Paul Tornetta III, MD, PhD, FAAOS
Paul Tornetta III, MD, PhD is an orthopaedic trauma surgeon whose career has focused on improving patient care and orthopaedic education. He describes himself as a "blue-collar surgeon" who takes pride in promoting a shared decision-making model with his patients, the process of lifelong learning, and a reputation for fairness and transparency. Dr. Tornetta has been named a Castle Connolly Top Doctor annually since 1999 and Boston Magazine Top Doc since 2006.
He has published over 300 papers, edited over 25 textbooks and book series, and taught or chaired over 250 courses. He has an interest in large scale studies, leads a multicenter research consortium, and was a steering committee member of trials that have won the OREF Clinical Research award and the Kappa Delta Award twice. He is a Past President of the Orthopaedic Trauma Association (OTA) and served on the American Orthopaedic Association (AOA) executive committee for over 10 years. Dr. Tornetta is the recipient of the the Bovill Award on four occasions,, the Leach teaching award four times, and was an AOA ABC traveling fellow.
Dr. Tornetta has a long history of involvement in many AAOS committees and task forces. He is a past board member and chaired the Evaluations Committee, ICL Committee, Annual Meeting Committee, and most recently the Education Council. He is most proud of the strong collaboration between the AAOS, ABOS, AOA/CORD, and the AAOS Resident Assembly that has led to the new Resident Orthopaedic Core Knowledge (ROCK) curriculum that he co-edits with Dr. Carol Morris, FAAOS that is now fully released. This living program represents a major commitment of the AAOS to support resident education.
Dr. Tornetta received his bachelor’s degree in chemistry and mathematics from Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, Pa. He earned his medical degree from SUNY-Health Science Center at Brooklyn (NY), where he also completed his internship and residency in Orthopaedic Surgery, followed by a fellowship in Acetabular/Pelvic Fractures at the Hospital of the Good Samaritan in Los Angeles under Joel Matta, MD. He earned his PhD at the University of Groningen, Netherlands.
Dr. Tornetta is a Professor and the Chair of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at the Boston University School of Medicine and the Director of Orthopaedic Trauma at Boston Medical Center.
Mininder S. Kocher, MD, MPH, FAAOS
Dr. Kocher is the Chief of the Division of Sports Medicine at Boston Children’s Hospital, O’Donnell Family Endowed Chair, and Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at Harvard Medical School. He is an expert in pediatric orthopaedics, sports medicine, and clinical epidemiology.
He graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Dartmouth College and as a Davidson Scholar from the Duke University School of Medicine. He completed orthopaedic residency at the Harvard Combined Orthopaedic Residency Program, pediatric orthopaedic fellowship at Boston Children’s Hospital, and sports medicine fellowship at the Steadman Hawkins Clinic. He completed an MPH in Clinical Epidemiology from the Harvard School of Public Health and the Program in Leadership Development at Harvard Business School.
His clinical practice focuses on pediatric sports medicine and fractures. He is the team physician for numerous high schools and colleges. He is recognized as Best of Boston by Boston Magazine, America’s Top Doctors by Castle Connelly, and Top 17 Pediatric Orthopaedic Surgeons in North America by RY Ortho.
His research focuses on clinical epidemiology and biostatistics. He has published over 300 scientific articles, 150 book chapters, 8 textbooks, and has been a visiting professor in over 20 countries. He has received numerous research awards including the Angela Kuo Award, the Arthur Heune Award, the Vernon Thompson Award, and the OREF Clinical Research Award.
He serves as the Chief of the Division of Sports Medicine, Director of the Sports Medicine Fellowship, and Surgical Director Satellite Operations at Boston Children’s Hospital. He has served on the Board of Directors of AAOS, AOSSM, and POSNA. He was a founder of PRISM and ROCK. He is an invited member of IPOTT, Herodicus Society, and the 20th Century Orthopaedic Association. He served as the 38th President of POSNA in 2021-2022.
Michael J. Leddy III, MD, FAAOS
Dr. Leddy is a double, board-certified, fellowship-trained orthopaedic surgeon who specializes in sports medicine and complex shoulder reconstruction and arthroplasty.
