Pierce E. Scranton Humanitarian Service Award
The Pierce E. Scranton Humanitarian Service Award was established by the Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Foundation in 2020 to recognize exemplary service to AOFAS/Foundation humanitarian programs. The award is named after Pierce E. Scranton Jr., MD, founder
of the Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Foundation, who started the Overseas Outreach Project to Vietnam and was integral in the early years of the project.
Recipients of this award will demonstrate a passion for foot and ankle orthopaedic humanitarian work by providing surgical expertise and training in areas of the world with limited foot and ankle care.
Inaugural Recipient:
Naomi N. Shields, MD
The Foundation is pleased to announce Naomi N. Shields, MD, as the first recipient of this award.
Dr. Shields participated in the first Overseas Outreach Project to Vietnam 20 years ago and has returned every year since. In addition to providing outstanding surgical care on these trips, she educates Vietnamese doctors, coordinates supplies, and mentors first-time volunteers. Outside of AOFAS, Dr. Shields has volunteered on numerous trips to Haiti, Costa Rica, and Nicaragua.
Pierce E. Scranton Jr., MD, was the founder and first president of the Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Outreach and Education Fund, now known as the Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Foundation. In 2001, under Dr. Scranton's leadership, the Foundation supported the first Overseas Outreach Project to Vietnam. The project brings AOFAS surgeons to underserved areas of Vietnam to treat patients with lower extremity injuries and deformities.
As a result of Dr. Scranton's vision and commitment, AOFAS members have performed more than 1,500 surgeries in Vietnam and evaluated more than 3,500 patients since 2001. Many of these patients are unable to afford advanced medical services and would get limited or no care without the Overseas Outreach Project. In 2019, the program expanded to Kenya and additional sites are being considered for the future.