------------------------------
                                                          OMB APPROVAL
                                                  ------------------------------
                                                  OMB Number:          3235-0104
                                                  Expires:      January 31, 2005
                                                  Estimated average burden
                                                  hours per response.........0.5
                                                  ------------------------------

                UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                              Washington, DC 20549

                                     FORM 3

            INITIAL STATEMENT OF BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP OF SECURITIES

    Filed pursuant to Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934,
       Section 17(a) of the Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935 or
               Section 30(h) of the Investment Company Act of 1940

(Print or Type Responses)
________________________________________________________________________________
1.   Name and Address of Reporting Person*

                              Gero, James
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   (Last)                       (First)                   (Middle)

                         10115 Kincey Avenue, Suite 250
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                    (Street)

                            Huntersville, N.C. 28078
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   (City)                            (State)                (Zip)

________________________________________________________________________________
2.   Date of Event Requiring Statement (Month/Day/Year)

                                    01/02/03
________________________________________________________________________________
3.   I.R.S. Identification Number of Reporting Person, if an entity (voluntary)


________________________________________________________________________________
4.   Issuer Name and Ticker or Trading Symbol

                      Orthofix International N.V. ("OFIX")
________________________________________________________________________________
5.   Relationship of Reporting Person(s) to Issuer
     (Check all applicable)

     |X|  Director                             |_|  10% Owner
     |_|  Officer (give title below)           |_|  Other (specify below)

________________________________________________________________________________
6.   If Amendment, Date of Original (Month/Day/Year)


________________________________________________________________________________
7.   Individual or Joint/Group Filing  (Check Applicable Line)

     |X|  Form filed by One Reporting Person

     |_|  Form filed by More than One Reporting Person

================================================================================
             Table I -- Non-Derivative Securities Beneficially Owned
================================================================================


                                                                 3. Ownership Form:
                                      2. Amount of Securities       Direct (D) or
1. Title of Security                     Beneficially Owned         Indirect (I)       4. Nature of Indirect Beneficial Ownership
   (Instr. 4)                            (Instr. 4)                 (Instr. 5)            (Instr. 5)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                 

Common Stock                             25,572                       D
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

====================================================================================================================================

Reminder: Report on a separate line for each class of securities beneficially
          owned directly or indirectly.
*  If the form is filed by more than one reporting person,
   see Instruction 5(b)(v).

Potential persons who are to respond to the collection of information contained
in this form are not required to respond unless the form displays a currently
valid OMB Number.




FORM 3 (continued)

Table II -- Derivative Securities Beneficially Owned
            (e.g., puts, calls, warrants, options, convertible securities)

================================================================================


                                                                                                        5. Owner-
                                                    3. Title and Amount of Securities                      ship
                                                       Underlying Derivative Security                      Form of
                         2. Date Exercisable           (Instr. 4)                                          Derivative
                            and Expiration Date     ---------------------------------    4. Conver-        Securities:
                            (Month/Day/Year)                               Amount           sion or        Direct      6. Nature of
                         ----------------------                            or               Exercise       (D) or         Indirect
                         Date       Expira-                                Number           Price of       Indirect       Beneficial
1. Title of Derivative   Exer-      tion                                   of               Derivative     (I)            Ownership
   Security (Instr. 4)   cisable    Date            Title                  Shares           Security       (Instr. 5)     (Instr. 5)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                                  

Stock Option (right
to buy)                  (1)        1/1/09         Common Stock           25,000             $17.875          D
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

====================================================================================================================================


Explanation of Responses:

(1)  The option vests on the earlier of January 1, 2004 or the date on which the
     closing price of OFIX's Common Stock is $55 or higher consecutively for ten
     trading days immediately prior to such date.

**   Intentional misstatements or omissions of facts constitute Federal
     Criminal Violations.  See 18 U.S.C. 1001 and 15 U.S.C. 78ff(a).


By:  /s/ Brian McCollum                                         1/10/03
---------------------------------------------            -----------------------
     **Signature of Reporting Person                             Date


      Attorney-in-fact


Note:  File three copies of this Form, one of which must be manually signed.
       If space is insufficient, see Instruction 6 for procedure.

Potential persons who are to respond to the collection of information contained
in this form are not required to respond unless the form displays a currently
valid OMB Number.

                                                                         Page 2





                                POWER OF ATTORNEY

         Know all by these presents, that the undersigned hereby constitutes and
appoints each of Thomas Hein, Brian McCollum and Christy Boyd, signing singly,
the undersigned's true and lawful attorney-in-fact to:

         (1)      execute for and on behalf of the undersigned, in the
                  undersigned's capacity as an officer and/or director of
                  Orthofix International N.V (the "Company"), Forms 3, 4, and 5
                  in accordance with Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange
                  Act of 1934 and the rules thereunder;

         (2)      do and perform any and all acts for and on behalf of the
                  undersigned which may be necessary or desirable to complete
                  and execute any such Form 3, 4, or 5, complete and execute any
                  amendment or amendments thereto, and timely file such form
                  with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission and
                  any stock exchange or similar authority; and

         (3)      take any other action of any type whatsoever in connection
                  with the foregoing which, in the opinion of such
                  attorney-in-fact, may be of benefit to, in the best interest
                  of, or legally required by, the undersigned, it being
                  understood that the documents executed by such
                  attorney-in-fact on behalf of the undersigned pursuant to this
                  Power of Attorney shall be in such form and shall contain such
                  terms and conditions as such attorney-in-fact may approve in
                  such attorney-in-fact's discretion.

         The undersigned hereby grants to each such attorney-in-fact full power
and authority to do and perform any and every act and thing whatsoever
requisite, necessary, or proper to be done in the exercise of any of the rights
and powers herein granted, as fully to all intents and purposes as the
undersigned might or could do if personally present, with full power of
substitution or revocation, hereby ratifying and confirming all that such
attorney-in-fact, or such attorney-in-fact's substitute or substitutes, shall
lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue of this power of attorney and the
rights and powers herein granted. The undersigned acknowledges that the
foregoing attorneys-in-fact, in serving in such capacity at the request of the
undersigned, are not assuming, nor is the Company assuming, any of the
undersigned's responsibilities to comply with Section 16 of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934.

         This Power of Attorney shall remain in full force and effect until the
undersigned is no longer required to file Forms 3, 4 and 5 with respect to the
undersigned's holdings of and transactions in securities issued by the Company,
unless earlier revoked by the undersigned in a signed writing delivered to the
foregoing attorneys-in-fact.

         IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned has caused this Power of Attorney
to be executed as of this 24 day of December, 2002.

                                                  /s/ James F. Gero
                                                  ---------------------------
                                                  Signature

                                                  James F. Gero
                                                  ---------------------------
                                                  Print Name