2025 Lifetime Achievement Award

The Lifetime Achievement Award is presented each year to a current AAOE member (active or retired) 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. 

Lifetime Achievement Nominee 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 
Award winners will:
  • Receive an award onstage during the AAOE 2025 Annual Conference in front of peers.
  • Be recognized in multiple AAOE communications including all-member email, blog post, social media post.
  • Listed on the award winners webpage of the AAOE website.
  • Receive industry recognition through an AAOE press release.
     

Before you start... know that you cannot save the nomination form to finish later.

Here's what you need to submit a nomination:
  • Completion of a nomination form, answering questions regarding the nominee's qualifications.
  • 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).
  • The nominee's CV or resume
     

Nominations are due by November 1st, 2024.

Winners will be announced at the AAOE Conference in Atlanta. 

Previous Lifetime Achievement Award winners:
  • 2024 Karen Sollar, FACMPE, The Stone Clinic
  • 2023 Debra Mitchell, RN, BSN, MBA (retired), Children's Orthopaedics & Scoliosis Surgery
  • 2022 George A. Hernandez, MS, MBA, FHMA, FACHE, CEO, Campbell Clinic
  • 2021 Steve Fiore, CEO, Orthopaedic Specialty Group
  • 2020 Jan Vest, MBA, CEO Emeritus, Signature 
  • 2019 Michael Berkowitz, Administrator, KSF Orthopaedic Center
  • 2018 Patricia L. Brewster, MHA, FACMPE, CEO Emeritus, Intrahealth Group/OrthoAtlanta
  • 2017 Dale Reigle, CEO/Administrator (retired), Rocky Mountain Orthopaedic Associates, PC
  • 2016 James M. Gdula, Business Manager (retired)
  • 2015 Mary O'Brien, MBA, CMPE, CEO (retired), Fox Valley Orthopaedic Associates, S.C.
  • 2014 William Pupkis, CMPE, MBA, CEO (retired), Bone & Joint Center