Originally from New York, Dr.Leddy completed his undergraduate studies and medical school at Boston University. Following his residency at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in New Orleans, he completed an orthopaedic sports medicine fellowship in Minneapolis at Tria Orthopaedics.
Dr. Leddy is the managing partner at MidState Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Center in Central Louisiana. He has served as President of the Louisiana Orthopaedic Association and in numerous leadership roles in the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgery, American Orthopaedic Society of Sports Medicine and the Arthroscopy Association of North America. He has also served as team physician for professional, collegiate, and high school athletic programs and has been continuously recognized in Louisiana Magazine’s Top Doctors.
Dr. Leddy resides in Alexandria with his wife Andree, his daughters Anna Clare and Mary Cate, and their four dogs. He is an avid fan of hockey, rugby and enjoys playing golf, hunting, reading and travel.
Dr. Leddy’s goal is to always put the health and welfare of his patients first and to contribute to the education of future orthopaedic surgeons.
Lilly Marks
Lilly Marks served from 2010-2020 as Vice President for Health Affairs for the University of Colorado and Anschutz Medical Campus, which includes the university’s Schools of Medicine, Dental Medicine, Pharmacy, Public Health, College of Nursing and Graduate School and the University of Colorado Hospital and Children’s Hospital Colorado. Prior to her health campus leadership role, Ms. Marks spent two decades serving concurrently as Senior Associate Dean for Finance and Administration of the School of Medicine and as Executive Director of University of Colorado Medicine, the 501(c)(3) faculty practice organization (formerly University Physicians, Inc.).
Ms. Marks has served on the Board of Directors of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City and the Board of Directors of the Association of American Medical Colleges (past Chair). She currently serves as an external advisor to the University Of California Board Of Regents on academic health system issues... She is a trustee of the Barbara Davis Childhood Diabetes Center Research Foundation. Her corporate service includes the Board of Directors of Orthofix Medical, Inc. a global medical device company.
Ms. Marks past board service also includes: Chair of the Board of University of Colorado Hospital, University of Colorado Health System, and Children’s Hospital Colorado. Additionally, she served on the Advisory Board for Clinical Research of the National Institutes of Health and on the board of the Association of Academic Health Centers (past chair). She has also served on multiple community not-for-profit boards.
Among numerous recognitions, the University of Colorado’s Board of Regents awarded Ms. Marks with the University Medal for her transformational contributions to the University. In 2021, the Medical College of Wisconsin awarded Ms. Marks the honorary degree of Doctor of Medicine. Ms. Marks is a past recipient of the Denver Business Journal’s Outstanding Woman in Business Award and has also been recognized by the Colorado Women’s Chamber of Commerce as one of the 25 Most Powerful Women in Colorado. 5280 Magazine recognized Ms. Marks as one of 50 Most Influential People in Denver.
In 2019, the publication Women Inc. named Ms. Marks as one of the nation’s most influential corporate board directors.
Ms. Marks is a frequent national speaker on topics regarding health care policy and economics, clinical practice management, medical school economics, leadership in health care and academic medicine, and women’s professional development.
Annunziato Amendola, MD, FAAOS
Ned Amendola, MD, is currently the Virginia Flowers Baker Distinguished Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery, Chief of the Sports Medicine Division, and Executive Director of the James R. Urbaniak Sports Sciences Institute at Duke University. In addition, he is the Head Team physician and Chief Medical Officer for Duke Athletics.
Dr Amendola earned his medical degree and completed his orthopedic residency at the Western University in London, Ontario. He completed post-graduate fellowships in Orthopaedic Sports Medicine, Foot and Ankle, and Hand Surgery. Dr Amendola is a Diplomate of the American Board of Orthopedic Surgery and the Royal College of Surgeons of Canada. He began his career on faculty where he trained at Western University in London Canada, where he became Chief of Orthopaedic Surgery at the University Hospital, moved to the University of Iowa in 2001 as Director of Sports Medicine, and was a tenured Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery until 2015. While at Iowa, Dr. Amendola received the Kim and John Callaghan Endowed Chair in Sports Medicine in 2009. He has been a tenured Professor of Orthopaedic surgery at Duke University since 2015.
