Humanitarian Award Honors Champion of Equitable Orthopaedic Care

To honor her dedication to caring for children with musculoskeletal conditions in the United States and abroad, AAOS has named Coleen S. Sabatini, MD, MPH, FAAOS, the winner of the 2025 Humanitarian Award.

A pediatric orthopaedic surgeon at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland in Oakland, California, Dr. Sabatini has worked to improve access to high-quality pediatric orthopaedic care around the world by emphasizing education and capacity building in resource-limited settings.

“Being selected for the AAOS Humanitarian Award means a great deal to me, as it not only recognizes the work I have done thus far but also serves as a call to action, reinforcing my commitment to placing health equity at the core of my career and continuing to serve children with musculoskeletal conditions worldwide,” Dr. Sabatini shared with AAOS Now. “More than just an acknowledgment of my individual efforts, this award honors the collaborative work of my colleagues at home and abroad, clinical staff, mentors, and family who have been instrumental in making this journey possible. Their support and dedication have made this work achievable, and for that, I am deeply grateful.”

Dr. Sabatini completed her residency training at the Harvard Combined Orthopaedic Residency Program and a fellowship in pediatric orthopaedic surgery at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. She’s been a member of the faculty at UCSF since 2010.

She is associate director of the UCSF Center for Health Equity in Surgery and Anesthesia, which aims to improve access to high-quality surgical care in low-resource settings, as well as codirector of UCSF’s Institute for Global Orthopaedics and Traumatology and director of Global HELP.

Her clinical focus includes a range of pediatric orthopaedic conditions. As the director of the Children’s Hospital Oakland’s Clubfoot Program, she is particularly passionate about the care of children with foot and limb deformities. Her research foci include global health equity, pediatric trauma prevention and treatment, and access to high-quality care for children with musculoskeletal conditions, particularly those in low-
resource environments.

Capacity building in Uganda
After making a few short-term trips a year to Uganda from 2013 to 2018, she transitioned in 2019 from her role as director and chief of the Division of Orthopaedic Surgery at Children’s Hospital Oakland to focus more on improving health equity at home and abroad.

Much of her international work has been in Uganda, where she leads a pediatric orthopaedic research program and serves as principal investigator on multiple projects. Several of the research projects are focused on injection injury (e.g., gluteal fibrosis and post-injection paralysis) and other neglected surgical conditions.

Along with other colleagues, Dr. Sabatini has helped to set up a pediatric orthopaedic fellowship in Uganda to help train future generations of surgeons. Throughout the year, she leads a weekly pediatric orthopaedic virtual conference for the team in Uganda. During the 3 to 4 months she spends in Uganda each year, she actively teaches in the clinic, OR, and inpatient wards, as well as through conferences.

“I believe that prioritizing capacity building—with a focus on education, research, and resource development—is essential in addressing the vast disparity in access to surgical care for both children and adults worldwide,” Dr. Sabatini said. “The gap in access to safe and affordable surgical and anesthesia care is so significant that short-term medical missions, where teams fly in, perform surgeries, and leave, cannot make a meaningful impact on the underlying burden of surgical disease. True, lasting change can only be achieved through sustainable education-based programs that train local workforces, provide essential resources, and invest in long-term infrastructure. Only then can underserved populations gain the ongoing access to care that they need and deserve.”

Inspiration and motivation
Her focus on public health started prior to her medical career. Before attending Harvard Medical School, she worked with the California Black Infant Health Program, which aims to improve health among Black mothers and babies by empowering pregnant and mothering Black women. During her residency, she used her limited vacation time to volunteer in the Dominican Republic with Operation Walk, which provides no-cost joint-replacement surgeries to those in need around the globe.

Her dedication to service was influenced by her family. “From a young age, my family instilled in me a deep sense of responsibility to serve others, nurture compassion for the less fortunate, and uplift those in need,” she shared. “My volunteer experiences during adolescence and college opened my eyes to the disparities in health and education, as well as the systemic injustices that negatively impact the well-being of individuals and communities. These experiences ignited my passion for public health, and work in that field further fueled my desire to pursue education in both medicine and public health.”

Dr. Sabatini also cited several of her inspirations in the field of orthopaedics, including Norgrove Penny, MD, FRCP; Lynn Staheli, MD, FAAOS; Kaye Wilkins, MD; David Spiegel, MD, FAAOS; Hugh Watts, MD, FAAOS; and Rick Coughlin, MD, FAAOS.

“I greatly admire their careers-long dedication to global orthopaedic education and service—the examples they set continue to motivate me,” she said.

In response to winning the 2025 Humanitarian Award, Dr. Sabatini said, “I want to acknowledge the remarkable surgeons I have had the privilege of working with and learning from throughout my journey—during my training at the Harvard Combined Orthopaedic Residency Program, my fellowship at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, my years in practice at UCSF, and through my travels to many countries where I have been able to teach and learn with incredible surgeons from around the globe.”

In particular, she added, “I want to express my gratitude to my colleagues in Uganda, who have welcomed me into their lives and their work and included me as a part of their team for the past decade—working with them has provided me with some of the greatest fulfillment and inspiration in my career as an orthopaedic surgeon.”

Getting started in international service
To students and trainees who are interested in international service in orthopaedics, Dr. Sabatini emphasized the importance of mastering the fundamentals.

“Prioritize developing strong clinical assessment skills through thorough history taking and physical exams, as in many settings that may be the only information available,” she advised. “Strive for technical excellence in the OR. A solid foundation in these areas will not only enhance your impact at home but also empower you to make a meaningful difference abroad.”

Dr. Sabatini also recommended trainees develop a thorough understanding of when surgical and nonoperative interventions are indicated. “Knowing when to operate and when to refrain is crucial.”

She strongly encourages practicing orthopaedic surgeons to find a way to get involved in international work. “There is so much to learn from our orthopaedic colleagues around the world, and working in environments that require creativity and adaptability ultimately makes us better surgeons at home,” she said.

One way to get started is to connect with medical professionals in other parts of the world. She recommended that interested surgeons pick a region they are passionate about, whether for personal connections or appreciation of the culture, then “visit with the intent to listen and learn. Understand the challenges and needs first. Then assess how your skills and resources can help local surgeons address those needs more effectively,” she explained. “Our impact will be far more meaningful if we approach these efforts with humility, listening before acting and developing tailored education and clinical care strategies to meet the specific needs of the community.”

Rebecca Araujo is the managing editor of AAOS Now.