Why did you join AAOS?
I joined the AAOS because of the size of the community and its strength in numbers. The landscape of medicine has changed noticeably in the short time since I began training; the phrase “if you’re not at the table, you’re on the menu” has had increasingly more meaning to me. I realized that the AAOS was the most powerful way for orthopaedic surgeons to have a collective voice and influence change.
How do you define success?
To me, one is “successful” when they are able to use their acquired skills to put others in a position to achieve their goals. This may be helping a patient return to function, a student to find their academic path, or an X-ray tech understand how to obtain the correct intra-op image; you are successful when you improve someone else’s trajectory.
Who is your biggest inspiration and why?
My biggest inspiration is my immediate family: my mother, father, brother, wife, and daughter. Their love and support have kept me grounded even through the most stressful times. Professionally, my biggest inspirations are Dr. Kenneth Egol and Dr. Philipp Leucht. They are competitive, critical, and two of the most caring physicians I know. Their work ethic and dedication are unmatched. I am proud to have been trained by them.
What do you love most about AAOS?
The Annual Meeting. You get to go to a great city, watch how the field has evolved over the past year, and catch up with colleagues around the country. The NYU Orthopedics Program also hosts a great alumni event where several generations of graduates reunite. It makes you grateful for what our field has accomplished, and hopeful for what is to come.
What advice would you give to new members of AAOS?
Get to know the AAOS website early in training. You will realize how much the Academy has to offer in research, education, policy, and networking avenues.
Tell us a fun fact about yourself that not many people know?
I spent 15+ years playing competitive baseball, yet the final time I was ever on a baseball field was to throw batting practice to Dr. Egol’s youngest son. Didn’t have quite the fanfare of Derek Jeter’s last game, but I pounded the strike zone.