2011 AAOS Humanitarian Award
Call for Entries

Check back soon for the 2011 Humanitarian Award nomination period.

Read about past Humanitarian Award winners

What:

The Humanitarian Award recognizes living Fellows and Emeritus members of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons who have distinguished themselves through outstanding musculoskeletal-related humanitarian activities in the United States or abroad.

What is a humanitarian? A humanitarian endeavors to improve the human condition through saving lives, improving the quality of life, and alleviating suffering, while supporting and contributing to the basic human dignity of those in need.

A humanitarian:

Gives of him/herself regardless of compensation
Provides services without expectation of remuneration
Provides services to all equally, impartially, cooperatively and neutrally
Embraces common moral decencies such as altruism, integrity, freedom, justice, honesty, truthfulness, responsibility and compassion
Respects and embraces human diversity
Improves the lives of those in need through selfless, courageous, creative and compassionate acts

A humanitarian is not:

Someone who provides limited pro bono services in the course of daily business
Someone who provides services to an underserved/disadvantaged or other population segment in the course of daily business/employment for which they receive remuneration
Someone who provides services only to those who qualify

Examples of the variety of musculoskeletal efforts eligible for the Humanitarian Award include, but are not limited to:

Fundraising for recreational activities such as summer camps for people with disabilities
Championing the rights of people with disabilities
Acting as pro-bono staff/volunteer in outreach clinics, mobile facilities, and other aid missions for underserved United States or world populations
Overseas volunteer medical service, either independently or through organizations such as Orthopaedics Overseas, Doctors Without Borders, Rotary International, etc.
Leadership during disaster relief

When:

Completed sponsor/candidate forms must be submitted online at www.aaos.org/awards no later than June 11, 2010. Handwritten, mailed or faxed applications are no longer accepted.

The 2011 Humanitarian Award will be presented at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons’ 2011 Annual Meeting in San Diego, CA, on Thursday, February 17, 2011.

For more information please call Kayee Ip, Public Relations Coordinator, at (847) 384-4035 or e-mail ip@aaos.org.

General Guidelines:

Candidate must either be a living Fellow or an Emeritus member of the AAOS.
Candidate must have demonstrated an exemplary and outstanding commitment to musculoskeletal-focused humanitarian activities, either domestically or abroad.
All candidates must be able to attend the 2011 AAOS Annual Meeting in San Diego, CA, at candidate’s expense if selected to receive the award.
All candidates must be able to provide video footage of humanitarian activities, upon request, if selected to receive the award.
All candidates must provide at least two (2) letters of recommendation in addition to the nomination form submitted by sponsor.
Sponsor may independently send out requests for letters of support or recommendation on behalf of the candidate.
Sponsors must complete the 2011 Humanitarian Award Sponsor Form to nominate a candidate. If the Sponsor Form is submitted online at www.aaos.org/awards, an e-mail will automatically be sent to the candidate notifying him/her of the nomination.
Sponsor and/or the Candidate must provide a minimum of 2-3 letters of recommendation in addition to the nomination form submitted by the Sponsor.
The candidate must accept the nomination by completing and submitting the Candidate Form, and then e-mail a maximum of 10 pages of supporting material(s), and one (1) headshot photo to Kayee Ip at ip@aaos.org by Friday, June 11, 2010. Late and/or incomplete entries will not be accepted.

NOTE: There are no limitations on the number of times a person may be nominated for the Humanitarian Award. To re-nominate a candidate, you may request to use supporting materials submitted in previous nomination years. However, new sponsor and candidate forms will need to be completed.

For more information please call Kayee Ip, Public Relations Coordinator, at (847) 384-4035 or e-mail ip@aaos.org.

Please submit your 2011 Humanitarian Award sponsor form online. Handwritten, mailed or faxed applications are no longer accepted.

Read about past Humanitarian Award winners