Speaker: Antonia F. Chen, MD, MBA, FAAOS
What motivated you to volunteer with AAOS, and how has that experience contributed to your professional or leadership growth?
Antonia F. Chen, MD, MBA, FAAOS: I was motivated to volunteer for AAOS because I thought it was an incredible opportunity to give back to the profession that had given so much to me. I'm proud to be an orthopaedic surgeon and I love what I do. And here's an organization that represents all orthopaedic surgeons, and it gives an opportunity to be able to participate in the greatest ways possible. My biggest involvement in AAOS has been through the Evidence-based Quality Value Committee. I believe in research and I believe the importance of research to support the things that we do, to take good care of our patients. And so by doing so, I've been able to volunteer for AAOS and be able to give back and contribute to the literature that helps drives what we do on a daily basis, which is taking good care of our patients.
What’s one piece of advice you’d give to younger members about getting involved with AAOS or who might not thing they’re ready?
Antonia F. Chen, MD, MBA, FAAOS: My advice for the young members of AAOS is that you are ready. Even if you don't feel ready to volunteer, you're ready. There's so many different ways you can get involved in AAOS whether it be through the med student forum, the resident forum, or as an attending. Jump in, volunteer, and you'll discover a lot of things about yourself, both from an orthopaedic surgeon's standpoint as well as a leadership standpoint that'll surprise you.
In what ways do you see volunteer service as a professional responsibility or an extension of leadership within our profession?
Antonia F. Chen, MD, MBA, FAAOS: We do a lot as orthopaedic surgeons to take care of our patients, and a lot of what we do is actually volunteer work. Extra calls to the patient, reaching out to the patient, making sure that they're OK. It's part of who we are as surgeons and as doctors. So by participating in AAOS as a volunteer, you have that opportunity to give back in a way that makes our profession stronger. And me personally, I've experienced a lot of leadership opportunities. I started as a member of the Evidence-based Quality Value Committee and worked my way up to AUC chair, which is appropriate use criteria chair, and being a part of that allowed me to engage in the process of developing the evidence, evaluating the evidence, and making the evidence prominent in how we take care of our patients, so we have the best standards of care when we're taking care of our patients.
What role do you believe volunteer leadership plays in strengthening and guiding the future of our profession?
Antonia F. Chen, MD, MBA, FAAOS: I am where I am today because of the volunteers and the leaders that came before me. I stand on the shoulder of giants. The volunteers at AAOS the leadership of AAOS has brought up the next generation. So I am here because of them, and I feel like it's my duty to serve in the leadership capacity to bring up the next generation of orthopaedic surgeons, so we continue to build our profession and build what we're doing as orthopaedic surgeons to improve us as well as improve our patients.
