Published 3/11/2025
Your Academy 2025 is the must-attend event for orthopaedic professionals. Join your colleagues as they gather at 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday in Room 20BC for the marquee event of the meeting. Attendees will hear from AAOS leaders as they share the milestones and achievements from the past year and look ahead to their plans for the future of AAOS. Paul Tornetta III, MD, PhD, FAAOS, 2024-2025 president, will reflect on his year of service and how he united with fellow members, volunteer leaders, and AAOS staff to bring new projects and programs to fruition. Incoming president Annunziato Amendola, MD, FAAOS, will then speak on his goals and vision for his 2025-2026 presidency.
Also on the Your Academy agenda is the opportunity to welcome the presidents of specialty, international, and other orthopaedic organizations, as AAOS continues to prioritize collaboration within the musculoskeletal community. The event will feature Egypt as the 2025 Guest Nation and acknowledge the generous contributions of industry partners that made a significant impact on the Academy’s work during 2024.
In honor of their distinguished service to orthopaedics, AAOS will recognize the recipients of the AAOS Diversity Award, the AAOS Humanitarian Award, and the William W. Tipton Jr, MD, Leadership Award. Representatives from the Kappa Delta Foundation and the Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation (OREF) will also present awards to orthopaedic professionals doing outstanding work in research and emerging techniques and technologies.
The AAOS Diversity Award recognizes Academy members who have demonstrated exceptional dedication to making orthopaedics more representative and accessible to a diverse physician and patient population. The 2025 award will be presented to Thomas P. Sculco, MD, FAAOS, who has dedicated his career to increasing diversity in orthopaedics, particularly among underrepresented minorities and women. He has created successful programs to diversify the profession and improve care for a diverse patient population.
The AAOS Humanitarian Award is presented to members who have distinguished themselves in their humanitarian efforts, both in the Unites States and abroad. The 2025 award honors Coleen S. Sabatini, MD, FAAOS, for her humanitarian work around the globe. Dr. Sabatini, a pediatric orthopaedic surgeon at UCSF, has spent considerable time in Uganda leading a pediatric orthopaedic research program and working to improve surgical access in underserved areas.
The William W. Tipton Jr, MD, Leadership Award honors members who have gone above and beyond in their leadership roles to the benefit of the orthopaedic community and its patients. The 2025 award recipient is Steven Gitelis, MD, FAAOS, a renowned expert in orthopaedic oncology and limb reconstruction. Dr. Gitelis’ vast leadership experience at Rush University Medical Center and his mentoring of future orthopaedic leaders have made a significant impact on the field.
The following individuals are the recipients of the 2025 Kappa Delta and OREF Awards:
- Kappa Delta Young Investigator Award: Nicolas S. Piuzzi, MD
- Kappa Delta Ann Doner Vaughn Award: Matthew T. Provencher, MD, MBA, CAPT MC USNR (Ret.), FAAOS
- Kappa Delta Elizabeth Winston Lanier Award: Brian Feeley, MD, FAAOS
- OREF Clinical Research Award: Brian Cole, MD, MBA, FAAOS
New to the Your Academy program this year is the presentation of the Arnold I. Caplan Award for Distinguished Research in OrthoBiologics. Honoring the legacy of Arnold Caplan, PhD, a pioneer in the field of orthobiologics and medicinal signaling cells, this award recognizes the achievements of researchers whose work significantly impacts the development of new therapeutic solutions. Daniel B. F. Saris, MD, PhD is the recipient of this inaugural 2025 Caplan Award.
The event will conclude with Presidential Guest Speaker, Captain and former U.S. Ambassador “Sully” Sullenberger, who will participate in a fireside chat with Dr. Tornetta. In 2009, Ambassador Sullenberger, along with First Officer Jeff Skiles, executed an emergency water landing of U.S. Airways Flight 1549 on the Hudson River. Known as the “Miracle on the Hudson,” this event resulted from a bird strike that disabled both engines. The successful landing saved the lives of all 155 passengers and crew onboard.
During his career, Ambassador Sullenberger was an accident investigator, safety committee chairman, and developed and taught the Crew Resource Management Course at U.S. Airways. Ambassador Sullenberger served as the U.S. ambassador and representative to the International Civil Aviation Organization in 2022 and continues to advocate for aviation safety. Ambassador Sullenberger is also a number one New York Times best-selling author and international speaker.
Do not miss Your Academy 2025 at 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday in Room 20BC.