and Abbott had been the first to use the technique however, the first report was provided by Robinson and Smith, in 1955. Cloward's technique differed from the other surgeon's in that he used a large dowel graft, as opposed to the strut graft that the others used. His idea for this dowel was taken from an modification made by Ben Wiltberger to Cloward's PLIF operation, who had used dowels in place of Cloward's bone pegs. Cloward published his work on the subject in 1958. Though not the first to perform or publish the procedure, his standing in the neurosurgical field at the time enhanced its early popularity. Like the PLIF, ACDF is now a popular method of spinal fusion. Later career Throughout his career, he educated the international community of neurosurgeons in the performance of the operations he devised. Cloward was a member of the Western Neurosurgical Society for 40 years and served as its President in 1975. After his death in 2000, a number of Society members were desirous of creating an award in his name which would include a medal akin to the Cushing Medallion awarded by the AANS. It was felt that Ralph's innovative talents and pioneering efforts to establish anterior cervical and posterior lumbar interbody fusion plus the numerous instruments he devised was just cause to honor him in perpetuity by bestowing an award upon neurosurgeons from around the world who also exemplified such capacity for epochal innovation and pioneering application. In 2002, the Society established the award with the gracious assistance of the surviving Cloward family. References American neurosurgeons University of Hawaiʻi alumni 1908 births 2000 deaths Rush Medical College alumni 20th-century surgeons