The Clint Devin Memorial Scholarship
This scholarship was founded through a partnership of Steamboat Orthopaedic & Spine Institute and the Devin family to memorialize Dr. Clint Devin's tremendous contribution to spine surgery. His extensive research in the field of spine surgery, as well as his spine surgical practice, has improved the lives of thousands. The Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club is a program of excellence that helps prepare young athletes with the skills to compete and to grow as individuals. This scholarship will be offered to members of the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club who are pursuing a career in the medical field.
Eligible scholarship candidates must be college-bound high school seniors or college-bound postgraduates who are or were active members of the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club through high school.
Annually, we plan to offer scholarships in $500 and $1,000 increments as funds are available each year. Scholarship funds may be used for educational fees.
A selection committee will review all completed applications. The committee will select scholarship recipients each spring based on a combination of leadership qualities, academic standing, and a desire to help others in their chosen profession. Awards will be given to the applicants who best demonstrate dedication to their sport and the pursuit of excellence, as well as commitment to their teammates.
Tax-deductible donations can be made to Clint Devin Memorial Scholarship through Yampa Valley Bank, c/o Tellers, PO Box 775770 Steamboat Springs CO 80477.
Clint Devin, MD
A brilliant spine surgeon, and devoted to his wife and his two sons, Dr. Clinton Devin spent his career helping thousands of patients move forward in their journey toward healing. Recognized around the country as an elite surgeon, Dr. Devin also was known as an expert instructor of surgical residents, a progressive researcher participating in cutting edge medical trials, and a compassionate and empathetic physician.
Dr. Devin was born and raised in Laramie, Wyoming, where he developed a lifelong appreciation for the outdoors, camping, and hunting. He graduated as valedictorian from Laramie High School in 1994, and attended the University of Wyoming where he played on the Men’s Rugby team, earned a degree in Molecular Biology, and graduated with honors in 1998.
He went on to attend the school of medicine at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. During his first year there, he met and fell in love with fellow medical student, Jessica Schefter, who in 2002 would become his life partner in marriage. Dr. Devin completed his orthopaedic residency at Vanderbilt University Medical Center where he served as Administrative Chief Resident. He then completed a complex spinal-reconstruction fellowship at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.
Returning to Vanderbilt as a faculty member in 2009, Dr. Devin spent nine years treating patients with complex spinal conditions and mentoring the numerous orthopaedic and neurosurgery residents and fellows who flocked to him. He also developed an active research program resulting in nearly 200 peer-reviewed publications.
In 2018, Dr. Devin returned to the Rockies to become a founding partner in Steamboat Orthopaedic & Spine Institute and to be involved in the development of the Steamboat Surgery Center. With his family, he was thrilled to make a home in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, where they could enjoy the outdoors together. His practice included several locations in Wyoming, and he continued to maintain an active research program as an Adjunct Associate Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery and Neurosurgery at Vanderbilt, as well as a frequent lecturer and moderator at national and international orthopedic and neurosurgery spine meetings.
Dr. Devin’s natural ability to lead and pull peers together resulted in several remarkable accomplishments in his field, including transforming the Quality Outcomes Database (QOD) registry into the American Spine Registry. A collaboration between the American Association of Neurological Surgeons and the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, the American Spine Registry facilitated a shared, quality data-collection platform between all US-based spine surgeons. His academic achievements resulted in numerous national research awards and induction into the Cervical Spine Research Society as well as the Interurban Orthopaedic Society. He was perhaps most proud of receiving the coveted Residency Teaching Award at Vanderbilt. Over his career, Dr. Devin performed over 5000 spine surgeries, always with the philosophy to provide the least invasive treatment possible that would allow patients to return to doing what they love.
On December 10, 2021, we lost Dr. Devin who was 46 years old at the time, in a plane accident near Steamboat Springs, Colorado. All of us at SOSI will remember his extraordinary intellect and his genuine smile. With the compassion and kindness Dr. Devin exemplified, we will continue to move towards his goal of building Steamboat Orthopaedic & Spine Institute into the very best orthopaedic and spine clinic in the West.