He has been involved as a member and a leader in many orthopedic and sports medicine organizations, including most recently on the Board of Trustees of OREF and Past President for the American Orthopedic Society for Sports Medicine. He has been a member of the Board of Directors of AAOS, ABOS, AOSSM, AANA, ISAKOS, and Past President of the Canadian Academy of Sport Medicine.
Throughout his career, Dr Amendola has focused on improving the quality of orthopedic care through clinical practice, education, and research. He has always appreciated teaching and learning from many students, residents, and fellows over his career. He has received numerous peer-reviewed grants, and published over 300 peer-reviewed articles, as well as authored an extensive number of book chapters and editor of 8 textbooks in sports medicine, foot and ankle, and arthroscopy. Dr. Amendola has earned numerous research related awards including Kappa Delta Award from the AAOS in 2012 and 2019 and Excellence in Research Award, Cabaud and O’Donohue awards from the AOSSM.
James William Barber, MD, FAAOS
Jim Barber was born in Augusta, Georgia. His dad worked for a large corporation and as he was promoted up the ranks, his family moved northward. Along with his schoolteacher mom, brother, and sister, Jim lived in Virginia Beach, Indianapolis, Toledo, and then Atlanta, where Jim attended high school. Jim developed a keen interest in computers after becoming addicted to Pong, and decided to attend Georgia Tech, where his dad had played football for coach Bobby Dodd. During college he worked as a resident assistant and was employed at IBM under the Cooperative Program. At IBM, Jim worked as a computer programmer, writing code, testing, and building a multimedia education system. Nearing his senior year he felt a calling to medicine and ultimately graduated from Georgia Tech with honors in computer science.
He attended Medical College of Georgia, in Augusta, Georgia. The satisfaction of definitive treatments drew him to orthopaedic surgery, completing Orthopaedic Surgery residency at Georgia Baptist Medical Center in Atlanta. Jim’s closest friend graduated from orthopaedic residency at Georgia Baptist, and was then recruited to a lucrative job market in a small town in South Georgia called Douglas. Soon thereafter, Jim joined his friend. Times were great with no managed care, and the partners split all income and expenses evenly. However, Jim’s friend moved a few years later. Jim fell in love with, and married, Jessica. Despite the increasing difficulties of solo practice in a rural area, Jim has worked in Douglas for 26 years with top-notch office staff, and loves practicing patient-centered medicine in a small town.
Jim’s free time is mostly spent with his wife and three beautiful daughters. He enjoys sailing on the Atlantic on his 39-foot boat. He has learned new computer programming languages, C# and python, and has written functional EMR software for his office. He developed software and hardware which coordinates the timing of fireworks explosions with music, viewed periodically on July 4th by hundreds of spectators. Other death-defying feats include sailing to the Bahamas on a 16-foot sailboat, crossing the Israeli-Egyptian border with live ammunition, “running with the bulls” in Pamplona, and performing as drummer in the rock band “Conscious Sedation”.
Jim became interested in public service during the 2005 campaign for tort reform in Georgia. He realized that although splintered and disorganized, doctors many times carried a crucial message that was sometimes lost in the noise of better organized voices. Driven by a desire to serve others, he pursued various leadership roles in his State orthopaedic society, County and State medical associations, hospital medical staff, and independent physician association. While growing an active medical practice, Jim completed leadership training programs with the Medical Association of Georgia (GPLA 2009), the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (Leadership Fellows Program 2010), and graduated from Leadership Georgia in 2011. Ever mindful of the importance of family priorities and commitment, he has served on the governing bodies of the Okefenokee Swamp Park, Douglas Community Foundation, Medical Association of Georgia, South Georgia Physicians Association, Coffee County Medical Society, Coffee Regional Medical Center, Georgia Society of Ambulatory Surgery Centers, and Georgia Orthopaedic Society. He currently serves as Secretary of the Board of Councilors, American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, on the AAOS Board of Directors, as Speaker of the House, Medical Association of Georgia (8000 physicians), and as Chair of Gov Brian Kemp’s Georgia Board of Healthcare Workforce.
Jim relishes opportunities to lead others through service, fully engaged in roles both big and small. He believes, as does Bill Seifert (offshore sailing expert), "boats, like people and chains, are happiest being pulled rather than pushed."
