Jonathan A. Forsberg, MD, PhD

I love what I do. The best part of my job involves solving problems with patients together. In cancer surgery, each patient’s tumor is different; this creates the need for thoughtful, creative, and personalized solutions, such as custom surgeries or implants. If a custom implant is the right choice for a patient, we will design one to accommodate their unique needs. During consultations and visits, patients will find me to be attentive, calm, and informative. I take time to educate patients on the different treatment options available to them, and I never let a question go unanswered.

I grew up in the mountains of Montana, a son of a veterinarian who lived a humble life of service, dedication, and compassion. My father bestowed these qualities, along with a healthy work ethic, upon my siblings and me quite early in life. We learned to care for animals, as well as those less fortunate than ourselves. By teaching us to do so, my father instilled within us a sense of duty and commitment — something that I carry with me to this day. 

To that end, service is important to me. I spent 32 years on active duty and was inspired to do so by my father and sister, who were Naval and Air Force officers, respectively. To fulfill my desire to serve, I decided to delay college and enlisted in the Marine Corps. There, I served as an infantryman until I matriculated to the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland.

The Academy trains leaders in a variety of specialties, but it was my interest in becoming a surgeon that led me down a path that is not common in military service. Rather than fly, lead Marines, or go to sea, I entered medical school. I’ve been a student of engineering for as long as I can remember. I learned to improvise, adapt, and overcome as a U.S. Marine and then studied chemistry and engineering at the Naval Academy. When I went on to medical training, I became fascinated with the biomechanics that govern how human body moves. Orthopaedic surgery was the natural choice for me. 

We were at war for my entire residency. The joint replacements and the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstructions that we expected to perform were replaced by blast wounds. As extremity specialists, we focused on cleaning wounds, saving the limbs that we could, and amputating those that we could not save. We helped advance the field of limb-sparing surgery and redefined amputation as a reconstructive procedure that would allow our young, previously healthy patients to return to active lifestyles. During this time, I began to ask relevant research questions and write grants. It became clear to me that I would pursue a life as a surgeon-scientist.

On an “away rotation” in residency, I met an orthopaedic oncologist and assisted him in surgery. I watched as he excised a sarcoma, then reconstructed the shoulder blade and humerus to restore function. I’d never seen anything like it in all of my training. As I look back on this experience, it is humbling that such a chance encounter —one that exposed me to new ideas and surgical possibilities— became an opportunity and later, a passion that would translate to a rewarding career. 

After I completed my residency in orthopaedic surgery, I went to war as part of a small surgical team. We did our best to save lives and limbs, even as we struggled to understand the physiology behind the terrible wounds that we saw. After I returned home, I began my fellowship training in orthopaedic oncology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK). Here, I drew on my father’s lessons in compassion, dedication, and duty. I found these qualities to be instrumental to the care of patients with cancer. Later, to support my goal of becoming a surgeon-scientist, I earned a PhD in Applied Bioinformatics from the Karolinska Institute in Sweden.

Like the Naval Academy, MSK trains leaders. I have led several teams of researchers throughout my career, conducted multicenter clinical trials with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and directed the Department of Defense’s Osseointegration Program. With colleagues in Sweden, I continue to co-direct the International Bone Metastasis Registry and its team of international collaborators.

As a professor of orthopaedic surgery, one of the most rewarding aspects of my job is teaching the next generation of surgeon-scientists. Together, we have helped answer some very important research questions, develop new analytical methods and surgical techniques, and designed and patented unique implants. Our efforts have helped standardize the approach to patients with metastatic bone disease and provide creative surgical solutions to those who had lost hope.

When I’m not in the hospital, I enjoy reading, cooking, and playing golf or tennis if time allows. I sailed competitively in college and enjoy the occasional sailboat race with my friends and family.