Bernard Rineberg
Bernard Allen Rineberg, 83, of Little Silver died Sept. 30, 2018. He was born in New Brunswick and lived there for nearly 40 years after completing his medical training.
Dr. Rineberg practiced orthopaedic surgery for nearly 40 years in New Brunswick, achieving national and international recognition for his work. During his many years on staff at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, he served as Emergency Room chief, president of the Medical Staff, and chief of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery. He also served as Clinical Professor of Surgery at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.
He earned both his B.A. and M.D. from Duke University, and completed his residency in surgery and orthopaedic surgery at Barnes Hospital, Washington University.
He cochaired the RWJ University Hospital Foundation’s Invitational Golf Classic, an annual event that has raised millions of dollars for the hospital. At the hospital, he was a longtime member of the board of trustees, and when he retired from the board, he was given the honor of being named Emeritus Trustee.
He was an active member of the New Jersey Orthopaedic Society, where he served as president, and at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, where he was chairman of the Board of Councilors, chairman of the Committee on Health Care Reform, and vice president.
In 1993, he became president of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS), the largest orthopaedic association in the world. He was the first president in the long history of this organization who was a community practitioner, rather than from the world of academics. From that perspective, he emphasized the importance of involvement in formulating health policy, in addition to the Academy’s traditional role in education.
He was a trustee of the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery (JBJS), served other medical publications, and was an associate editor of “New Jersey Medicine.”
He was a member of the board of trustees of the Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation (OREF), a national foundation advancing orthopaedic research. He was a founding director of the InterMedix Orthopaedic Network, a network of orthopaedic physicians throughout New Jersey.
Among his awards and recognitions, in 1995 he was the recipient of the prestigious Edward J. Ill Physicians Award, for “excellence in medicine and service to the people of New Jersey.” In 2005, the New Jersey Orthopaedic Society honored him with its Lifetime Achievement Award. He also received the Humanitarian Award from the National Conference of Christians and Jews.
He served on the board of trustees for many non-profit organizations, including the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery, Academy of Medicine of New Jersey, The Peddie School, and the Anti-Defamation League. He was also a member of former Gov. Christie Whitman’s Transition Team and chairman of the Alliance Subcommittee Advisory Panel on Federal Health Care Reform.
He is survived by his wife, Nancy; his daughter; Rachel; three grandchildren; and a great-grandchild.
Services were held Oct. 2 with arrangements by Crabiel Parkwest Funeral Chapel, New Brunswick. Memorial contributions may be made to Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, Grand Central Station, P.O. Box 4777, New York, N.Y. 10163.
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