AAOS Honors Surgeons with Diversity, Humanitarian, and Leadership Awards
2023 Diversity Award
Mary I. O’Connor, MD, FAOA, FAAHKS, FAAOS, is the recipient of the 2023 Diversity Award from the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. A nationally recognized leader in orthopaedics, Dr. O’Connor is a well-known champion of diversity in healthcare. She is professor emerita of orthopaedics at Mayo Clinic, as well as past professor of orthopaedics and rehabilitation at Yale School of Medicine. In 2021, Dr. O’Connor transitioned from academic medicine to entrepreneurship as co-founder of Vori Health, a virtual specialty medical practice designed to treat musculoskeletal pain more effectively. She serves as the chief medical officer for Vori Health.
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2023 Humanitarian Award
Mark S. Myerson MD, FAAOS, of Denver, Colorado, was honored with the 2023 Humanitarian Award from AAOS in recognition of his work providing foot and ankle care to underserved communities around the world. In 2000, Dr. Myerson founded Steps2Walk, an international volunteer organization that provides surgical care in areas where there is a critical need for treatment of foot and ankle deformities, as well as education about these deformities for local surgeons. To date, the organization has performed more than 1400 surgical operations, trained more than 500 orthopaedic surgeons, and hosted programs in more than 24 countries.
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2023 William W. Tipton Jr., MD, Leadership Award
The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons has presented its 2023 William W. Tipton Jr., MD, Leadership Award to Alex Jahangir, MD, FAAOS. Dr. Jahangir, a professor and vice chair of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) in Nashville, Tennessee, has not only made an impact in the field of orthopaedic surgery through his practice, but has also made a lasting impression on his community by heading the Nashville COVID-19 task force during the height of the pandemic. He remained in that role for 2 years while simultaneously continuing his practice at VUMC. Throughout his service on the task force, Dr. Jahangir implemented new policies and practices that helped better protect public health, including establishing city-wide COVID-19 testing and vaccination services.
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