The AAHKS Nominating Committee has put out a call for nominations to the following positions:
- Second Vice President (1)
- Third Vice President (1)
- Member-at-Large (2)
- Member, Nominating Committee (3)
Nominees must hold Fellow membership status with AAHKS. Nominate yourself by emailing a statement of interest and attaching a CV to AAHKSstaff@AAHKS.org. If you are nominating a colleague, please include the name, email and phone number with your nomination as soon as possible so we can collect this information by the deadline. The deadline for all nominations is Friday, August 13, 2021.
AAHKS members will vote on candidates at the Business Meeting during the General Session of the 2021 AAHKS Annual Meeting in Dallas. Learn about the current Board and Committees.
Dear Members of the Nominating Committee:
Re – Dr. Antonia Chen
As members of AAHKS, chair and vice chair of the Women in Arthroplasty and long-time practising surgeons, it would our great pleasure to nominate Dr. Antonia Chen for the position of Second Vice-President or Third Vice-President of the American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons (AAHKS). Simply put, she is the best-qualified person for this position. The mission of AAHKS is to advance hip and knee replacement patient care through education, advocacy and research. Dr. Chen fulfills all three points of the mission and much more.
As a well-known teacher of medical students and residents, she is a much sought-after resource for trainees. Her recent work as Program Chair for the 2021 Annual Meeting in addition to all her numerous teaching activities, presentations, course organization illustrate her commitment to furthering the educational mission of AAHKS. As Director of Research for the Arthroplasty Service at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and as associate professor, she has direct supervision in training our next generation of surgeons. She has won mentoring awards, which is an attestation to her incredible ability to educate and nurture surgeons and trainees. On a personal note, Dr. Chen has mentored several of us in the Women in Arthroplasty committee, and we are ever grateful that we can call on her any time.
Dr. Chen has been committed to AAHKS since she became a member. Since 2010, she has served on multiple different committees (Finance, International, Board of Directors, Membership, Women in Arthroplasty) and most recently, is the Program Chair for the 2021 Annual Meeting. She has served as faculty for the Orthopedic Team Member course, business course at the annual meeting in addition to having her own research presentations. She has served as an abstract reviewer for the Annual Meeting for several years.
As a leader within AAHKS, Dr. Chen has been an advocate for patient care through her participation in our Advocacy efforts with congressional leaders. Every day, as a busy orthopedic surgeon, she speaks for the very best care for her own patients, thus setting an example for all of us. Her Master of Business Administration degree has her well-qualified to speak with administrators and politicians on all sides of the spectrum as a strong voice for all patients. She has held many positions with national societies as a committee member and leader. Dr. Chen has the unique ability to not only understand the arcane concepts of health care administration but also to apply her clinical and research experience to make sense of complex economic and social principles of delivering health care. Her ability to communicate complex ideas and make them understandable to medical professionals and lay persons is a much-desired asset.
Finally, but not least, is Dr. Chen’s impressive and productive work as a researcher. In her career, she has published numerous papers as her very lengthy curriculum-vitae attests. Her presentations at the national level are second to none. She has been the recipient of many grants and has also been the principal investigator on a great number of trials. Her peer-reviewed publications number nearly 300, and that number will continue to climb. She is a prolific researcher, moving our specialty towards advancement and better patient care. She is extremely well-qualified to lead AAHKS to its next level.
AAHKS has been very proactive in promoting diversity in orthopedics. There is still much to do before we achieve this goal. With Dr. Chen, if nominated to be Second or Third Vice-President, the most qualified person will then be in this role and having a female of Asian descent is a collateral benefit. Representation truly matters, and Dr. Chen’s example as a hard-working, high-achieving orthopedic surgeon shows that a truly qualified person can achieve the highest levels of leadership, regardless of race, gender or any other factor. This will encourage our best and brightest to follow Dr. Chen’s illustrious path. Placing Dr. Chen at the future helm of AAHKS will lead to this organization being the vanguard of Orthopedic Surgery. Where AAHKS leads, others will follow.
Signed,
Audrey Tsao, MD
Chair, Women in Arthroplasty Committee
American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons
Rina Jain, MD
Vice-Chair, Women in Arthroplasty Committee
American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons