Great Living Cincinnatians: Honorees

Dr. Alvin Crawford, one of the country’s leading spine specialists, spread his extensive knowledge across the globe for more than 30 years.

Growing up in Memphis, Crawford graduated from Tennessee State in 1960 with degrees in Chemistry and Biochemistry. He then furthered his education at the University of Tennessee’s College of Medicine, breaking barriers while doing so. There, he became the college’s first African-American graduate.

Upon obtaining his degree, he went on to residency in Boston, and had several fellowships. Then in 1977, his medical career began in earnest when he joined the staff at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital as the Director of Orthopedic Surgery, remaining Chief there for an impressive 29 years.

A teacher, ambassador and humanitarian, the world became his classroom. Crawford completed professorships, lectures and performing surgeries in 38 countries. Along the way, he published more than 200 articles, 63 chapters and six books.

More than 50 fellows were fortunate enough to learn from one of the country’s finest. Eventually specializing in treating scoliosis, Dr. Crawford became one of the foremost authorities on video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery, pioneering a procedure which uses rods to straighten the spine. Knowing that countless patients’ lives could be improved because of the knowledge he has gained, he authored a teaching module still widely used across the U.S. and 33 additional countries.

The list of accolades Crawford has received is astonishing. He was the only surgeon to be named as a Top 10 Educator in the first 100 years at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and was on the list of the country’s best doctors yearly since 2005. He was a 2008 inductee into the Hall of Fame of Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

He currently serves as Co-Director of the Crawford Spine Center at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. He also is Professor Emeritus in Pediatrics and Orthopedic Surgery at the University of Cincinnati’s College of Medicine and serves on the Board of several different Cincinnati organizations.

Married to Alva Jean for 50 years, he is a father to two, and grandfather to three. After nearly four decades, our city and countless patients are far better for Crawford choosing Cincinnati to live and work. Dr. Alvin Crawford, a Great Living Cincinnatian.