Kevin John Bozic, MD, MBA, FAAOS
Dr. Bozic is the inaugural Chair of Surgery and Perioperative Care at the Dell Medical School at UT Austin. He is an internationally recognized leader in orthopaedic surgery and value-based health care payment and delivery models. Since coming to Austin, he has built a Department with over 250 Faculty across a broad array of surgical disciplines, all focused on the Dell Med mission of revolutionizing the way people get and stay healthy by developing new models of person-centered, multidisciplinary care that reward value and educating leaders who will transform health care. Prior to joining the Dell Med, he was the William R. Murray Endowed Professor and Vice Chair of Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) School of Medicine and Core Faculty of the Philip R. Lee Institute for Health Policy Studies. He holds a BS in Biomedical Engineering from Duke University, where he graduated magna cum laude, and an MD with Thesis from UCSF. He completed his Orthopaedic Surgery Residency training in the Harvard Combined Orthopaedic Residency Program, and additional Fellowship training in Adult Reconstructive Surgery from Rush University Medical College. Dr. Bozic also holds an MBA from Harvard Business School, where he continues to serve as a Senior Institute Associate in Michael Porter’s Institute for Strategy and Competitiveness.
Dr. Bozic’s clinical practice is focused on the management of patients with hip and knee arthritis and painful hip and knee arthroplasties, and he has over 20 years of experience in adult reconstructive surgery focusing on simple and complex primary and revision hip and knee arthroplasty.
Dr. Bozic will assume the position of President of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) in March 2023. He is the past Chair of the AAOS Council on Research and Quality, the AAOS Health Care Systems Committee, and the American Joint Replacement Registry, and co-founder and former Chair of the California Joint Replacement Registry. Dr. Bozic is actively engaged in numerous regional and national health policy initiatives, including the Health Care Payment Learning Action Network (HCP-LAN), the Yale Center for Outcomes Research & Evaluation Performance Measurement Group, and is a former member of the AHRQ Effective Health Care Stakeholder Group. He has extensive research and policy experience in the field of value-based health care, focused on design, implementation and evaluation of value-based payment and delivery models. His research has been funded by the AHRQ, the National Institutes for Health, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation (OREF).
Dr. Bozic has been the recipient of numerous Awards, including the UCSF Exceptional Physician of the Year Award; the OREF Clinical Research Award; the American Bone & Joint Surgeons Marshall Urist Young Investigator Award; the American Association of Hip & Knee Surgeons James A Rand Young Investigator Award and Lawrence D. Dorr Award; the American Orthopaedic Association American-British-Canadian Exchange and North American Traveling Fellowships; the Orthopaedic Research Society William Harris Award; the Hip Society John Charnley Award; and the Knee Society Chitranjan Ranawat Award, among others.
Outside of his professional endeavors, Dr. Bozic enjoys cooking, cross-training, golf, traveling, and spending time with his wife Christi and three daughters Ava, Alexa, and Alanna.
Evalina L. Burger, MD, FAAOS
Dr. Evalina Burger graduated medical school in South Africa at the University of the Free State with honors in General Surgery, Pediatrics and Psychiatry. She became the first woman to receive the Cornelius Wessels Medallion in Surgery. She continued her career and became a Captain in the South African Defense Force Medical Corp where she worked and acquired surgical skills in orthopaedics, treating injuries of war and land mine explosions. She completed her internship in the Military Hospital before joining the Defense Force. She completed her residency over the next six years, received the G.F. Dommisse Award for the best resident and also won the prize for the best resident research paper at the University of Pretoria. Following her residency, which included almost two years of spine training, she dedicated her career to spine surgery. She became the first female surgeon in South Africa to become an ABC Fellow and traveled to North America and Canada in 2000 as a visiting professor to several large institutions. She was recruited to Louisiana State University in 2001 where she established an Adult Spine Unit. In 2006, she was recruited to the University of Colorado Denver Anschutz Medical Campus where she propelled her career, held several leadership positions including Chair of the Orthopedic Finance Committee, Executive Vice Chair and Vice Chair of Clinical Affairs for the Department of Orthopedics and established herself in the field of research. She has international recognition for her work on the thermoplastic behavior of metal rods and also received the prestigious White Cloud Award with her research group, showing the advantages of disc replacement.
