. Agree treated patients at many local hospitals including Sutter Medical Center and Mercy Medical Center Mount Shasta.
According to those who knew him the best, Agee always said, “Don’t tell me what you know. Tell me what you believe.”
He had a passion for learning and for teaching that led to solutions for carpal tunnel syndrome, joint replacement, and wrist fractures. He was also a prolific researcher and well published author regarding the diagnosis and treatment of scoliosis.
Agee received his medical degree from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge in 1969 and stayed there to complete an internship from 1969 to 1970 and then his orthopedic surgery residency from 1970 to 1971.
He continued his training with another residency at Tulane University in New Orleans from 1973 to 1976 and then a third residency with Dr. Riordan in 1974 and at the Rancho Los Amigos in Downey, California, in 1975. The following year, he also trained at the National Leprosarium in Carville, Louisiana.
His work was transformational, but he always stayed humble. His colleagues wrote in a tribute to him, “His inventions changed the practice of hand surgery and prompted many imitators, but no equals. He shared the wealth of his knowledge quite generously, and likewise he generously shared the wealth that came from the commercialization of his knowledge, but only on the condition that it never be acknowledged. He never wanted credit, only to help.”
Agee was born in Texas on August 24, 1944, but was raised in Lake Charles, Louisiana, by Pete and Anne Phillips after losing his father who was a WWII veteran. From an early age, he had an interest in engineering and orthopedic medicine.
He loved tinkering with things in his machine shop/airplane hangar, his favorite thing being building and flying airplanes. He also loved spending time with his dogs, Oscar, Sparky and Mutzy.
