Newswise — Orthopaedic surgeon John J. Callaghan, MD was elected to the Board of Directors of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) at the organization's 2009 Annual Meeting in Las Vegas. He will serve the Academy as First Vice-President.
Having to wear a cast as a young child, Dr. Callaghan knew early on he wanted to go into the field of orthopaedic surgery. "Breaking my arm taught me just how important mobility in our joints are and as the doctor put the cast on, I said to myself, 'I wouldn't mind doing this when I grow up,'" he explained.
A graduate of Notre Dame University in South Bend, Indiana and Loyola Medical School in Chicago, Dr. Callaghan completed his residency in orthopaedics at the University of Iowa and completed a fellowship at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York. Currently, Dr. Callaghan serves as a professor in both the Department of Orthopaedics as well as the Department of Bioengineering at the University of Iowa, College of Medicine. He also serves as orthopaedic staff at the Iowa City Veterans Affairs Medical Center. Dr. Callaghan specializes in adult reconstruction, specifically hip and knee replacements.
"Being a part of Academy leadership means a great deal to me" , stated Dr. Callaghan. "It is both an honor and privilege to be leading an organization whose mission is to advance the highest quality of musculoskeletal health for our patients and public."
Active in numerous professional organizations, Dr. Callaghan is a former vice-president of the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery, as well as the past president of the American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons, the Iowa Orthopaedic Society, the Hip Society and the Mid-America Orthopaedic Association. He has also served as the chairman for the Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation.
"The remarkable thing for me over the last 25 years, is that I really feel fortunate to see the way orthopaedics has progressed, not only in terms of the designs of the prostheses, but in the management of patients afterwards, including pain management, patient-centered care and rehabilitation," explained Dr. Callaghan.
His main priorities and emphasis for the Academy:"¢ Continue to enhance all aspects of patient care"¢ Create structure and move forward with the plans to assemble a national joint registry"¢ Unify all specialties within orthopaedics
As an avid orthopaedic researcher, Dr. Callaghan has received numerous honors and accolades, including the John Charnley Hip Society Award given by the Hip Society, as well as The Insall Award on behalf of the Knee Society. Dr. Callaghan is the author or co-author of over 230 peer-reviewed publications.
Dr. Callaghan and his wife Kim have been married more than 25 years and have two children. When not teaching or practicing medicine, he enjoys spending time with his family.
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