2013 AAOS Humanitarian Award
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Read about past Humanitarian Award winners

What:

The Humanitarian Award recognizes living Fellows, International, 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 OR by completing this form and e-mailing it to ip@aaos.org no later than
Friday, June 15, 2012. Handwritten, mailed or faxed applications are no longer accepted.

The 2013 Humanitarian Award will be presented at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons’ 2013 Annual Meeting in Chicago, Ill., on Thursday, March 21, 2013.

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

General Guidelines:

Both the 2013 Humanitarian Award Sponsor and Candidate Forms must be completed and submitted to AAOS by Friday, June 15, 2012. Visit www.aaos.org/awards to complete your Candidate Form if your sponsor submitted your nomination online, learn about the 2013 Humanitarian Award and read about past winners. Handwritten, mailed or faxed applications are no longer accepted.

To review the current AAOS Awards policy, visit http://www6.aaos.org/member/pemr/award/policy.cfm.

Candidacy Criteria

• Candidate must either be a living Fellow, International, 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.
• Only one person may be nominated. Candidates may not be jointly nominated or considered.
• The candidate must accept the nomination by completing the 2013 Humanitarian Awards Candidate Form in full and submitting the application to AAOS.
• Candidate must update his/her profile on the AAOS Orthopaedic Surgeons Disclosure Program.
• Candidate must agree to and be able to attend the 2013 AAOS Annual Meeting in Chicago, Ill., at candidate’s expense if selected to receive the award.

Application Process:

• Sponsors must complete the 2013 Humanitarian Award Sponsor Form online at www.aaos.org/awards or download a Word document application to nominate a candidate. 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 two letters of recommendation, with a maximum of three letters of recommendation, in addition to the nomination form submitted by the Sponsor.
• Sponsor may independently send out requests for letters of support on behalf of the candidate.
• Candidate and/or sponsor must e-mail a combined maximum of 10 pages of supporting material(s), and one (1) headshot photo of the candidate to Kayee Ip at ip@aaos.org by Friday, June 15, 2012. Late and/or incomplete entries will not be accepted.
• All completed nominations will undergo three rounds of review by AAOS peers. Candidates will be notified of the 2013 Humanitarian Award results by late October 2012.
• The 2013 Humanitarian Award recipient will be presented with the award at the Ceremonial Meeting during the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons’ 2013 Annual Meeting in Chicago.

NOTE: There is no limit to the number of times an individual may be nominated for an award. Nominators are encouraged to submit updated information as appropriate. However, new sponsor and candidate forms will need to be completed each year.

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

Please submit your 2013 Humanitarian Award sponsor form online. Handwritten, mailed or faxed applications are no longer accepted.

Read about past Humanitarian Award winners