Join RJOS! Click here to learn about membership.
Need to pay your dues?
Submit today!

The DEI Task Force

Position

Member

Committee Chair  
Dawn LaPorte, MD
Committee Member
Corinna Franklin, MD
Committee Member
Gary Friedlander, MD
Committee Member
Elizabeth Lieberman, MD
Committee Member
Christen Russo, MD
Committee Member
Jessica Schmerler
Committee Member
Linda Suleiman, MD
DEI Task force Chair

Dawn LaPorte, MD

Dr Dawn LaPorte is a Professor and Vice Chair for Education in the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

Dr LaPorte has served as orthopaedic Residency Program Director at Johns Hopkins for 15 years and has served as Vice Chair for the ACGME Orthopaedic Surgery Residency Review Committee. She is passionate about education, and has been selected for numerous teaching and mentorship awards, and about diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and serves as the Chair of the DEI Task Force for RJOS as well as for the BOS and has helped create and lead the OrthoUnited Leadership Program for medical students since 2022.

Dr LaPorte's clinical interests are surgery of the hand and wrist.  She is a past member of theAmerican Society of Surgery for the Hand (ASSH) Council and has also served as co-chair of the Resident Educator Workshop at the ASSH Annual Meeting since 2007 and as chair of the ASSH Resident Review Course.  

Dr La Porte will serve as the Education Division Director for ASSH 2023-2026.  She is the Review Section editor for the Journal of Hand Surgery American. She is also a recent Past President of theRuth Jackson Orthopaedic Society and is the co-founder of Women in Orthopaedics Worldwide (WOW).

Our Work

RJOS Statement on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

The Ruth Jackson Orthopaedic Society is strongly aligned and deeply committed to the values of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, as represented in
  • All aspects of our membership and leadership
  • Educational endeavors
  • Scientific and academic initiatives
  • Programming
  • Mentorship
and in shaping the culture of our Society, informing our interactions with peer organizations and individuals, and promoting these principles in the world at large.
The DEI Task Force Video on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

What we do

In 2022, we surveyed our membership to learn more about you!
  • Our membership identifies primarily as female (91%) and white (75%). Ten percent of you identified as Latino, 10% Asian, and 12% Black or African American.
  • You value the opportunities we offer in networking and mentorship most and the sources on our website the least.
  • You offered some valuable information on how we can make things better for you, and we have brought many of these ideas to the board, such as more medical student involvement, DEI resources, and partnerships with other societies.

DEI Member Survey Results

208 Responses:
25% Medical Students, 19% Resident, 49% Practicing Surgeons
75% White, 12% Black, 10% Asian, 10% Hispanic
6% LGBTQ

DEIA Sub-I Scholarships

Please visit this MSOS page that has a compiled list of residency programs that offer DEI scholarships for Sub-I Scholarships.

Links to other sites representing orthopaedic diversity

Literature on DEI in Orthopaedic Surgery

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20926728/ 
Day CS, Lage DE, Ahn CS. Diversity based on race, ethnicity, and sex between academic orthopaedic surgery and other specialties: A comparative study. Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery.2010;92(13):2328-2335. doi:10.2106/JBJS.I.01482 

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21938358/ 
Okike K,Utuk ME, White AA. Racial and ethnic diversity in orthopaedic surgery residency programs. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 2011 Sep 21;93(18):e107. doi:10.2106/JBJS.K.00108. PMID: 21938358. 

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22286669/ 
Daniels EW, French K, Murphy LA, Grant RE. Has diversity increased in orthopaedicresidency programs since 1995? Clin Orthop Relat Res. 2012 Aug;470(8):2319-24.doi: 10.1007/s11999-012-2259-x. PMID: 22286669; PMCID: PMC3392372. 

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27084717/ O'ConnorMI. Medical School Experiences Shape Women Students' Interest in Orthopaedic Surgery. Clin Orthop Relat Res. 2016 Sep;474(9):1967-72. doi:10.1007/s11999-016-4830-3. PMID: 27084717; PMCID: PMC4965370. 

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27422391/ 
Amoli MA,Flynn JM, Edmonds EW, Glotzbecker MP, Kelly DM, Sawyer JR. Gender Differences in Pediatric Orthopaedics: What Are the Implications for the Future Workforce? Clin Orthop Relat Res. 2016 Sep;474(9):1973-8. doi: 10.1007/s11999-016-4984-z.PMID: 27422391; PMCID: PMC4965398. 

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27245771/ 
LattanzaLL, Meszaros-Dearolf L, O'Connor MI, Ladd A, Bucha A, Trauth-Nare A, BuckleyJM. The Perry Initiative's Medical Student Outreach Program Recruits Women Into Orthopaedic Residency. Clin Orthop Relat Res. 2016 Sep;474(9):1962-6. doi:10.1007/s11999-016-4908-y. PMID: 27245771; PMCID: PMC4965379. 

Yes, sign me up!

And help drive change!

Join our movement and get first notices to special events, programming, resources, opportunities, and more!

subscribe to our newsletter
We never share your details with third parties.
Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.