Michael Alexander Browne was director of orthopaedic surgery at Stamford Hospital and St Joseph Hospital, Stamford, Connecticut, USA. He was born in Longford, County Longford, Ireland, the fifth of 11 children of Francis Joseph Browne, who worked in insurance, and Roseanne Browne née Murtagh, a housewife. He grew up in Cork City and was educated at Glasheen National School and Presentation Brothers College, Cork, and gained a National Scholarship to study medicine at University College Cork. He qualified in 1950. He trained in medicine and surgery in Ireland and England, gaining his FRCS in 1957 and a MCh degree in 1958. He was then awarded an Ainsworth scholarship, which allowed him to train in the United States, at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston and the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York. He became a fellow of the American College of Surgeons and the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. He established a successful private practice in Stamford, Connecticut and was director of orthopaedic surgery at the Stamford Hospital and St Joseph Hospital from 1978 to 1983. He was also an assistant clinical professor for the Hospital for Special Surgery and New York Medical College. He co-founded the Irish American Orthopaedic Society and was president from 1981 to 1983. He was an active member of the Stamford Ancient Order of Hibernians, an Irish Catholic fraternal organisation, and had a lifelong passion for Irish history and culture. He also loved classical languages and enjoyed golf. Michael A Browne died on 5 January 2013 at the age of 85. He was survived by his wife Kathleen Carmel Browne née Phelan, whom he married in 1958, their five children – Francis, Rosemary, Michael, Paul and Colm – and 12 grandchildren.