Our Board of Directors
President
Dr Marí Thiart
Dr Thiart is a paediatric orthopaedic surgeon based in South Africa. Dr Thiart is a founding member of the South African Female Orthopaedic Surgeons' Society.
First-Vice President
Matthew Schmitz M.D.
Dr Schmitz is the orthopaedic chair at San Antonio Military Medical Centre – the largest orthopaedics department in the Department of Defence – and the sole paediatric orthopaedic surgeon in the United States Air Force.
Second-Vice President
Prof Deborah Eastwood
Deborah is the Immediate Past President of the British Orthopaedic Association and holds the position of UCL Professor of Paediatric Orthopaedic Surgery at Great Ormond Street and the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospitals. She specialises in paediatric orthopaedics and is known for her role as the lead surgeon for the Ponseti service for clubfoot deformity.
Secretary
Miss Samantha Tross
Miss Tross has been heavily involved in increasing DEI in orthopaedics her whole career. Miss Tross has worked with numerous charities, as well as Bristol University, to improve access to medical school through mentoring. Dr Tross is a Trustee of the British Association of Black Surgeons and a member of the Cultural and Diversity Commitee of the British Hip Society, for which she helped set up and run the mentoring program.
Treasurer
Dr Andrew Wines
Dr Wines specialises in arthroscopic and reconstructive surgery of the foot and ankle in adults and children. Dr Wines is also on Australian Orthopaedic Association (AOA)‘s Board of Directors and chairs the AOA’s Champions of Change Committee.
Trainee Representative
Dr Simon Fleming
Dr Fleming is a London-based Trauma and Orthopaedic registrar. Dr Fleming is
also the Past Vice Chair of the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges Trainee Doctors’ Group, and a Past President of the British Orthopaedic Trainees’ Association.
Immediate Past President
Dr Jennifer Green
Dr Green specialises in hand, wrist, and microsurgery. She is IODA’s founding member and is immensely passionate about increasing orthopaedic diversity and inclusion. Dr Green is the immediate past chair of the Australian Orthopaedic Association (AOA) Orthopaedic Women’s Link (OWL) Committee and has been successful in driving diversity change.
Regional Representatives
We encourage IODA members to contact their Regional Representative using the member chat function – login required.
Africa
Dr Bezawit Tefari Tsegaye
Contact: africa@orthopaedicdiversity.org
Asia Pacific
Professor Margaret Fok
Contact: AsiaPacific@orthopaedicdiversity.org
Professor Fok is Honorary Clinical Assistant Professor at The University of Hong Kong, with numerous publications on hand, wrist, and elbow conditions.
Europe
Dr Marie Fridberg
Contact: Europe@orthopaedicdiversity.org
Dr Marie Fridberg is a trauma and paediatrics specialist based in Denmark. Dr Fridberg is the founder of the Danish Female Orthopedic Society (2016) and was the first woman on the Danish Orthopedic Association Board of Directors as Treasurer. She was among the founders and joined the first Board of Young Orthopedics Denmark in 2010 and has been an AO Faculty member (Denmark) since 2018.
Middle East
Associate Professor Dr Dalal Bubshait
Contact: MiddleEast@orthopaedicdiversity.org
Dr Bubshait is a paediatric orthopaedic consultant in Saudi Arabia. Dr Bubshait is well published, and a member of the Saudi Orthopaedic Association, American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and the International Musculoskeletal Society.
North America
Dr Lorraine Boakye
Contact: NorthAmerica@orthopaedicdiversity.org
Latin America and Caribbean
Dr Maria Gala Santini Araujo
Contact: LatinAmerica-Caribbean@orthopaedicdiversity.org
Dr. Maria Gala Santini Araujo completed her studies and residency at the University of Buenos Aires and the Italian Hospital of Buenos Aires. She has also completed a Foot and Ankle Fellowship at both the Italian Hospital of Buenos Aires and the University of Leuven in Belgium. A Full Member and Women's Committee coordinator at the AAOT, she also serves as Vice President of the SAMECIPP Board. Recognized in various scientific societies, she received the AOFAS Traveling Fellowship Award in 2023. Currently an associate professor at IUHI Medicine School, she now leads the foot and ankle division at the Italian Hospital of Buenos Aires.
Dr Bezawit T. Tsegaye is an orthopaedic, and trauma surgeon based in Ethiopia. Dr Bezawit has served Ethiopian society of orthopaedics and traumatology under various roles. She is passionate about mentorship, surgical outreach programs, and medical innovation projects to increase accessibility of equality of trauma care in Africa.
Dr Boakye is an Assistant Professor at the University of Pennsylvania, specialising in foot and ankle surgery. She is the first black woman in the orthopaedic surgery department. She is the 2023 recipient of the RJOS Courage Award. She also serves as the RJOS DAB liaison to the AAOS.
Past Presidents
Kristy, L. Weber, M.D.
IODA Inaugural President
2021–2022
Dr Jennifer Green
IODA Immediate President
2022–2023