Dr. Joe Hardy Retiring After a Nearly 50-Year Career in Medicine
Dr. Joe Hardy wanted to work in medicine ever since his parents first bought him a ‘Visible Man’ toy for Christmas when he was a child.
As a freshman in high school, he watched his first surgery at the University of Nevada College of Agriculture where they performed a C-section on a cow. That summer, he cleaned test tubes and conducted ‘cancer research’ working with mice at the university.
More than 50 years later, Hardy, affectionately known as ‘Dr. Joe,’ is retiring from Touro after a lengthy and fulfilling career in full time medicine.
Originally from Northern Nevada, Hardy has called Boulder City home for the past 40 years. A practicing primary care physician, he joined the Touro University Nevada College of Osteopathic Medicine in 2012 after speaking with Touro’s founding Dean, Dr. Mitchell Forman, at the airport while waiting for their flight to Albuquerque.
“I became at Touro what I like to be: a teacher of students, all the while seeing my patients in the clinic. The best of both worlds,” Hardy said.
Since then, Hardy has been a guiding light for Touro’s medical students, first as a clinical lecturer before becoming Associate Dean of Clinical Education in 2018. In his role, Hardy assists Touro’s third-and fourth-year medical students on their clinical rotations and throughout their journey during Match Week and into their residencies.
“Dr. Hardy has made an indelible impact on our medical students since coming to Touro a decade ago,” said Dr. Andrew Priest, Touro University Nevada’s Campus President and Provost. “For nearly 50 years, Dr. Hardy has been a dedicated physician who always puts his patients first. He passed that same wisdom to our students, who are better prepared as physicians because of his leadership. I wish him nothing but the best on his well-deserved retirement.”
Over the last 10 years, Hardy has welcomed the challenges and opportunities the university has encountered, from a significant increase in class sizes to the COVID-19 pandemic. One of his proudest accomplishments has been the opportunity to teach the physicians of the future at Touro.
“We sincerely appreciate Dr. Hardy’s dedication and commitment to Touro University Nevada’s College of Osteopathic Medicine in the various roles in which he has contributed,” said Dean Wolfgang Gilliar on behalf of the College of Osteopathic Medicine. “We appreciate his incredible view towards the greater community and society at large through his unfaltering support of social issues. We wish Dr. Hardy best health, joy, and satisfaction in his next step during retirement which will punctuate through his community minded activities.”
A veteran of the U.S. Air Force, Hardy received his B.S. from the University of Nevada, Reno in 1973 while in the first two years of medical school and graduated with his M.D. from Washington University in St. Louis in 1976. He completed his family practice residency at Good Samaritan Hospital in Phoenix, Ariz. in 1979.
Hardy, a former three-term State Senator in the Nevada Legislature, was named Nevada Family Physician of the Year in 1998 and 2010. After winning election in 2022, Hardy was sworn in as the new Mayor of Boulder City in November. He looks forward to finding more ways to improve Boulder City through good policy.
“My career as a physician has gone hand-in-hand with my life as a public servant,” he said. “I believe that we can bring about health and happiness with good public policies through the means of political discourse and debates. I will always be willing to engage in bringing people together for the good of individuals and communities. I may be a mayor now, but I am determined to be of service for my whole life.”
Shelley Berkley, Senior Vice President of Touro University and former CEO & Senior Provost of Touro Western Division, commended Hardy for his lifelong commitment to education and public service.
“I’ve known Dr. Joe Hardy for decades and have seen first-hand how much he cares for his students, his patients, and the people of Nevada,” she said. “We were so fortunate to have had him as a faculty member here at Touro. While Dr. Hardy no longer teaches our students full-time in the classroom, I have no doubt that he’ll continue to make a difference for the residents of Boulder City.”
Hardy said he hopes to continue working as an adjunct faculty member at Touro.
“I have been richly blessed to be a part of the College of Osteopathic Medicine and look forward to watching how I can be of continued service to Touro’s students,” he said. “I feel confident that those who come after me will continue to help great students learn to love and care for all people in the Touro tradition of excellence.”
Touro Nevada's College of Osteopathic Medicine