Valerae O. Lewis, MD, FAAOS, named member of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons’ Board of Directors
ROSEMONT, Ill. (March 15, 2021)—Orthopaedic surgeon Valerae O. Lewis, MD, FAAOS, became a member-at-large of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons’ (AAOS) Board of Directors.
Valerae O. Lewis, MD, FAAOS Download Image
Dr. Lewis is currently the Dr. John Murray Professor in Orthopaedic Oncology and the chair of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center (UTMDACC) in Houston. She also serves as director of the Musculoskeletal Oncology Fellowship Program at UTMDACC, a position she has held for 12 years.
Dr. Lewis’ expertise is the treatment both children and adults with bone and soft tissue sarcomas of the pelvis and extremities. In 2011, she started the Multidisciplinary Pelvic Sarcoma Program at UTMDAAC that not only addresses the clinical needs of this unique group of patients, but also works to improve both the clinical and functional outcome of patients with pelvic sarcoma. Working with both the clinicians at MD Anderson and the engineers at Rice University, she is investigating the mechanisms for optimal post-surgical function. In the laboratory, her research investigates the gene functions tied to osteosarcoma and the development of treatments that might interrupt this process.
Dr. Lewis was the first African American woman to be awarded the MD Anderson Faculty Achievement Award in Patient Care in 2012. She was named the inaugural chair of the UTMDACC’s Department of Orthopaedic Oncology after a national search in 2014. As such, Dr. Lewis became the first woman to chair an orthopaedic department at a freestanding cancer center, to chair an orthopaedic department in The University of Texas System, and the first African American woman to chair an Orthopaedic Surgery Department.
Dr. Lewis is very active nationally and internationally within Orthopaedics and Musculoskeletal Oncology. In addition to her position with the AAOS, she is active in the American Orthopaedic Association (AOA), the Musculoskeletal Tumor Society (MSTS), the International Society for Limb Salvage (ISOLS) and the Western Orthopaedic Association (WOA). She served on the board of the American Orthopaedic Association from 2007 to 2010, the board of the Western Orthopaedic Association from 2005 – 2014, the MSTS board from 2017-2020 and the ISOLS board from 2019-2021. In 2014-2015, she served as president of the Western Orthopaedic Association. Dr. Lewis is also a strong advocate of education, serving as the chair of the MSTS Education Committee, and chair of the ISOLS Education Committee. In her volunteer role with the AAOS, she served on the Diversity Advisory Board, Education Council, Research and Quality Council, chair of the Tumor Instructional Course Committee and chair of the Musculoskeletal Oncology Content Committee.
Dr. Lewis attended Yale University and graduated with a degree in psychobiology. She then matriculated at Harvard Medical School, graduating with honors. She completed her orthopaedic training at the Harvard Combined Orthopaedic Residency Program in Boston and her fellowship in musculoskeletal oncology at the University of Chicago.
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About the AAOS
With more than 39,000 members, the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons is the world’s largest medical association of musculoskeletal specialists. The AAOS is the trusted leader in advancing musculoskeletal health. It provides the highest quality, most comprehensive education to help orthopaedic surgeons and allied health professionals at every career level best treat patients in their daily practices. The AAOS is the source for information on bone and joint conditions, treatments and related musculoskeletal health care issues and it leads the health care discussion on advancing quality.
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For more information, contact:
| Deanna Killackey | 847-384-4035 | 630-815-5195 | killackey@aaos.org |