Dr. Burger is currently a full professor at the University of Colorado Department of Orthopedics and assumed the role of Chair of the Department. She is the first recipient of the Robert D’Ambrosia Endowed Chair in Orthopedics. She continues to work diligently in a very complex spine practice and was the recipient of a SPARK Innovations Award in 2018.
Wilford K. Gibson, MD, FAAOS
Wilford K Gibson MD FAAOS is a partner at Atlantic Orthopaedic Specialists (AOS) in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Dr. Gibson graduated cum laude from the University of Richmond where he competed in the hurdles and sprint relays on the university division 1 track team. He received his Doctor of Medicine from the Medical College of Virginia followed by a surgery internship at Naval Medical Center Portsmouth (NMCP). Lieutenant Gibson received orders to the USS Nassau, an amphibious assault ship, for Caribbean and Mediterranean deployments, receiving several awards including the Navy Commendation Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Meritorious Unit Commendation, Battle “E” and sea service ribbons. He returned to Portsmouth for his orthopaedic surgery residency. Dr. Gibson was a Navy fellow in orthopaedic trauma at Tampa General Hospital with Dr. Roy Sanders and pelvis and acetabulum AO fellow In Los Angeles with Dr. Joel Matta. He led the orthopaedic trauma service at NMCP before starting his civilian practice at Eastern Virginia Medical School and AOS. Dr. Gibson currently focuses his practice on adult reconstruction of the hip and knee, specializing in minimally invasive approaches, robotics, and patient specific systems. He volunteers as a team physician for Old Dominion University football and basketball.
Dr. Gibson has been engaged in AAOS leadership over a decade, beginning with the Board of Councilors (BOC) as a Councilor from Virginia. He was elected BOC Secretary and progressed to chair-elect and chair, serving three years on the AAOS Board of Directors. He recently served as AAOS Advocacy Council chair and served on the AAOS Political Action Committee Executive Committee. Dr. Gibson received the 2014 Virginia Orthopaedic Society (VOS) President’s Award, the 2015 VOS Career Lifetime Achievement Award, and the 2022 AAOS Congressional Ambassador of the Year Award.
Dr. Gibson is married to Annette an occupational therapist and has three children: Grace a Doctor of Physical Therapy, David an ophthalmology resident, and Audrey a recent law school graduate.
Dr. Gibson looks forward to serving our profession and modeling our values: leading to serve, shaping our future, and excellence together!
John T. Gill, MD, FAAOS
Dr. Gill is the immediate past Chairman of the Orthopaedic Political Action Committee (OrthoPAC), having served in that position from 2015-2023. He is a past chairman of the AAOS Board of Councilors, and has previously served on the Academy Board of Directors, the AAOS Nominating Committee, the Council on Advocacy, the Council on Research, and as chairman of the Advocacy Resource Committee (ARC). In addition to his AAOS activities, he has served as a delegate to the AMA House of Delegates representing the Texas Medical Association and is a past president of the Texas Orthopaedic Association. A private practitioner in Dallas, Dr. Gill is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, UT Southwestern Medical School, and completed his residency at Parkland Memorial Hospital and sports medicine fellowship at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. With his well-known signature line, “Do you know the name of your congressman; does your congressman know your name”, Dr. Gill has a passion for advocacy. He has become well known to lawmakers in both Austin and Washington and has served on statewide, gubernatorial, congressional and presidential campaign committees.
Lisa N. Masters, MBA
Lisa Masters most recently led Learning & Leadership Development for Bank of America. In this role, she was responsible for the learning, talent and succession management, leadership development and organizational design and organizational effectiveness programs for the company’s employees worldwide.
Masters also served as the human resources (HR) executive responsible for Human Resources. This includes developing HR strategic plans and aligning HR capabilities to support business growth and performance objectives.
Masters has been with the company since 1987. In previous roles, she oversaw Leadership Development for Staff Support, Global Marketing & Corporate Affairs (GMCA) and Legacy Asset Servicing. In that role, she was responsible for talent development across the Audit division, Chief Financial Officer (CFO) group, Global Risk Management, Legal, Compliance and Regulatory Relations and GMCA. In addition, she previously held HR and Staffing leadership roles supporting Global Wealth & Investment Management and other businesses. Masters has also held positions in the CFO group, GMCA and the Audit division.
