Awards of Excellence - AAOE
Our annual awards program recognizes outstanding contributions of AAOE members and their practices that are positively affecting the association, as well as the larger community of orthopedics.
Take a look at all of our past award winners.
Lifetime Achievement Award
The Lifetime Achievement Award is presented each year to a current AAOE member who has supported the organization with time and talent over the years. This individual has demonstrated years of dedication, commitment, and service through volunteerism within our organization as well as a pledge to the orthopedic industry.
Criteria:
- Must be an AAOE member in good standing.
- Must have been an AAOE member for a minimum of 10 years.
- Current members of the AAOE Board of Directors and past recipients of this award are ineligible.
- For consideration: continued AAOE leadership service, association or civic/community leadership.
- At least one, and up to three, letters of support from someone other than the nominator (these may be submitted at a later date to info@aaoe.net rather than included with the nomination form).
Practice Executive of the Year
Strong leadership is vital to both the short-term and the long-term success of a practice. This award recognizes the commitment of an AAOE member who, as the lead staff person or executive, has consistently gone above and beyond at his or her practice. The award is granted based on the recipient's ability to motivate others, stimulate postive activity, and serve as a catalyst for exceptional results.
Criteria:
- Actively involved in a full-time position as the lead staff or executive for his/her practice or organization.
- Must be an AAOE member in good standing.
- Member may self-nominate.
- Staff of a member may nominate member.
- Members of the AAOE Board of Directors and past winners of the award are not eligible.
- Activity supporting the nomination must have occurred during the time period of January 1 - December 31, 2024.
Volunteer of the Year
AAOE would not be the organization it is today without the efforts of many member volunteers. This award recognizes an AAOE member who has made exceptional contributions in a voluntary capacity to support the organization’s goals.
Criteria:
- Must be an AAOE member in good standing.
- Member may self-nominate.
- Members of the AAOE Board of Directors and past winners of this award are not eligible.
- Activity supporting the nomination must have occurred during the time period of January 1 – December 31, 2024.
Innovator Award
Today, more than ever, innovation is a must for survival and long-term success in health care. Those who are able to identify opportunities, think creatively, solve problems, and take risks will elevate orthopaedic care.
This award recognizes individuals, orthopaedic or subspecialty practices, or a hospital department that has developed an innovative solution that can be replicated to benefit the entire orthopaedic community. Innovation or improvement may be in areas including, but not limited to: delivery of care, patient satisfaction, physician/employee satisfaction.
Criteria:
- Must be an AAOE member or a practice/employer of an AAOE member in good standing.
- Member may self-nominate or nominate their own practice/employer.
- Members of the AAOE Board of Directors are not eligible.
- Activity supporting the nomination must have occurred during the time period of January 1 – December 31, 2024.
Rising Star of the Year Award
Encouragement and support of staff in their career development will ensure the practice management profession remains on solid footing. This award recognizes the contribution and innovation of an AAOE member who is newer to orthopedic practice management (1-4 years’ experience). This person is dedicated to the mission and vision of his or her employer and has shown significant contributions to the practice/organization.
Criteria:
- Must be an AAOE member in good standing.
- Member may self-nominate.
- Actively involved in a full-time position as a professional (not in the C-suite) for his or her practice/organization.
- 1-4 years’ experience in orthopedic practice management.
- Contributions must have been made during the January 1 – December 31, 2024 time period.
- AAOE Board members are not eligible.
- No one in the C-Suite is eligible to apply.
Collaborate Champion Award
AAOE Collaborate is a tool for members to communicate directly with peers, sharing experience and information to make each person and the industry better.
This award recognizes an AAOE member who has consistently contributed on Collaborate and been highly visible and impactful on the platform, providing valuable information in a positive and knowledgeable manner that benefits other members while supporting the AAOE mission and values.
The award is determined by levels of engagement, calculated automatically by the Collaborate platform, along with an evaluation of the quality of contributions by the AAOE Awards Task Force.
Criteria:
- Must be an AAOE member in good standing.
- Members of the AAOE Board of Directors are not eligible.
- Activity supporting the nomination must have occurred during the time period of January 1 – December 31, 2024.