The new members of the AAOS Board of Directors include researchers, academicians, and private practitioners. They represent a range of orthopaedic specialties, and they share a strong spirit of volunteerism and commitment to the Academy.

Joshua J. Jacobs, MD
Second vice-president
A practicing adult reconstructive specialist with a research interest in the biocompatibility of orthopaedic biomaterials, Joshua J. Jacobs, MD, is the William A. Hark, MD/Susanne G. Swift Professor and Chairman of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at Rush University Medical Center, Chicago. A partner and member of the Executive Committee of Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush, he serves as an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering in the McCormick Technological Institute at Northwestern University.

“I look forward to serving with the talented and accomplished individuals on the Academy’s Board of Directors and staff leadership team,” he said.

Previously, Dr. Jacobs served for 6 years as the chair of the Council on Research, Quality Assessment, and Technology. He is the past president of the Orthopaedic Research Society and is the current president of the United States Bone and Joint Decade (USBJD). He is a trustee of the Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation and is past chair of Committee F04 on Medical and Surgical Materials and Devices of the American Society for Testing and Materials International.

Dr. Jacobs recently completed a 4-year term on the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases Advisory Council and has chaired multiple National Institute of Health study sections.

“At the USBJD, I have focused on raising the level of awareness of the public, professionals, and policy makers on the burden of musculoskeletal disease on our society. It is critical for our profession, and for the patients that we serve, that public policy facilitates access to specialty musculoskeletal care. Going forward, the AAOS will continue to advocate for access to orthopaedic surgical specialists and for public investment in orthopaedic research,” he said.

Dr. Jacobs has a bachelor of science degree in materials science and engineering from Northwestern University, and his medical degree is from the University of Illinois College of Medicine. He completed his orthopaedic surgery residency in the Combined Harvard Orthopaedic Surgery Program in Boston and a fellowship in joint replacement surgery at Rush University Medical Center.

A previous winner of the Kappa Delta Ann Doner Vaughan Award, Dr. Jacobs has published more than 175 peer-reviewed manuscripts, has co-edited three books and co-authored more than 35 book chapters. He has presented extensively at a variety of national and international continuing medical education venues.

“The Academy leadership continues to look ahead to develop more quality initiatives that coincide with our commitment to excellence. Its priorities are well aligned with my own as a clinician, educator, and researcher. I am enthusiastic about rolling up my sleeves and getting to work,” he said.

Andrew N. Pollak, MD
Treasurer-elect
As treasurer-elect, Andrew N. Pollak, MD, will serve ex-officio this year and assume the position of treasurer in 2012.

“The economy has certainly made maintaining budgets challenging, but it is my hope that we can continue to provide our members with cutting-edge education and research materials and also advocate on behalf of our patients and their surgeons,” he said.

Currently professor of orthopaedics and head of the Division of Orthopaedic Traumatology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, Dr. Pollak is also associate director of trauma and chief of orthopaedics at the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore. He received his medical degree from Northwestern University in Chicago and completed an orthopaedic residency at University Hospitals of Cleveland and Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. His fellowship in orthopaedic traumatology was at the University of California, Davis Medical Center in Sacramento, Calif.

Dr. Pollak recently served as the Chief Financial Officer for the Orthopaedic Trauma Association (OTA) and sat on the Investment Committee for the American Orthopaedic Association (AOA). “Being able to effectively manage finances to meet an organization’s goals, enabling the group to serve its mission, is what being part of the financial team is all about,” he said.

Dr. Pollak has previously served as chair of the Board of Specialty Societies (BOS) and is the current chair of the AAOS Extremity War Injuries Project Team, where he has been instrumental in increasing congressional appropriations for war injury funding by $152 million over 3 years. He also serves as a series editor for the AAOS Orange Book Series, an entire set of textbooks for emergency medical services providers.

David Teuscher, MD
Board of Councilors Chair
“The Board of Councilors (BOC) is the early warning system for problems faced by our orthopaedic patients and practices, the place where many innovative initiatives begin,” believes David Teuscher, MD. “It is a high honor to serve as the leader of this esteemed group and to carry their vision and passion to the AAOS Board of Directors.”

Access to health care is a prime concern for Dr. Teuscher. He hopes to use his new role to inform others of what is at stake for patients and physicians. “Physicians are rightfully uncertain of how the changes in health care will affect their patients and their practices,” he said. “We must educate our fellowship, the public, and elected leaders on the proper manner to reform our healthcare system so it delivers value in the form of improved quality, better outcomes, and cost-effective care for patients.”