Masters served on the firm’s Global Diversity and Inclusion Council from 2015 – 2020 and previously was the enterprise Executive Sponsor for the firm’s Intergenerational Employee Network and the Executive Sponsor for the Atlanta chapter of the Asian Leaders Network. She also served as the enterprise Market Sponsor for the Tallahassee, Florida, market, supporting local leadership in bringing the firm’s full capabilities to bear on the market, including business integration, public policy, and ESG. She currently serves as President of the Board of Directors for the Atlanta-based Southern Crescent Chorale and as Leadership Development Officer for Pi Beta Phi Fraternity for women.
Masters earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Georgia and a Master of Business Administration degree with a concentration in finance from Emory University. She currently lives in Atlanta, Ga. and New York, N.Y.
Joel L. Mayerson, MD, FAAOS
Dr. Mayerson is a professor of orthopaedic surgery and an orthopaedic oncologist at the James Cancer Hospital at The Ohio State University School of Medicine in Columbus, Ohio. At the James he is currently the Associate Chief Medical Officer and Medical Director of Surgical Services for the entire cancer program at Ohio State University which is the third largest free standing cancer hospital in the US. In addition, he serves as Medical Director of Sarcoma Services at The James. He has also served as program director of the Ohio State University orthopaedic residency for nine years. Clinically, he developed a pioneering treatment for aneurysmal bone cysts that has revolutionized care around the world for this problem. His research focuses on outcomes for orthopaedic oncology surgical procedures and innovative surgical techniques that improve care. Dr. Mayerson has been an active volunteer with the AAOS for nearly two decades and has been a member of the Board of Specialty Societies, Chair of the Patient Education, Publication and Website Development Committee, member of the Musculoskeletal Tumor and Metabolic Disease Committee, and member of the Council for Education among multiple other AAOS roles. Dr. Mayerson is Past-President of the Musculoskeletal Tumor Society and helped lead the MSTS transition to oversight of the accreditation and match process for all orthopaedic oncology fellowships in North America. He is also Past President of the Ohio Orthopaedic Society (OOS) where he helped create programs that resulted in over 40% membership growth during his leadership in the society. In June 2020 he was inducted into the Mazzaferri-Ellison Society of Master Clinicians which is a peer nominated honor society at OSU recognizing “Master Clinicians who excel in clinical practice, clinical teaching, mentoring, professionalism, and service.” At the time of his induction, he was one of only 36 members out of 2400+ Ohio State University College of Medicine faculty. Dr. Mayerson has authored over 140 peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters and made over 125 international, national, and regional presentations. He received his medical degree from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland. He completed his orthopaedic surgical residency training at The Cleveland Clinic Foundation in Cleveland, Ohio, and a fellowship in adult and pediatric orthopaedic oncology at the University of Washington in Seattle, Washington.
Michael Lloyd Parks, MD, FAAOS
Dr. Michael Parks is an Attending at Hospital for Special Surgery and Professor of Clinical Orthopaedic Surgery at Weill Cornell College of Medicine in New York. He earned a degree in Chemistry from Duke University and the MD degree from the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston where he received the President’s Clinical Science Award. Dr. Parks completed an internship in General and Thoracic Surgery followed by an orthopaedic residency at Duke University Medical Center. He continued his training at Hospital for Special Surgery with a fellowship on the Hip and Knee Service where he remains in practice today.
Dr. Parks specializes in the surgical treatment of adults with arthritis requiring reconstructive procedures of the hip and knee. He is actively involved in clinical research and is the author of multiple publications. His research focus is on joint replacement surgery and on the impact of race, ethnicity and socio-economic status on the care of arthritis patients.
Dr. Parks has been recognized for his expertise in numerous publications throughout his career, receiving top doctor rankings in Black Enterprise magazine and Money magazine. He has also been recognized in such publications as The Network Journal, The New York Times magazine, and Castle Connolly's Best Doctors New York. Dr. Parks has appeared on NBC’s Today Show where he discussed treatment alternatives for knee arthritis in baby boomers. In 2019 he was the recipient of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgery’s Diversity Award.
