Dr. Simpson Mason’s Efforts Win AAOS 2015 Diversity Award

Bonnie Simpson Mason, M.D., has probably directly helped more than 1, 000 female and minority medical students, residents and orthopedic surgeons over the past ten years through her nonprofit organization, Nth Dimensions Educational Solutions, Inc.

The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) honored Dr. Simpson Mason for those efforts by awarding her the Academy’s 2015 Diversity Award at its recently held annual meeting. The Diversity Award recognizes Academy members who have distinguished themselves through their outstanding commitment to making orthopedics more inclusive.

Recruiting and Supporting Women and Minorities

She was recognized for recruiting and supporting women and minority medical students interested in a career in orthopedics.

According to the Academy, Dr. Simpson Mason’s organization has worked with the AAOS for more than a decade to develop and facilitate scholarship and internship programs for medical students from diverse backgrounds. Many of the students who participated in programs sponsored by Nth Dimensions credit those experiences as being the driving force behind their success in becoming orthopedists.

Filling Mother’s Footsteps

Orthopedic surgery is predominately a male field. But that didn’t intimate Dr. Simpson Mason, as her mother was a construction engineer. “I saw my mother do it every day. If you can see someone like you being successful, then your aspirations become feasible, ” she told AAOS NOW.

She attended the Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta and completed a general surgery internship at the University of California at Los Angeles, followed by an orthopedic residency at Howard University Hospital in Washington, D.C.

After five years in clinical practice at Grant Orthopaedic Bone and Joint Surgeons in Washington, D.C., where she also served as the practice’s chief financial officer, she was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. She retired from surgical and clinical practice and founded Nth Dimensions by drawing on her entrepreneurial and leadership skills.

Nth Dimensions

Nth Dimensions attracts female and minority medical students through its physician pipeline initiatives. The organization partners with AAOS to offer first-year medical students the opportunity to participate in eight-week clinical and research internships as part of the Orthopaedic Summer Internship (OSI) Program. After they complete a research project, the students present their study findings at a national scientific meeting.

“The goal of the OSI program is to provide three important elements that contribute to increasing students’ competitiveness for orthopedic residency positions: early exposure to the field of orthopedics, clinical and research experience, and ongoing mentoring and leadership development, ” said Dr. Simpson Mason.

One-Third of All African-American Residents

Approximately 175 students have been Nth Dimensions/AAOS Orthopaedic Summer Interns since the program’s inception. In Dr. Simpson Mason’s estimation, close to one-third of all African-American orthopedic residents have participated in at least one of Nth Dimensions’ programs.

“As a direct result of her organization, Dr. Simpson Mason has fostered the careers of a small army of diverse physicians who will naturally strive toward a goal of providing culturally competent care, ” wrote former Nth Dimensions participant Rishi Balkissoon, M.D., MPH, chief resident in the department of orthopedic surgery at Johns Hopkins.

Changing the Face of Orthopedics

Claudia Thomas, M.D., the first African-American female orthopedic surgeon and recipient of the 2008 AAOS Diversity Award, nominated Dr. Simpson Mason. She wrote; “Dr. Simpson Mason has been a silent warrior in the effort to diversify the field of orthopedic surgery…She has devoted infinite time and energy to changing the face of orthopedics, not out of resentment of the specialty’s exclusivity, but because she loves the field so much.”

Dr. Simpson Mason credits Zimmer Holdings, Inc. for being a ten-year sponsor and the “life’s blood of Nth Dimensions’ ability to thrive.” She also works with the J. Robert Gladden Society, the Ruth Jackson Orthopaedic Society, the American Association of Latino Orthopaedic Surgeons, and the National Medical Association. She is also a clinical assistant professor in the department of orthopedic surgery and rehabilitation at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, and an adjunct professor of graduate medical education at the University of Louisville School of Medicine.

“Receiving the AAOS Diversity Award confirms for me that my role and purpose is to motivate young people to become orthopedic surgeons, ” she told AAOS NOW. “I would not have been able to do this if I was still in the operating room, which proves that we can be effective in developing the next generation of physician leaders both inside and outside of the operating room.”

Through her efforts, the next generation of physician leaders will look more like their patients.