A graduate of the University of Illinois, Dr. Teuscher earned his medical degree at the University of Texas Medical School in San Antonio. Between an internship and orthopaedic residency at the Brooke Army Medical Center at Fort Sam Houston, Texas, he took on academic roles with the University of Oklahoma in Oklahoma City and Baylor University in Waco, Texas. He also served as an instructor for 7 years at the U.S. Army Academy of Health Sciences, Fort Sam Houston, Texas. Currently, he is in full-time private practice, specializing in sports medicine at the Beaumont Bone and Joint Institute.

Dr. Teuscher is also a fellow of the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine (AOSSM) and American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society (AOFAS). He is a member and past-president of the Texas Orthopaedic Association.

Jeffrey Anglen, MD, FACS
Board of Specialty Societies Chair
“I am honored to become chair of the Board of Specialty Societies (BOS),” said Jeffrey Anglen, MD. “We will continue the evolution of the BOS to best serve our patients, our societies, and our profession.

“Whether we are tackling continuing challenges in resident and fellow education, getting the message out on quality and patient safety, or promoting orthopaedic research, I hope to help make decisions that empower and secure the nature of our specialty moving forward,” he continued. “Working with our BOC colleagues, the BOS seeks to improve patient access to musculoskeletal care in the era of healthcare reform.”

Dr. Anglen is a professor and Chairman of the Department of Orthopaedics at Indiana University, Indianapolis. Prior to his appointment, Dr. Anglen worked for Boone Orthopaedic Associates and the University of Missouri Department of Orthopaedics, Columbia, Mo., and the Midwest Orthopaedic Clinic in Kansas City, Mo.

He earned his medical degree from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, where he also served his surgical internship and orthopaedic residency. Dr. Anglen received training in orthopaedic traumatology at Harborview Medical Center, Seattle, and Tampa General Hospital in Tampa, Fla.

Dr. Anglen is past-president of the OTA, a current director of the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery, a member of the AOA, and is on the American College of Surgeons Board of Governors and Committee on Trauma. He is on the Board of Directors for the Indiana Orthopaedic Society and Orthopaedics Overseas.

Mininder S. Kocher, MD, MPH
Member-at-large
Mininder S. Kocher, MD, MPH, currently serves as an associate professor of orthopaedic surgery at Harvard Medical School. He earned his medical degree from Duke University and a master’s degree in public health from Harvard.

After completing a combined orthopaedic residency rotating through Massachusetts General Hospital, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Children’s Hospital, and Beth Israel Hospital, Dr. Kocher went on to a pediatric orthopaedic fellowship at Children’s Hospital Boston and a sports medicine fellowship at the Steadman Hawkins Clinic, in Vail, Co.

He is currently on the AOSSM board and is a past board member of the Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America (POSNA). He anticipates his new position will enhance collaboration among the three organizations.

The recipient of many honors and awards, Dr. Kocher has authored four textbooks, 41 book chapters, and more than 100 peer-reviewed journal articles. He is a frequent guest speaker and lecturer on pediatric sports medicine.

“The healthcare landscape is changing very rapidly, and now could not be a more important time to serve in a leadership capacity with this preeminent orthopaedic organization,” he said. “My background in clinical research and other public health issues will bring a unique perspective, and I am honored to serve.”

Naomi N. Shields, MD
Member-at-large
Specializing in the foot and ankle, Naomi N. Shields, MD, is in private practice in Wichita, Kans., and serves as a clinical associate professor at the University of Kansas School of Medicine. She earned her medical degree from Albany (N.Y.) Medical College, completed a 4-year residency at the Wilford Hall USAF Medical Center, Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, and finished a foot and ankle fellowship with the Medical College of Wisconsin.

Dr. Shields just finished a term on the AOFAS board, which she believes prepared her very well for this position. She is passionate about attracting more women to orthopaedics and is actively involved in the Ruth Jackson Orthopaedic Society (RJOS), an organization whose mission is to foster women into orthopaedic surgery.

“I went through my entire residency never knowing one female orthopaedic surgeon,” she explained. “It’s important for groups like the RJOS to continue presenting orthopaedics as an attractive profession to young women. Women can and do succeed.”

A passionate humanitarian, Dr. Shields has made 11 trips to Vietnam through AOFAS to help those in need. She was also part of a team at Pierre Payen after the earthquake in Haiti last year. “Disaster response is one area of medicine that requires teamwork and sacrifice,” she noted. “It is a humbling experience that makes us appreciate what we have and want to give back.”