Dr. Parks is currently Treasurer of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and is a Past President of the Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation and of the New York State Society of Orthopaedic Surgeons. He has served as a member of The Board of Directors of the The American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons and been an active member of the steering committee of the Movement is Life Caucus, a multi-stakeholder group devoted to decreasing musculoskeletal healthcare disparities
Monica Maria Payares, MD, FAAOS
Dr. Monica Payares-Lizano is a pediatric orthopedic surgeon at the Orthopaedic, Sports Medicine, and Spine Institute at Nicklaus Children's Hospital in Miami, Florida. She has been part of the Medical Executive Committee since 2020 and currently serves as treasurer.
Originally from Colombia, she completed her undergraduate studies with honors in Chemistry and Healthcare Administration at Florida International University. Dr. Payares earned her medical degree from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx, New York. She also completed her residency at Albert Einstein College of Medicine/Montefiore Medical Center. Dr. Payares then pursued a fellowship in pediatric orthopedic surgery at Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children in Delaware. Her clinical interests include general orthopedics, cerebral palsy, neuromuscular disorders and global health.
Dr. Payares- is board certified in Orthopaedic surgery. Her work is published in peer-reviewed journals and has been presented nationally and internationally at medical conferences. She is a fellow of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, where she also served on the Diversity Advisory Board before being nominated for a seat on the Board of Directors. She served as an inaugural member of the Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion committee and is currently Chair of the Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America. She served on the board for the American Association of Latino Orthopaedic Surgeons and is an active committee member for Ruth Jackson Orthopaedic Society and the American Academy of Cerebral Palsy and Developmental Medicine. Through the various organizations and programs, she has mentored numerous students and residents as early as middle school and throughout their careers, especially working with programs promoting underrepresented minorities and women in pursuing careers in medicine and Orthopaedics. She was recently awarded a special Congressional recognition as “Hispanic Woman of Excellence” for outstanding and invaluable service to the community.
Dr. Payares is a co-founder of Fundación Juan Jose Payares Bustos, an organization she created with her family to honor her late father, which provides educational and vocational training to children and families in his rural hometown of Galerazamba, Colombia. The nonprofit also organizes mission trips to deliver medical care to residents of this community.
Julie .B Samora, MD, PhD, MPH, FAAOS
Dr. Samora is currently a pediatric hand surgeon at Nationwide Children's Hospital, where she is Associate Chief Quality Officer, and director of QI within the orthopaedic department. Next month, she will begin her tenure as Chair of Orthopaedic Surgery at Akron Children’s Hospital. She received her orthopaedic training at Ohio State University and completed a fellowship in hand and upper extremity surgery at Harvard. She earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts at Carnegie Mellon University, a masters of music at Yale University, and an MD/PhD at West Virginia University, where she concomitantly earned masters degrees in public health and public administration, specializing in healthcare administration. Dr. Samora is a founding member of Pride Ortho, has previously served on the Board of Directors of the Ruth Jackson Orthopaedic Society (past president) and the Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America (member-at-large), and is currently on the BOD of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. She has published more than 160 peer-reviewed manuscripts and is co-editor of the Springer textbook: Quality Improvement and Patient Safety in Orthopaedics. Dr. Samora has a passion to provide safe, efficient, culturally-sensitive, and excellent patient care, focusing on best practices and quality improvement initiatives.
Sean Tabaie, MD, FAAOS
Sean Tabaie, MS, MD, FAAOS, is an orthopaedic surgeon at Children's National Hospital in Washington DC and an assistant professor at the George Washington University School of Medicine & Health Sciences. His professional journey is characterized by his commitment to enhancing the lives of children facing complex pediatric orthopaedic conditions. With a particular focus on neuromuscular disorders, cerebral palsy, limb reconstruction and trauma, he has dedicated his career to delivering the highest standard of care to young patients with orthopaedic needs.
Dr. Tabaie earned his medical degree from the Chicago Medical School, completed his orthopaedic surgery training at Saint Louis University Hospital, and honed his expertise through a fellowship at the Northern California Shriners Hospital for Children/UC Davis Medical Center. His commitment to excellence led him to a second fellowship at the Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne, Australia, where he furthered his skills in treating children with complex limb deformities.
