LI: Leading with Inspiration

Throughout the year, I have borrowed moniker “LI” from the Super Bowl designations in these messages as I advocated your Society leads with Improvement (Education), Innovation (Research), Inclusion (Membership), and now Inspiration. This last message needs no parenthetical explanation—it has been an inspiration to lead AOSSM (pronounced awesome) into its second half-century.

Let’s start with the definition of Inspiration: “the process of being mentally stimulated to do or feel something, especially to do something creative.” How does an organization like AOSSM “mentally stimulate” Members? Well, let’s hear from our Members themselves. In the awesome AOSSM (see what I did there?) 50^th Anniversary video, Bob Arciero, 43^rd President of our Society, noted, “The tremendous commitment from this group inspires me to take better care of my patients.” More recently, when emerging leader Jacqueline Brady was asked what first sparked her interest in sports medicine, she responded, “There’s nothing more inspiring than watching one of my athletes who struggled through injury and surgery get back to what they love doing.” Even our motto is inspirational: We keep you in the game!

And what role can creativity play amongst a group of surgeons? It is exciting to witness the evolution of augmented and virtual reality in our field. It is inspiring to see so many of you help develop new tools for our trade. It is rewarding to observe spring sports fellows get out of a jam in the OR—going from Plan A to Plan B or even C. How many of you are also musicians, artists, wood workers, or DIYers? To stay inspired, harness your creative energy both in and out of work.

Allow me to reflect on what I found inspirational this past presidential year. Implementing our new Strategic Plan, developed under the leadership of our 50^th President, Kurt Spindler, helped us focus on the following:

• Education with a newly published educational assessment, a fantastic Specialty Day with ISAKOS complete with a heartwarming tribute to Pete Fowler and my mentor, Freddie Fu, and an exciting 2023 Annual Meeting program.
• Research including the award of over a half-million dollars in grants and new collaborations.
• Membership and Inclusion encouraging Emerging Leaders, embracing DEI and, piloting a new mentorship initiative.
• Team Physician Advocacy spear-heading risk management initiatives, exploring the next generation of team physician courses, reviewing sports medicine fellowships, collaborating with AAOS, NATA, AANA, AMSSM, ESSKA, ISAKOS and others).
• Improving and enhancing our relationships with industry.
• Communicating and collaborating with our Members, developing opportunities and encouraging all sports-trained surgeons to join AOSSM.

As I traveled the past year, giving exchange lectures and attending conferences on behalf of AOSSM, I gained a better perspective of how our organization is honored and valued literally all over the world. It has been inspiring to serve as your ambassador.

I recall my neighbor, an orthopaedic surgeon at a local community hospital, once told me “Mark, I have a job, but you have a career.” As I approach the sunset of that career, I’m inspired to “paying it forward,” coaching and mentoring my younger colleagues. We recently had a late cancellation causing our operating room to shut down several hours early. Rather than heading back to the office or going home early (and with a kitchen pass in hand), I invited my resident and fellow for a spontaneous golf outing. Those kinds of acts—hosting journal clubs, buying lunch for clinic or the OR, having a beverage with the team—pay off well into the future. Hopefully those young doctors will adopt that philosophy and do the same as their hair grays (or goes away).

In conclusion, this organization—your organization—is truly inspiring…and it’s only going to get better! The Board of Directors and the incoming presidential line include the best and brightest. The professional team is superbly qualified and are wholly committed to AOSSM. Our committees are all making valuable contributions, our journals remain at the top of the heap, and YOU, our members, are the best. We offer something that no other society in orthopaedic surgery can—the knowledge and experience to help you be a better team physician and the pathway to subspecialty certification. It has been Inspirational to represent AOSSM as its President this year—thank you for the honor and privilege to serve you.