Sanford E. Emery, M.D., M.B.A. is the 2021 winner of the American Orthopaedic Association (AOA) Distinguished Clinician Educator Award. Dr. Emery, professor and chair of the Department of Orthopaedics in the West Virginia University School of Medicine and director of Surgical Services, was presented with the award after being nominated by his AOA peers. The award was announced during the Opening Ceremony of the 2021 Virtual AOA Annual Leadership Meetings on June 8.
Sanford Emery, M.D. 2021 Distinguished Educator Award Winner
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Dr. Emery, a past president of the AOA, received the award for his achievements in training medical students, graduates, residents and other health professionals over the past 33 years. Dr. Emery has been responsible for growing the West Virginia University School of Medicine Department of Orthopaedics from 5 to 39 full-time faculty, establishing a resident research program, and “fostering a significant increase in both funding and productivity of basic and clinical research in orthopaedics.”
A former president of both the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery and the Cervical Spine Research Society, Dr. Emery has participated in several leadership committees at the West Virginia University School of Medicine.
“I am honored and pleasantly surprised to receive this award from the AOA,” said Dr. Emery to OTW. “What I most value is recognition from my peers in a leadership organization. The AOA is home to leaders and educators in our profession that have taught me a tremendous amount about both of those areas of orthopaedics.”
When OTW asked Dr. Emery what has most influenced his teaching philosophy, he commented, “I would say those who influenced me the most were my parents and the several true mentors I have had during my career. If I had to put it in a sound bite it might be this: It is not about me. It is about developing others and facilitating their growth and success for the betterment of the team. Very rewarding for both the leader and the organization.”
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This is a fascinating development. In my practice we've seen similar outcomes with the revised protocol. The key differentiator seems to be patient selection criteria. Has anyone else noticed the correlation with BMI thresholds?
Great point. I'd push back slightly on the conclusion, the sample size in the cited study is too small to draw population-level inferences. That said, the directional signal is compelling and worth a larger RCT.
We implemented a similar approach last year. Early results are promising but we're still gathering 12-month follow-up data. Happy to share our protocol if anyone is interested.
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