Pillars of the AOFAS

The Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Foundation's Pillars of the AOFAS initiative honors iconic surgeons who have advanced the Society and the profession through their leadership and dedication to educating foot and ankle orthopaedic surgeons.

2025 Pillars

E. Greer Richardson, MD

E. Greer Richardson, MD, joined the Campbell Clinic in 1976 after completing a hand fellowship. In 1983, he shifted his focus to foot and ankle surgery at the request of his department chair and embraced his new specialty with enthusiasm. As a professor at the University of Tennessee (UT) and founder of the UT-Campbell Clinic Foot and Ankle Fellowship, Dr. Richardson mentored generations of orthopaedic foot and ankle surgeons. He received the UT Excellence in Teaching award in 1996.

Dr. Richardson authored more than 35 book chapters and held editorial roles in several prominent scientific journals, including editor-in-chief of Foot & Ankle International from 2004-2007. He served as AOFAS president in 2002-2003.

Pierce E. Scranton, MD

Pierce E. Scranton, MD, is known for his innovation, clinical skill, and profound commitment to humanitarian service. As AOFAS president in 2000-2001, he had the vision to establish the Outreach and Education Fund (now the Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Foundation), which enabled the development of new research, education, and humanitarian outreach programs and provided a means for industry and individuals to contribute to the growth of the AOFAS.

He was instrumental in beginning AOFAS humanitarian outreach trips to Vietnam, which brought essential foot and ankle care to underserved patients in Vietnam for nearly 20 years and has since expanded to other countries.

Ronald W. Smith, MD

Ronald W. Smith, MD, has dedicated more than 50 years to educating orthopaedic foot and ankle surgeons and delivering exceptional patient care. Dr. Smith began his career at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) and founded the foot and ankle service at Harbor UCLA in 1979. In 1990, he established the institution’s foot and ankle fellowship program and served as the fellowship director for more than 18 years.

Dr. Smith served as AOFAS president from 1998-1999 and has remained devoted to the Society and the specialty. In 2021, he and his wife established the Ronald and Wendy Smith Clinical Research Grant to encourage the advancement of foot and ankle research and patient care.

2025 Legacy Pillars

Roger A. Mann, MD

Roger A. Mann, MD, began his career when he joined Henry DuVries, MD, in private practice in Oakland, California. From 1971-1983, he served as director of the Gait Analysis Laboratory at Shriner’s Hospital for Crippled Children, where his research led to several classic publications on the phases of gait. He served on the AOFAS Board of Directors from 1975-1987 and was AOFAS president in 1982-1983.

Dr. Mann started the first orthopaedic foot and ankle fellowship program in 1979 and has trained 74 fellows, several of whom have started their own fellowship programs and served in AOFAS leadership roles. In 1994, his former fellows established the Roger A. Mann Award for the best clinical paper presented at the AOFAS Annual Meeting.

J. Leonard Goldner, MD

J. Leonard Goldner, MD, (1918-2005) served on the orthopaedic surgery faculty at Duke University for nearly 35 years, including 17 as division chief. At Duke, where he was well known for his tireless dedication to patients and long work days, he mentored countless surgeons and made significant contributions to the field of foot and ankle orthopaedics.

Dr. Goldner served as AOFAS president from 1979-1980. Although he retired formally from surgery in 1988, Dr. Goldner continued to teach and attend orthopaedic conferences and clinics until just two months before his death. The J. Leonard Goldner Award, recognizing outstanding basic science papers presented at the AOFAS Annual Meeting, was established in his honor in 2000.

Kenneth A. Johnson, MD

Kenneth A. Johnson, MD, (1940-1993) was chief of orthopaedic surgery at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, and later, Scottsdale, Arizona. He established Mayo’s first orthopaedic foot clinic and formalized foot and ankle training for residents and fellows.

Dr. Johnson served as AOFAS president in 1988-1989 and as editor-in-chief of the Society’s scientific journal, Foot & Ankle, from 1988-1993. Under his leadership, the journal expanded to 12 issues per year and was renamed Foot & Ankle International. Tragically, Dr. Johnson died in a plane crash in 1994 at the age of 53, but his legacy continues with the Kenneth A. Johnson International Speaker Award presented at the AOFAS Annual Meeting.

Previous Inductees

2024: James A. Nunley II, MD

James A. Nunley II, MD, is an outstanding clinician, educator, and researcher who has spent 50 years practicing orthopaedic surgery at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. Originally trained as a hand and microvascular surgeon, Dr. Nunley changed careers and devoted himself to the field of foot and ankle surgery. With his previous experience as a total joint surgeon, a microvascular surgeon, and the chief of trauma at Duke, Dr. Nunley brought a unique perspective and techniques to foot and ankle surgery.

Dr. Nunley restarted Duke’s foot and ankle fellowship in 1990 and has had the privilege of training more than 50 fellows. He served as chairman of the orthopaedic department at Duke from 2002-2012 and was AOFAS president from 1997-98.

2024: Arthur Manoli II, MD

Arthur Manoli II, MD, (1946-2020) was a passionate educator, prolific researcher, and talented clinician. Though he began his career as a traumatologist, he reinvented himself as an orthopaedic foot and ankle surgeon after completing fellowships at Vanderbilt University in Nashville and at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle under Sigvard T. Hansen Jr., MD.

