Dr. Zuckerman’s involvement with AAOS started with service on the Subcommittee for Hip and Knee Evaluation in 1985. He has also served as chair of the Surgical Skills Committee and most recently as chair of the Council on Education.“I had the opportunity to see firsthand the great leaders of the Academy,” said Dr. Zuckerman. “I knew this was a remarkable organization that I wanted very much to be a part of. I am honored to be the Academy’s Second Vice President.”
Published 3/1/2007
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G. Jake Jaquet
At the 2007 Annual Meeting in San Diego, five orthopaedic surgeons were introduced as new members of the AAOS Board of Directors. Although they come from different parts of the country and have a broad range of backgrounds, the new members share a strong commitment to the Academy.
Joseph D. Zuckerman, MD
Second Vice-President
Born in the Bronx, N.Y., Joseph D. Zuckerman, MD, says he knew early on that he wanted to be a physician. “As a child, I was fascinated with the anatomy of bones and muscles,” he explains.
A graduate of New York’s Cornell University and the Medical College of Wisconsin, Dr. Zuckerman completed his internship and residency at the University of Washington. He also completed fellowships at Harvard’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital and the Mayo Clinic. Today, he is chairman of the department of orthopaedic surgery at NYU Hospital for Joint Diseases and professor of orthopaedic surgery at NYU School of Medicine.
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Joseph D. Zuckerman, MD |
Active in numerous professional organizations, Dr. Zuckerman served as the residency program director at NYU Hospital for Joint Diseases from 1990–2006 and as president of the medical board at Bellevue Hospital Center. A nationally renowned joint replacement and shoulder specialist, Dr. Zukerman has coauthored or edited at least a dozen orthopaedic textbooks and collaborated on more than 200 scientific articles.
Dr. Zuckerman has already set his main priorities for the Academy: maintaining the highest standard of orthopaedic education for both practitioners and the public, and enhancing all aspects of orthopaedic practice.
Thomas C. Barber, MD
Secretary BOC
As the new secretary of the AAOS Board of Councilors, Thomas C. Barber, MD, also serves as a member of the Board of Directors. But such multitasking is not new to Dr. Barber, who currently serves as both orthopaedic surgery department chief of Kaiser Permanente’s Oakland and Richmond (Calif.) Medical Centers and assistant physician-in-chief in charge of information technology at the Oakland center.
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Thomas C. Barber, MD |
Dr. Barber believes his background adds a valuable perspective to the AAOS Board. A Harvard graduate with a degree in economics, he is interested in the business side of medicine as well as in information technology. He has experience with digital imaging, electronic medical records, operating room efficiencies, and negotiating contracts. “I also helped found the Kaiser Permanente Total Joint Registry, which over its five years of existence has registered 50,000 total joint replacements.”
Dr. Barber pledges to keep healthcare reform oversight on the agenda, “so we do not lose track of the changes that are sure to come over the next few years.”
“The AAOS is a great organization whose strength comes from its volunteers,” he said. “There are so many great people working within this organization for the improvement of orthopaedic practice. I encourage every fellow to get involved and stay active.”
William J. Robb III, MD
Secretary BOS
The newly elected secretary of the AAOS Board of Specialty Societies, William J. Robb III, MD, also joins the AAOS Board of Directors. To say Dr. Robb is active in the profession is a significant understatement. A member of the American Medical Association, the Arthroscopy Association of North America, the Mid-America Orthopaedic Association, and the Illinois Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons, he currently serves as the second vice president of the American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons (AAHKS), as the treasurer and a trustee of the Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation, and as the treasurer of the Orthopaedic Political Action Committee. He also is the current chairman of the Evanston (Ill.) Northwestern Healthcare Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and an associate professor of orthopaedic surgery at Northwestern University.
Dr. Zuckerman’s involvement with AAOS started with service on the Subcommittee for Hip and Knee Evaluation in 1985. He has also served as chair of the Surgical Skills Committee and most recently as chair of the Council on Education.“I had the opportunity to see firsthand the great leaders of the Academy,” said Dr. Zuckerman. “I knew this was a remarkable organization that I wanted very much to be a part of. I am honored to be the Academy’s Second Vice President.”
