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Women's Leadership Initiative

 

Now accepting applications for the Women's Leadership Scholarship Program and nominations for the Women's Leadership Awards! Submit by November 17.

The AOFAS Women's Leadership Initiative supports and encourages women in foot and ankle orthopaedic surgery. Current programs include the Women's Leadership Awards, which recognize outstanding female leaders in foot and ankle orthopaedics, and the Women's Leadership Scholarship Program.

Women's Leadership Awards

The Women's Leadership Awards honor outstanding female leaders in foot and ankle orthopaedics through two awards:

  • The Career Impact Award recognizes women who have made exceptional contributions to the field of orthopaedic foot and ankle surgery. The nominee for this award does not need to be an AOFAS member; however, membership is preferred.

  • The Career Development Award recognizes the professional aspirations and commitment of early- and mid-career women in orthopaedic foot and ankle surgery. The nominee for this award must be an AOFAS Active, Candidate, or International Member in the first 10 years of practice.

Each award winner will serve as a podium speaker at AOFAS Annual Meeting 2024, September 11-14, 2024, in Vancouver, Canada, and receive complimentary meeting registration and a travel stipend. The winners will also speak at the Women’s Leadership Reception held during the meeting.

Nominations are due November 17, 2023. You may nominate yourself or a colleague for an award. The nomination must include a completed nomination form and letter of recommendation (or personal statement if you are self-nominating).

Nominate

Read about the past recipients of the Women's Leadership Awards.


Women's Leadership Scholarships

The Women's Leadership Scholarship Program provides leadership opportunities for women AOFAS members and promotes professional growth and female leadership within AOFAS.

For 2024, two scholarship recipients will be selected to attend the American Orthopaedic Association (AOA) APEX Leadership Conference. The conference consists of two, one-and-a-half-day intensive programs, designed specifically for orthopaedic surgeons, that address essential leadership.

The scholarship covers program fees, lodging, and a travel stipend. Scholarship recipients will be expected to attend both parts of the conference: April 12-13, 2024, in Los Angeles, California, and September 13-14, 2024, in Detroit, Michigan.*

Applications are due November 17, 2023.

Apply Now

*Please Note: The September dates overlap with AOFAS Annual Meeting 2024.

 


Eligibility

Applicants must meet the following criteria:

  • AOFAS Active or Candidate Member with a current practice located in the United States or Canada

  • Ability to travel to both parts of the AOA APEX Conference: April 12-13, 2024, in Los Angeles, California, and September 13-14, 2024, in Detroit, Michigan


Application Instructions

1. Complete the application and submit it, along with supporting documents, by November 17, 2023. Incomplete applications or applications received after this date will not be considered.

2. Upload a personal statement (no more than one page in length) highlighting the following:

  • why you are interested in participating in a leadership program,
  • what you intend to do with what you learn from the program,
  • how attending the program will help you become more involved as a leader in AOFAS,
  • your personal impression of your strengths and what you want to improve,
  • any leadership roles currently or formerly held.

3. Upload a digital file of your CV.

4. Upload ONE letter of recommendation that describes your leadership potential in detail. Examples of suitable letter writers include a senior colleague, department chair, dean, chief medical officer of hospital, managing partner.

 

If You Can See It, You Can Be It

Women in orthopaedics share how their mentors, family, and role models inspired and supported their careers.

Thank you to Treace Medical Concepts, Inc. for their support of this video.


"If You Can See It, You Can Be It" Photo Gallery

Three generations of women in medicine: Stephanie Boden, MD (second from left) with her grandmother, mother, and 3 sisters, all physicians Lauren Geaney, MD, with residents Anna Jorgensen, MD, and Jamie Friedman, MD Lauren Geaney, MD, and mentor Gus Mazzocca, MD Casey Humbyrd, MD, with her father, an orthopaedic surgeon Daughter of Casey Humbyrd, MD, nailing a femur at Perry Initiative event Pamela Luk, MD (second from left) with mentors Jeffrey Johnson, MD, Sandra Klein, MD, and Jeremy McCormick, MD Holly Johnson, MD, and Becky Cerrato, MD, operating in China Sara Lyn Miniaci-Coxhead, MD, teaching her daughter to suture Lauren Boden, MD, Wen Chao, MD, and Liane Miller, MD Kathryn O'Connor, MD, with her son Elizabeth Cody, MD, with Scott Ellis, MD, Mathias Bostrom, MD, and Todd Albert, MD Naudereh Noori, MD, with David Thordarson, MD Kate Sage, MD, with her daughter Lorena Bejarano-Pineda, MD, with Christopher DiGiovanni, MD Katherine Gavin, MD, with mentor Rich Miller, MD Judy Baumhauer, MD, as distinguished visiting professor at HSS with Jensen Henry, MD, Bopha Chrea, MD, and Megan Reilly, MD

The Women's Leadership Initiative is funded through gifts to the Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Foundation. We thank the individuals and companies who have contributed to this program since it began in 2017.

Give to the Women's Leadership Initiative