Dr. Claude Scott - A Profile By Ashton Chambers New York, May 2002: He hails from Black River in the parish of St. Elizabeth, on the island of Jamaica. Today he is a brilliant surgeon at St. Mary's Hospital in Brooklyn, New York City. The last of nine children -- seven boys and two girls, Claude spent his first three or four years in the quiet farming and fishing community of St. Elizabeth, before moving to St. Thomas to live with his grandmother. She died in 1972, and he moved again, this time to Montego Bay where his parents lived. His dad was a senior immigration officer, and it was under this paternal tutelage that young Claude really developed. "He taught me everything about life. He did set an example for me by the way he lived." Claude attended Cornwall College - equivalent to an American high school - where he was brilliant both in and out of class, serving with extreme prominence in the mathematics and science clubs. He also established himself as an outstanding soccer player. From an early age, he was bent towards the sciences. He envisaged himself as an orthopedic surgeon, this following his surgery in 1982 to correct Blount's Disease - probably the most common cause of pathologic bow-leggged deformity. Having pins and rods in his legs got him excited about the field of Pediatric Orthopedics. Right then the urge was born, and Claude set his site on being able to treat children with musculoskeletal disorders. In 1983 Claude migrated to America. He lived with his aunt, and attended Rider University and was among the graduates of the Class of 1986 with a major in biology and a minor in chemistry. He was accepted to quite a few medical schools but choose SUNY Downstate Medical Center because of the huge minority population plus he felt more comfortable in Brooklyn. He received his MD as well as a Ph.D. in Anatomy and Cell Biology and completed his residency in Orthopedic Surgery. He is high in his praise of Dr. Charles Spero, his mentor during his residency at Downstate. Dr. Scott left Brooklyn and journeyed to Wilmington, Delaware in pursuit of a fellowship at the renowned DuPont Hospital for Children. Dr. Scott says he enjoys working with kids. In fact, he pointed out that during his residency while taking care of lots of children in his orthopedic training, he got a deep satisfaction in making the kids feel better. What attracts him more in this pursuit is the knowledge that his Blount's Disease should, and could have been corrected much earlier than it was. "Seeing kids with the same problem as I had and knowing what they are going through both physically and socially, gives me a greater desire to allow them the chance that I didn't have." Dr. Scott is actively involved in clinical research and national cooperative studies. His research interests include "hip and lower extremity deformities, gait disturbances, scoliosis, neuromuscular disorders and pediatric fractures" He is the latest addition to the distinguished team of Orthopedic Surgeons at St. Mary's Hospital. Dr. Scott is also a member of the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons and Assistant Professor at SUNY Downstate Medical School.