“The issues facing orthopaedic surgeons today are many,” said Dr. Barber, “and range from medical liability reform to scope of practice issues. The AAOS needs to stay on top of the key advocacy issues and make sure we are a voice to be heard in the national debate on healthcare reform,” he says. “We need to maintain our excellence in education and provide opportunities for learning that match the needs of all of our fellowship.”
“The challenge for surgeons and our professional organizations in this era of ‘patient-centered care’ is to effectively advocate the advancement of our specialty’s knowledge and skills through improvements in communication, education, and research,” said Dr. Robb. “This will provide better outcomes and satisfaction for our patients, who expect and demand access and value from their physicians and our professional organizations within a healthcare system defined by responsibility, accountability, and transparency.”
After finishing his residency in orthopaedic surgery at Harvard Medical School, Kevin J. Bozic, MD, realized that he knew little about the business of medicine, that is, how business and medicine fit into the overall economy. So he did something few doctors do: he took off two years from medicine to pursue an MBA at Harvard Business School. He believes that his business education has helped him be a better physician.
“The program at the University of Pittsburgh is very diverse,” he said. “It is important to our profession that we have much greater diversity. The racial and ethnic makeup of this country is changing. The face of orthopaedic surgery needs to be reflecting that change.” A graduate of Michigan State University and the University of Michigan School of Medicine, Dr. Harner has been widely published in peer- and non–peer-reviewed journals and books. He also holds numerous visiting professorships.
William J. Robb III, MD
Dr. Robb thinks his experience and background will be strengths he brings to the Board. “As an officer representing our specialty’s many specialty organizations, I will strive for professional unity, but I will also promote a richness possible only through diversity for our members and our specialty’s many unique organizations.
“This is the most exciting time during my entire career. There have never been so many challenges and concurrent opportunities,” he said. “We need to focus on our core values and recognize that past success will not ensure a bright future. The challenge will be to engage and unify the entire orthopaedic community through education, research, and advocacy.”
Kevin J. Bozic, MD, MBA
Member-at-large (younger than 45 years of age)
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Kevin J. Bozic, MD |
“My business education gave me a fresh perspective,” he said. “Physicians are faced with increasing consumerism and market forces. There is greater competition and a demand for more accountability. We are confronted with higher practice expenses and lower reimbursements. But in the midst of these pressures, it is critical that the physician remains focused on the patient. It is critical that the doctor and the patient have a common voice. Above all, doctors represent their patients.”
Dr. Bozic has completed fellowships in orthopaedic traumatology and adult reconstructive surgery. He currently serves as assistant professor in residence in the department of orthopaedic surgery at the University of California, San Francisco. Winner of the 2006 Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation (OREF) Career Development Award, Dr. Bozic led an investigation of the relationship between economics, health policy, and the practice of orthopaedic surgery. The results of his efforts have resulted in changes in ICD-9-CM diagnosis and procedure codes, as well as in diganosis-related group codes.
Dr. Bozic has served as a member of the AAOS Coding, Coverage, and Reimbursement Committee and the AAHKS Health Policy Committee. Among the issues Dr. Bozic places as priorities as a member of the Board are preserving the autonomy of orthopaedic surgeons, focusing on delivering quality care with fewer resources, and helping to organize strategic initiatives for the Academy.
Christopher D. Harner, MD
Member-at-large (no age designation)
Christopher D. Harner, MD believes that “patient care is always priority number one. It cannot have restrictions.” Even after 20 years as an orthopaedic surgeon, Dr. Harner strongly feels it is an “honor and privilege” to be a physician.
Dr. Harner strongly supports the Academy’s efforts to increase diversity within orthopaedics. In his teaching position at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center for Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation, he is able to work in a program that encourages both racial and gender diversity.
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Christopher D. Harner, MD |
“It is a great honor to be chosen by my colleagues to serve in this position,” said Dr. Harner of his election to the Board. “The Academy is an outstanding organization—upholding high standards of quality and professionalism for the field of orthopaedic surgery.”
Dr. Harner says his main priorities as a member of the Board will be to work to keep orthopaedics unified as a specialty, to maintain a focus on high-quality patient care, and to make efforts to increase racial, ethnic, and gender diversity within the profession.