Dr. Manoli served as a fellowship director for more than 25 years and trained more than 45 fellows. As a researcher, he pioneered clinical and academic work on progressive flatfoot deformity and cavus foot. He had more than 130 published works and 450 national and international presentations. In 2012, Dr. Manoli received the Sigvard Hansen Award for lifetime achievement in trauma and foot and ankle surgery.

2023: Thomas O. Clanton, MD

Thomas O. Clanton, MD, has spent nearly four decades as an orthopaedic surgeon, teacher, researcher, and leader. Dr. Clanton is the consummate professional, demonstrating commitment to excellence in every aspect of practice. Despite retiring in December 2021, he is a frequent presence in the office and lab.

Dr. Clanton ascended to several leadership roles, including chair at the University of Texas-Houston Medical School; team physician for the Houston Rockets, Houston Texans, and Rice University Owls; fellowship director at UT-Houston and The Steadman Clinic; and 1999-2000 president of AOFAS. His zeal for foot and ankle surgery is exceeded only by his commitment to family and his unshakable faith.

2023: Michael J. Coughlin, MD

Michael J. Coughlin, MD, is a leader, educator, and innovator in orthopaedic foot and ankle surgery whose expertise in forefoot surgery is recognized worldwide. While in primarily solo practice in Boise, Idaho, he trained 25 fellows and edited five editions of Surgery of the Foot and Ankle.

As president of the AOFAS from 1990-1991, he was the driving force that propelled the evolution of AOFAS to a large, inclusive society. Dr. Coughlin championed the creation of AOFAS postgraduate education and public education programs and later served as the first AOFAS president of the International Federation of Foot & Ankle Societies (IFFAS), where he continued his advocacy for education globally.

2023: Francesca M. Thompson, MD

Francesca M. Thompson, MD, (1945-1996) made an indelible impact on orthopaedics and the AOFAS. After graduating from Smith College in 1965, getting married, and having two children, she entered medical school in 1973. She was the first female orthopaedic resident at the Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) and completed her fellowship training with Roger Mann, MD. Following fellowship, she joined William Hamilton, MD, in New York City as his partner and co-director of the Roosevelt/HSS Fellowship Program.

In 1992, she was elected to the AOFAS Board of Directors as secretary and served on the Board for seven years. Sadly, she developed multiple myeloma, succumbing 18 months before she would have become the first woman president of a subspecialty society. Dr. Thompson was a role model for all, and her far-reaching positive influence continues to this day.

2022: The Founders

We are proud to recognize the seven founding members of the AOFAS: Melvin Jahss, MD; Nathaniel Gould, MD; Nicholas Giannestras, MD; Robert Joplin, MD; Hampar Kelikian, MD; Paul Lapidus, MD; and Joseph Milgram, MD.

In 1969, these seven surgeons — all prominent in their field and representing a wealth of foot and ankle experience — gathered in Dr. Jahss's New York City apartment to discuss the formation of a society dedicated to the foot and ankle. Their vision, leadership, and dedication led to the creation of the AOFAS and programs that have furthered education in the specialty for generations.

A contribution to the Founders Fund will honor these visionaries' commitment to educating the next generation of foot and ankle orthopaedic surgeons.

2021: James W. Brodsky, MD

James W. Brodsky, MD, is the consummate orthopaedic surgeon. An enduring leader in orthopaedic foot and ankle surgery, he has worked tirelessly to advance our understanding of complex pathology from Charcot arthropathy to total ankle arthroplasty. Ever ready with a clever witticism, he always stimulates his fellows and colleagues to ask the tough questions and seek the tougher answers. Above all, Dr. Brodsky is a teacher, leading by example and inspiring those around him to be better.

Dr. Brodsky founded the Baylor Foot and Ankle Fellowship nearly three decades ago and remains its driving force. He has mentored more than 90 clinical fellows along with a host of international researchers and guests. Dr. Brodsky served as president of the AOFAS in 2005-06 and continues to be a leader in the Society.

2019: Sigvard T. Hansen Jr., MD

Sigvard "Ted" Hansen Jr., MD, was a world-renowned pioneer in both orthopaedic traumatology and reconstructive surgery of the foot and ankle. After joining the University of Washington Department of Orthopedics in the 1970s, he quickly became a revered mainstay and leader in the foot and ankle field. Exercising a legendary disdain for bureaucracy, Dr. Hansen brought his foot and ankle service to international prominence while also serving as Department Chair from 1981-85.

Over his four-decade career, Dr. Hansen mentored more than 70 domestic fellows and scores of international fellows — many of whom have gone on to be division chiefs, department heads, and leaders in the AOFAS and the worldwide foot and ankle realm. He was also an AO Fellow, winner of the AO Innovation Prize, and a founding member of the Orthopaedic Trauma Association.

2018: John S. Gould, MD

John S. Gould, MD, was a master surgeon, clinician, educator, and leader. As chair of the Department if Orthopaedic Surgery at the Medical College of Wisconsin for 10 years, he established a prestigious fellowship for foot and ankle orthopaedic surgery. His commitment to advancing orthopaedics was evident as he served as AOFAS president from 1985-86 as well as president of several other orthopaedic organizations.

Dr. Gould passed away in September 2015, but his legacy lives on through his research, writing, and former fellows who have followed in his footsteps to make great contributions to orthopaedics.