In my first letter to the membership that was featured in the Fall Issue of Sports Medicine Update, I introduced this year’s theme using the Roman numerals LIV to mark AOSSM’s 54th year—Lead, Inspire, and Value. Each represents an essential part of who we are as a Society and as physicians. In this update, I want to focus on the first part of LIV: Leadership. Effective leadership is rooted in integrity, humility, and vision. The best leaders listen well, communicate clearly, and empower those around them. They lead by example through their actions, consistency, and respect for others.
Orthopaedic sports medicine surgeons naturally find themselves in leadership roles in the operating room, in the clinic, and on the sidelines. In the operating room, we lead multidisciplinary teams in an environment where success depends on clear communication, preparation, and trust. Everyone in the room looks to the surgeon for direction, composure, and decisiveness, especially in critical moments. We guide patients and athletes through some of the most challenging moments of their lives, helping them recover both physically and emotionally. We also serve as educators, training residents, fellows, and medical students.
Being a team physician is a unique and rewarding platform for leadership. Our work in this arena begins long before the game with preventive strategies, preseason screenings, and emergency management training. During competition, we make rapid, high-stakes decisions under pressure, always with the athlete’s safety and long-term health as the top priority. After the game, leadership continues through recovery, coordinating rehabilitation, monitoring progress, and guiding safe return-to-play decisions.
In each of these roles, we have the vital opportunity to shape a culture of health and trust within our teams. By communicating openly and working collaboratively, we help athletes understand that their well-being comes first. This philosophy aligns perfectly with the AOSSM Team Physician Series, which emphasizes prevention, communication, and ethical decision-making as the foundation of effective care. I encourage you to take advantage of this new, modular online course designed specially to hone sideline leadership skills.
One quality I value deeply is servant leadership. Servant leadership creates trust, fosters collaboration, and strengthens every team we’re part of. Every day, I’m motivated by the opportunity to help others, whether it’s returning an athlete to play, guiding a patient through recovery, or mentoring a student interested in medicine or a young physician who’s just beginning their career. Leadership, at its heart, is about lifting others up.
I have been fortunate to have several mentors who embodied these traits and shaped my own approach to leadership. During my fellowship at the Hospital for Special Surgery, Dr. Russ Warren taught me the value of preparation, decisiveness, and composure under pressure. Dr. Kurt Spindler, during my time at Vanderbilt, modeled collaborative leadership—building research networks like the Multicenter Orthopaedic Outcomes Network (MOON) consortium that continue to advance our field today. These mentors showed me that leadership in medicine isn’t about authority; it’s about service. It’s about bringing out the best in others—whether that’s your surgical team, your colleagues, or your athletes. This spring, AOSSM will once again accept applications for mentees and mentors to help facilitate these long-lasting, mutually beneficial relationships. Stay tuned!
My journey through AOSSM has been one of the most fulfilling parts of my professional life. The Society has provided a platform to learn from incredible peers, to collaborate on meaningful research, and to contribute to initiatives that move our specialty forward. Serving on the Board of Directors, chairing committees, and leading the Council of Delegates all gave me a deeper appreciation for the power of collaboration and volunteerism. Leadership within AOSSM isn’t just about giving back; it’s also about personal and professional growth. The annual Call for Volunteers will open in January, and I hope to see many new faces join our efforts.
As we continue our work under the LIV: Lead, Inspire, Value banner, I invite you to reflect on your own leadership journey. Where can you listen more, serve more, or lift others higher? Each of us has the opportunity and responsibility to lead in ways that strengthen our teams, our athletes, and our AOSSM community.
Thank you for all that you do for your patients, your teams, and to AOSSM. I look forward to what we will accomplish together as we continue to lead with passion, integrity, and purpose.
