Providing Religiously and Culturally Competent Care

Julie Balch Samora, MD, PhD, MPH, FAAOS

We have the good fortune to live in a culturally and religiously diverse society and therefore often care for patients who come from backgrounds different from our own. Navigating unique values, beliefs, and ideals can sometimes be difficult. Nonetheless, we should demonstrate empathy while providing care and strive to support the beliefs of our patients.

Supreme Court Rules on LGBTQ Job Discrimination

Lisa K. Cannada, MD, FAAOS

On June 15, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that federal law protects workers from discrimination based on their sexual orientation or gender identity. The decision marks the first major case on transgender rights and adds new protections for LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer [or questioning]) workers.

Applying for a Residency and Fellowship from an Osteopathic Perspective

Emily Tan, DO; Brent Bamberger, MS, PT, DO, FAOA, FAOAO

Match Day has always been exciting for students and educators alike. This past March was the first time that all allopathic (MD) and osteopathic (DO) applicants participated exclusively in the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP). As we move forward together in the educational collaboration between allopathic and osteopathic orthopaedic surgeons, the time has come to take a closer look at what makes DOs and MDs similar and different.

How Majority Surgeons Can Encourage, Promote Diversity in the Workplace

Gary W. Stewart, MD, FAAOS; Jasmin McGinty, MD, FAAOS, FAOA

Regis O’Keefe, MD, FAAOS, is chair of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at Washington University School of Medicine. He is a longtime member of the J. Robert Gladden Orthopaedic Society (JRGOS) and the Ruth Jackson Orthopaedic Society (RJOS). As past president of the American Orthopaedic Association, he made discussion and promotion of diversity major goals during his term in office. On behalf of AAOS Now, Gary W. Stewart, MD, FAAOS, and Jasmin McGinty, MD, FAAOS, FAOA, interviewed Dr. O’Keefe about his journey in the field of orthopaedics.

Antiquated Maternity Leave Policies Can Deter Med Students

Emma P. Dwyer, MD; Megan Anne Conti Mica, MD, FAAOS

Women represent slightly more than half of U.S. medical students. Despite the steady rise of female medical students, orthopaedic surgery continues to have one of the lowest representations of female surgeons, as only 5 percent of orthopaedic surgeons and 14 percent of residents are women. Surgery and medicine should be genderless careers. However, to understand why there remains a paucity of one gender, one must understand the root cause of why women are not entering orthopaedic surgery.

Family Planning Poses Challenges for Orthopaedic Surgeons

Selina Poon, MD, MPH, FAAOS

Work-life balance is often discussed, but significantly less advice is offered for those balancing planning a family with developing a career in orthopaedic surgery. AAOS, with the endorsement of the Ruth Jackson Orthopaedic Society and the Diversity Advisory Board, which reports to the AAOS Board of Directors and the Membership Council, hosted a webinar on May 6, titled “Family Planning for the Orthopaedic Surgeon.”

Podcast Covers Healthcare Disparities and Public Policy Solutions

Kerri Fitzgerald

Structural inequities and barriers to health care existed prior to COVID-19, but the pandemic has put a spotlight on the problem, which has also recently become the focus of advocacy efforts nationwide. On an episode of “The Bone Beat,” Kristen Coultas, who leads advocacy communications for the AAOS Office of Government Relations (OGR), and cohost Shreyasi Deb, PhD, MBA, who leads the regulatory arm of AAOS government relations, spoke with Movement Is Life (MIL) Chair Mary I. O’Connor, MD, FAAOS, professor of orthopaedics and rehabilitation at the Yale School of Medicine, about how public policy and individual surgeons can strengthen community-based programs to ultimately help narrow the health equity gap.

Women in Orthopaedics Discuss What Influenced Their Specialty Choices

Lisa K. Cannada, MD, FAAOS

Female orthopaedic surgeons are in residency during prime childbearing years. The influences on female orthopaedic surgeons differ from those on men, given the choices they have to make regarding work-life balance, pregnancy, and family. It wasn’t until recently that factors that may influence a woman’s choice of fellowship have been explored. Previous studies indicated that spine, adult reconstruction, and trauma subspecialties had the lowest percentages of women completing fellowship. Residents gain exposure to all specialties during their training, and different experiences and expectations may influence a woman’s choice of specialty.