Women's Leadership Award Recipients
The Women's Leadership Initiative supports and encourages women in foot and ankle orthopaedic surgery. Since 2018, the Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Foundation has presented the Women's Leadership Awards to outstanding female leaders in foot and ankle orthopaedics.
Career Impact Award
Loretta B. Chou, MD
Loretta B. Chou, MD, is an accomplished researcher, educator, and leader in orthopaedic surgery. She is the Chief of Foot and Ankle Surgery and Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at
Stanford University in California. Dr. Chou has authored 65 peer-reviewed research articles and was the editor of Orthopaedic Knowledge Update: Foot and Ankle, editions 5, 6, and 7. She is the Deputy Editor of Foot and Ankle for the Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (JAAOS). Notably, she has led several research studies examining the increased prevalence of breast cancer among women orthopaedic surgeons. As an AOFAS member since 1990, Dr. Chou has served as a reviewer for Foot & Ankle International, a member of the Humanitarian Services and Program Committees, and a volunteer surgeon for the Overseas Outreach Trip to Vietnam.
Career Development Award
Elizabeth Cody, MD
Elizabeth Cody, MD, is an Assistant Attending Surgeon at the Hospital for Special Surgery and New York Presbyterian Hospital in New York and Stamford Hospital in Connecticut. She is also an Assistant Professor of Clinical Orthopaedic Surgery at Weill Cornell Medical College and Instructor of Orthopaedic Surgery at New York Medical College. Dr. Cody has authored more than 40 publications, including peer-reviewed research articles and book chapters. In the AOFAS, she currently serves as Vice Chair of the Public Education Committee, Assistant Editor of Contemporary Reviews for Foot & Ankle International (FAI), and a member of the FAI Managerial Board.
2023 Career Impact Award
A. Holly Johnson, MD
A. Holly Johnson, MD, is an orthopaedic surgeon specializing in foot and ankle sports medicine and minimally invasive techniques at the Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) in New York. She is currently a Team Physician for the US Women’s Ice Hockey
team and New York Liberty WNBA team. Previously, she served as a Team Physician at the 2014 Sochi Olympics. As an AOFAS member, Dr. Johnson has served in numerous leadership roles including Member-at-Large on the AOFAS Board of Directors and the
Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Foundation Board of Directors. In addition, she was a co-founder of the AOFAS Women’s Leadership Initiative.
2023 Career Development Award
Casey J. Humbyrd, MD, MBE
Casey J. Humbyrd, MD, MBE, is Chief of the Foot and Ankle Division and founder of the Program in Surgical Ethics and Health Policy at the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn). She is also an Associate Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery and Associate Professor
of Medical Ethics and Health Policy at UPenn. In the AOFAS, she has served as a Member-at-Large on the AOFAS Board of Directors, Program Co-Chair for the Annual Meeting and Winter Meeting, and Chair of the Health Policy Committee. Currently, she serves
as Chair of the Committee on Outside Interests.
2022 Career Impact Award
Lousanne "Zan" Lofgren
Lousanne "Zan" Lofgren of River Forest, Illinois, served as executive director of the American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society from 2005-2016. She was the first in-house executive director for AOFAS, and under her leadership, the Society hired new in-house staff, grew membership by 37%, and doubled attendance and revenue for the Annual Meeting. In addition to her AOFAS role, Lofgren served as executive director of the Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Foundation. Prior to joining the AOFAS, Lofgren worked for the American Society of Plastic Surgeons for 21 years. She is currently the executive director of the PROMIS Health Organization in Chicago.
2022 Career Development Award
Lauren E. Geaney, MD
Lauren E. Geaney, MD, of Farmington, Connecticut, is an Assistant Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery and the Residency Program Director at the University of Connecticut (UConn) Musculoskeletal Institute at UConn Health. She completed her medical degree
and orthopaedic residency at UConn, followed by a foot and ankle fellowship at Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore, Maryland. A leader in the AOFAS, she is the current Chair of the Education Committee and a reviewer for Foot & Ankle International, and has served as co-chair and presenter for AOFAS educational programs.
2021 Career Impact Award
Barbara Piclet-Legré, MD
Barbara Piclet-Legré, MD, of Marseilles, France, is a pioneer and innovator in orthopaedic foot and ankle surgery. Dr. Piclet-Legré specialized in foot and ankle orthopaedic surgery in 1986, traveled extensively throughout
the 1990s to acquire new technologies, and opened her own foot and ankle practice, Centre Du Pied, in 2000. In 2014 she opened a second practice, while continuing to mentor numerous orthopaedic surgeons from around the world. Additionally, Dr. Piclet-Legré
is the first female vice president and future president of a French orthopaedic society.