Dr. Tabaie is respected for his clinical acumen and dedication to advancing the field. His research focuses on innovation within orthopaedics, he has presented at numerous recent national and international conferences, and he has over 50 publications in the last 2 years. He has made significant service contributions at the national level through his involvement in several professional orthopaedic societies. He has held leadership positions within organizations such as the Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America (POSNA), American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS), American Association of Cerebral Palsy and Developmental Medicine (AACPDM), and Orthopaedic Trauma Association (OTA), he has actively participated in shaping the direction of the field and advocating for advancements in orthopaedics.
He is also recognized for his DEI and mentorship endeavors. He is currently the co-chair of DEI for the Joseph E. Robert Jr., Center for Surgical Care at Children's National Hospital, exemplifying his commitment to fostering diversity, equity, and inclusivity within the medical community. His DEI efforts have also been on a national level as the Diversity Liaison for the American Orthopaedic Association (AOA). In that role, he has led symposiums at conferences, research collaborations, to raise awareness of healthcare disparities not only within the workforce of the field of orthopaedic surgery and in the disparities of management of individuals from underrepresented minority groups with musculoskeletal conditions.
Dr. Tabaie finds balance in life through staying physically active and traveling with his wife and two children. His nomination to the AAOS Board of Directors not only reflects his current professional accomplishments but also his vision for the future of orthopaedic surgery.
Armando Felipe Vidal, MD, FAAOS
Armando F. Vidal, MD is an Orthopedic Sports Medicine surgeon at the Steadman Clinic in Vail, CO. His practice focuses on complex cartilage restoration, osteotomies, ACL reconstruction and complex revision knee surgeries.
Dr. Vidal attended the University of Miami (Miami, FL) for undergraduate and medical school. He completed his residency at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York and subsequently a Sports Medicine and Shoulder Fellowship at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC).
After completion of his training, Dr. Vidal joined the faculty of the University of Colorado School of Medicine where he served as faculty from 2006 – 2019 prior to joining the Steadman Clinic in Vail, CO. As faculty at the University of Colorado, Dr. Vidal was Associate Professor in the Division of Sports Medicine and served in various roles over the years including Associate Fellowship Director, Chair of the Department Finance Committee, Executive Vice Chair and Head Team Physician for the Denver Nuggets. He remains a Clinical Associate Professor at the University of Colorado.
Dr. Vidal is actively involved in several societies including the AAOS, AOSSM and AOA. He recently served on the Board of Directors of the AOSSM as the Under-45 member at large from 2018-2020 and has served on the AAOS BOD since 2021.
Adolph J. Yates Jr, MD, FAAOS
Dr. Yates has been on the University of Pittsburgh faculty for 20 years where he serves as Professor and Vice Chair for Quality within the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery. He is also Chief of Orthopaedics at UPMC Shadyside specializing in Adult Reconstruction. His undergraduate concentration at Harvard was in Economics. From there he matriculated to Johns Hopkins where he spent ten years through medical school, residency, and then on the faculty. Before returning to Pittsburgh, he was on the faculty of OHSU, WVU, and the University of Rochester. He has completed executive training with the ACPE, the Katz-UPMC Leadership program, and the AAOS Leadership Fellowship, for which he also served as a mentor for three years. He was awarded the American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeon’s President’s Award and served as their RUC Advisor. Lab research has focused on restoration of cartilage. Clinical research is centered on EBM including co-authorship of multiple guidelines including ones for prevention of VTE and surgical treatment of knee OA. His publications have addressed value-based purchasing and performance measures and their impact on equitable access to care. He has served on the FDA device panel and MEDCAC. He served six years on the Surgical Committee for the NQF as well as numerous technical expert panels for CMS/Acumen/Yale-CORE helping to formulate performance and cost measures within MACRA and surgeon/hospital performance programs. He has addressed multiple issues with CMS/HHS as well as made numerous trips to Capitol Hill advocating that the transition to value-based medicine benefit patients and providers, not just payers. He currently serves as the Chair Elect for BOS which includes a seat on the AAOS BOD.