Profiles in Giving

Dr. John Houde DMS '92: Volunteer on the Rise

Dr. John Houde

Many kids choose sports heroes, rock stars, or Hollywood actors as their role models. But growing up, John Houde admired medical professionals, particularly his mother, a Certified Nurse Midwife and founding director of DHMC's Nurse Midwifery program, as well as many of her friends, who were doctors and nurses. "I looked up to them, and hearing them talk about caring for their patients made a big impression on me," Houde recalls.

Houde came to DMS in 1988 on an Air Force Scholarship, knowing he would specialize in orthopaedics. As a football and rugby player, he had more than a passing familiarity with orthopaedists. In addition, Houde lived just a few doors down from DHMC orthopaedic surgeon Dr. John Nutting, whom he considers "a major positive influence."

After earning his MD in 1992, Houde completed his residency at the University of Massachusetts, where he was chief resident in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery. He then served as chief of orthopaedic surgery and podiatry at the 1st Fighter Wing Hospital at Langley Air Force Base in Virginia before returning to the Upper Valley in 2002 to enter into private practice.

As the sole practitioner in a busy Claremont, NH, orthopaedics office, Houde notes that the demands of caring for patients in his practice and of being on call for patients at Claremont's Valley Regional Hospital can make balancing career and family life difficult at times. But the rewards of being a doctor are tremendous, Houde observes, "when a patient comes into your office and can't walk very far, or they're in pain, and you have the ability to fix it. That's the best part of my career."

Since graduating from DMS, Houde has supported his alma mater through gifts to the Fund for DMS in honor of the education he received. "The medical education that Dartmouth provides is just what medicine needs," Houde asserts. "And the more people we can get to train at a place like DMS, the better off our medical system will be."

Now, as the new chair of the Class of 1992 Reunion Gift Committee, Houde is looking forward to inspiring his classmates to join him in supporting the Fund in honor of their 15th reunion. "We had an awesome class," he says. "I just thought this would be a nice way to reconnect with my classmates and stimulate some giving on behalf of Dartmouth."

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