2021 Career Development Award
Andrea N. Veljkovic, MD, MPH, FRCSC
Andrea N. Veljkovic, MD, MPH, FRCSC, of Vancouver, Canada, is an Associate Clinical Professor and Director of the Adult Foot and Ankle Reconstruction Fellowship at the University of British Columbia. After completing her orthopaedic residency training
at the University of Alberta, Dr. Veljkovic completed an arthroscopy and athletic injuries fellowship at the University of British Columbia, followed by a foot and ankle fellowship at the University of Iowa. An accomplished orthopaedic researcher,
she has published more than 80 scientific papers and was nominated as a finalist for the AOFAS J. Leonard Goldner Award in 2017 and the Roger A. Mann Award in 2019.
2020 Career Impact Award
Naomi N. Shields, MD
Naomi N. Shields, MD, of San Antonio, Texas, is a highly regarded orthopaedic surgeon and humanitarian. Dr. Shields served in the military as a general medical officer at Rhein Main AFB in Germany. Upon her return, she was the first woman in the orthopaedic
surgery residency program at Wilford Hall USAF Medical Center in Texas and went on to complete a foot and ankle fellowship at the Medical College of Wisconsin. Dr. Shields continues to give
back by participating in the Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Foundation's Overseas Outreach Project to Vietnam almost every year. In addition, she served as President of the Foundation, a Member-at-Large on both the AOFAS and AAOS Boards of Directors,
and a member of several committees.
2020 Career Development Award
Laura K. Dawson, DO
Laura K. Dawson, DO, of West Point, New York, completed her orthopaedic surgery residency at Texas Tech University Health Service Center and a foot and ankle orthopaedic fellowship at the University of Rochester Medical
Center. Currently, she serves as the United States Corps of Cadets Senior Medical Officer and an orthopaedic surgeon at Keller Army Community Hospital in West Point. Prior to her medical career, Dr. Dawson served in the military for more than 15 years
and received five awards for exemplary service. She is a member of the AOFAS Research Committee, the AAOS Limb Salvage Clinical Practice Guideline Team, the AOA Emerging Leaders Program, and
the Society of Military Orthopaedic Surgeons.
2019
Judith F. Baumhauer, MD, MS, MPH
Judith F. Baumhauer, MD, MPH, of Rochester, New York, is an esteemed surgeon, researcher, educator, and innovator in orthopaedics. For nearly 25 years, she has mentored future surgeons at the University of Rochester Medical Center in New York and currently serves as Professor, Foot and Ankle Fellowship Director, Associate Chair of Academic Affairs, and PROMIS Medical Director for the school. Dr. Baumhauer was President of the AOFAS from 2011-12 and also is a Past President of the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery and
Eastern Orthopaedic Association.
2019
Kelly C. Stefani, MD, PhD
Kelly C. Stéfani, MD, PhD, of São Paulo, Brazil, worked at Instituto de Assistência Médica ao Servidor Público Estadual, a public hospital, while also maintaining a private practice. Dr. Stéfani is an
associate editor of the Scientific Journal of the Foot & Ankle, the official publication of the Brazilian Foot and Ankle Society. An athlete who has participated in several Ironman triathlons, she gives back to her community as a volunteer with
Street Ski, an organization that improves the lives of underserved children through athletics.
Ruth L. Thomas, MD, of Little Rock, Arkansas, exemplifies leadership, strength, and perseverance. After completing her orthopaedic residency at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS)—only the second female to do so—she received
her fellowship training at the Campbell Clinic. Dr. Thomas has been an integral part of orthopaedic resident education for 25 years in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at UAMS. She has given back through many humanitarian missions to Africa,
South America, and Asia, including the Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Foundation Overseas Outreach Project to Vietnam. In addition, she has served as a member and chair of committees for AOFAS, AAOS, and the American Orthopaedic Association.
2018
Su-Young Bae, MD, PhD
Su-Young Bae, MD, PhD, of Seoul, South Korea, completed her orthopaedic training at Ewha Womans University in Seoul, and learned from AOFAS Past President Lew C. Schon, MD,
as a Research Fellow at Union Memorial Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland. She also was part of the first AOFAS Traveling Fellowship Program in 2005. Dr. Bae has published several scientific articles and serves on the Editorial Board for the Journal
of Korean Foot and Ankle Society. As the only female foot and ankle orthopaedic educator in South Korea, Dr. Bae is a mentor for students at Inje University Sanggye Paik Hospital, and an example for women in her country and beyond.