LAS VEGAS— The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) today presented the 2015 Diversity Award to Bonnie Simpson Mason, MD, of Chicago, Ill., at a ceremonial meeting at the organization’s 2015 Annual Meeting.
The Diversity Award recognizes members of the Academy who have distinguished themselves through their outstanding commitment to making orthopaedics more representative of, and accessible to, diverse patient populations. Dr. Simpson Mason, 44, is the youngest recipient of the AAOS Diversity Award.
Dr. Simpson Mason, an orthopaedic surgeon, is founder and executive director of Nth Dimensions Educational Solutions, Inc., a nonprofit organization that, in partnership with AAOS, develops and facilitates pipeline initiatives to diversify the future physician workforce in orthopaedics and other specialties. The organization’s goals are to increase diversity in medicine, decrease gender and health disparities, and promote the professional development of aspiring minority physicians in orthopaedic surgery. Participants gain early exposure and hands-on orthopaedic experience, including clinical and research opportunities, as well as mentoring and leadership development.
Dr. Simpson Mason received her medical degree from Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta, and completed a general surgical internship at the University of California, Los Angeles, and an orthopaedic residency at Howard University Hospital in Washington, DC. From 2001 to 2006, Dr. Simpson Mason was in clinical practice and served as chief financial officer at Grant Orthopaedic Bone and Joint Surgeons. A diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis forced her to unexpectedly curtail the surgical and clinical practice of orthopaedics, while providing her with the opportunity to pursue her other passion: mentoring and helping young women and minority students to pursue careers in orthopaedic surgery. Relying on multiple skill sets, Dr. Simpson Mason adapted and reinvented her career path from that of a surgeon to an orthopaedic ambassador.
Chicago Orthopaedic Surgeon Bonnie Simpson Mason, MD, Receives American Academy Of Orthopaedic Surgeons’ Diversity Award was originally published on blackdoctor.org
