Why did you join AAOS?
I joined AAOS to be part of a group through which I could find continuing education, networking, and mentoring.
Do you currently volunteer with an AAOS committee? If yes, which one(s)?
I am not currently on a committee but was part of the Diversity Advisory Board for years in the past.
How do you define success?
Success is seeing those I have helped along the way out succeed me!
Who is your biggest inspiration and why?
My late father is my biggest inspiration. He was born into abject poverty in Mississippi in the 1920s, but somehow understood the importance of education from a very young age. He put himself and his cousin through private grade school and high school, and joined the military so he could later take advantage of the GI Bill, which he used to attend college and ultimately graduate from Meharry Medical College. In his career as a neurologist, he was often the only black doctor on the staff and actually integrated the medical staff of several unofficially “whites only” hospitals in Detroit in the 1960s. He instilled this same respect for education and love of knowledge in me and my sisters and told us we could be whatever we wanted to be, even if we didn’t see anyone else who looked like us doing the same thing.
What do you love most about AAOS?
The opportunity to meet, collaborate and interact with people outside of your subspecialty.
What advice would you give to new members of AAOS?
Take advantage of the myriad opportunities to get involved with AAOS early on. You will build important and fruitful relationships and may find yourself engaged in something you never knew you were interested in.
Tell us a fun fact about yourself that not many people know?
Although I am certainly no athlete, somehow, I convinced myself to start running and have now completed 12 (very slow) half marathons. I hate it every step of the way, then can’t wait to sign up for the next one once I finish!