Creations
Not only have the women who do orthopaedic surgery assumed leadership roles in various orthopaedic settings, they have also created organizations, each with a unique mission.
Here is a current listing of orthopaedic organizations conceived of and built by women:
Black Women Orthopaedic Surgeons
Mission: To support and empower Black Women orthopaedic surgeons through mentoring, activism and education while advocating for health equity.
Originated in 2020
Not for profit
President: Haydee Brown, MD
The Perry Initiative
Mission: Building the talent pipeline in Orthopaedic Surgery and Engineering. It is committed to inspiring young women to be leaders in the fields of orthopaedic surgery and engineering, two fields in which women are drastically under-represented. Both of these fields require extensive education. We specifically target high school and medical school, two critical junctures along career pathways.
Founded in 2009
Co-founders: Lisa Lattanza, MD and Jenni Buckley, PhD
Women Global Orthopaedist Outreach (WOGO)
Mission: to empower, educate and engage women and their larger community in developing countries in the world.
Incorporated in 2009
Current President: Robin Hakanson, MD (Incoming: Kathleen Hogan, MD)
Women Sport Forum (“The Forum”)
https://www.womensportsforummd.com
Purposes: Educational and charitable
Goals: Betterment of the scope and services of women in orthopaedic surgery with a major emphasis on arthroscopy and sports medicine. Collaborated group research and reporting with promotion of interest and research in these areas as well as advances in orthopaedic technology.
Established in 1999
President: Jocelyn Wittstein, MD
Women of Orthopaedics Private Facebook Group
Group description: “A group for us rare breed female bone docs to share ideas, discuss cases, commiserate and band together.”
Membership: 1,930 and increasing
Creator and Editor: Samara Friedman, MD
Nth Dimensions
Mission: To eliminate health care disparities in all communities by diversifying the physician workforce. To accomplish this, we develop and implement pathway initiatives that provide resources, expertise, mentorship and hands-on experience to increase the number of women and underrepresented students who successfully match into and complete competitive residency programs.
Founded in 2004.
Nonprofit Corporation
Executive Director: Letitia Bradford, MD
Ruth Jackson Orthopaedic Society (RJOS)
Mission: To promote the professional development of women in orthopaedics throughout all stages of their careers.
Founded in 1983
Current President: Corinna Franklin, MD (Incoming: Jennifer Weiss, MD)
Speak Up Ortho!
Mission: Via a social media campaign, to raise awareness of the prevalence of abusive behaviors in the field of orthopaedic surgery, particularly during training.
Founded in 2021
Founders: Dr. Lisa Cannada, Dr. Arianna Gianakos, Dr. Nancy Yen Shipley, Dr. Micah Sinclair, Dr. Jennifer Weiss
Women in Arthroplasty Committee (of AAKHS)
Mission:
Dedicated to promoting gender diversity in the field of adult reconstructive surgery for the betterment of patient care, enhanced surgeon well-being and education of patients and surgeons in order to advance the field of hip and knee arthroplasty.
Belief that promoting women in arthroplasty will provide mentorship and positive collegial professional development of female surgeons in the field. This will also shape the future of arthroplasty, ultimately translating into enhanced patient care for those with arthritic disorders of the hip and knee joint.
Commitment to increasing the number of women surgeons in arthroplasty to better serve AAHK and most importantly, to enhance our society of musculoskeletal patients that we serve.
Chair: Linda Suleiman, MD