April D. Armstrong, M.D. Elected ABOS President

The Board of Directors of the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery (ABOS) has selected April D. Armstrong, M.D., the C. McCollister Evarts Professor and chair of the Department of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation at Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, its news president. Dr. Armstrong, the second woman to be president of the ABOS, will hold the office for a one-year term.

“Dr. Armstrong is a highly regarded leader and educator in orthopaedic surgery, specializing in shoulder and elbow surgery. The ABOS—and the profession—are lucky to have her as President,” David F. Martin, M.D., ABOS Executive Director, stated to OTW.

Dr. Armstrong, associate editor for the Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery, discussed her future outlook, saying to OTW, “We just updated our strategic vision and so we will plan to carry out this vision, striving to achieve our goals, working with our core ABOS committees.”

A specialist in treating complex shoulder and elbow conditions, Dr. Armstrong was born and raised in Barrie, Ontario, Canada. After obtaining a BSc in Physical Therapy at the University of Western Ontario, she stayed on to earn her medical degree. Following a residency at the University of Western Ontario, Dr. Armstrong completed a fellowship in Upper Extremity Orthopaedic Surgery at the Hand and Upper Limb Center, St. Joseph’s Health Care in London, Ontario, finishing her master’s degree in Medical Biophysics during the same year.

Dr. Armstrong then undertook a fellowship in Shoulder and Elbow Orthopaedic Surgery at the Barnes-Jewish Hospital, Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri. Dr. Armstrong’s core research is on the glenoid with special focus on morphology, glenoid component design, biomechanical loading, and three dimensional modeling.

We asked Dr. Armstrong to describe the one critical leadership lesson that she will bring to this role. Dr. Armstrong replied, “It is wise to often sit back and just ‘listen.’”

Founded in 1934, the ABOS Board of Directors consists of 21 members, which includes 12 Active Directors, 6 Senior Directors, 2 Directors-Elect, and 1 Public Member Director. ABOS Board Members serve one 10-year term while the Public Member Director serves a three-year renewable term. Nominations to the ABOS Board of Directors come from the American Orthopaedic Association, the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, and the American Medical Association. Officers are current Board members elected by other Board members.