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Jeffrey R. Sawyer, MD, Becomes 39th President & New Board Members Take Office

POSNA Welcomes Jeffrey R. Sawyer, MD, as its 39th President in addition to other members stepping into new roles.

Dr. Sawyer says, “[I am] honored to be the 39th President of POSNA and follow in the footsteps of so many amazing leaders. It is an exciting time for POSNA with continued growth in our organization, increased emphasis on diversity, and new opportunities ahead . . .”
 
Dr. Sawyer was born in Rochester, NY, and attended college at Rochester Institute of Technology, and Medical School at the University of Rochester School of Medicine, where he graduated with Distinction in Research and spent an additional year as a Howard Hughes Research Fellow. He completed residency at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia and with the mentorship of Denis Drummond, MD, and others at CHOP, discovered his passion for pediatric orthopaedics. He then completed a clinical fellowship at the Campbell Clinic under Drs. Terry Canale, James Beaty, and William Warner Jr., which included a month as an OREF International Traveling Fellow in Malawi, Africa, where he taught and performed surgery.  

Dr. Sawyer began clinical practice at Rush University in Chicago, IL, and continued his international work in both Nigeria and the UAE. In 2005, he returned to the Campbell Clinic where his clinical focus has been pediatric trauma and spinal deformity, areas in which he is considered a national/international expert and earned the ranking of “Top Doctor” by Castle and Connolly and Memphis magazine. His work has appeared in USA Today and Parents magazine.
 
Dr. Sawyer has held leadership positions at the Campbell Clinic, including several terms on the Board of Directors as well as on the Board of the Campbell Clinic Foundation. In addition to the institutional leadership roles, he also completed the AOA Apex Leadership Program in conjunction with the USC Marshall School of Business.
 
With over 125 peer-reviewed publications, 30 book chapters, and over 200 presentations at national/international meetings, he also serves on the editorial board of several orthopaedic journals. Most recently, he has been involved in the evolution of JPOSNA® becoming the official journal of POSNA. His numerous research projects include long-term outcomes of early onset scoliosis patients and the pediatric orthopaedic workforce/diversity. Dr. Sawyer has challenged long-held beliefs in practice regarding the role of spiral femur fractures in non-accidental trauma and the surgical treatment of posterior sternoclavicular dislocations. He has received several POSNA and industry-supported grants. Currently, he serves on the Board of the Pediatric Spine Foundation.
 
In addition, Dr. Sawyer is directly involved in education at all levels of training and has served as the fellowship director at Campbell Clinic and frequently as faculty at IPOS® and Top Gun. He is one of the co-founders of the Pediatric Orthopedic Surgical Techniques (POST) course focusing on surgical skill development.
 
Within POSNA, Dr. Sawyer has served on and chaired numerous committees, including Practice Management, Membership, and the Traveling Fellowship committees and was one of the founders of the Mentorship Committee. As an EPOS/POSNA traveling fellow, his strong relationships with his EPOS colleagues still exist today. He was the half day course chair at the first EPOSNA meeting in 2017 in Barcelona and the program chair for the 2018 POSNA Annual Meeting in Austin, Texas. For his work in the Pediatric Orthopaedic Workforce, he was awarded the POSNA Special Effort and Achievement Award in 2015.
 
Personally, Dr. Sawyer receives the greatest satisfaction from spending time with his wife, Julie, and their three sons—Lucas, Zac, and Jake (ages 8-14). He enjoys outdoor activities such as hiking, mountain biking, boating, skiing, fishing, and chasing their two highly energetic rescue dogs. He participates in Ironman competitions and has completed four Full Ironman and 13 Half-Ironman Triathlons. Being in the top 10 percent in his age group worldwide, he is currently ranked as an Ironman Bronze All-World Athlete.
 
POSNA welcomes the following new board members: