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The J. Robert Gladden Orthopaedic Society is a multiracial, multicultural, and inclusive membership organization that promotes and supports underrepresented minorities in Orthopaedic Surgery which includes African Americans, Blacks, Hispanics, Latinos, and Women.

J. Robert Gladden, MD, the first board certified African American Orthopaedic Surgeon

The Gladden Society’s history dates back to 1895, when the National Medical Association (NMA) was founded after the American Medical Association (AMA) refused to admit Black physicians. In 1950, Drs. Edward Jones and J. Robert Gladden established the Orthopaedic Surgery Section within the NMA. In 1971, Dr. Charles Epps initiated the first annual luncheon at the AAOS meeting for Howard University graduates, which was soon expanded to include Black orthopaedic graduates from all institutions. This luncheon eventually became known as the J. Robert Gladden Orthopaedic Society Luncheon.

In 1994, after Dr. Augustus White III, MD, PhD, presented data highlighting the underrepresentation of African Americans in Orthopaedic Surgery at the NMA, Dr. Timothy Stephens and Dr. White began discussions about creating a society to integrate into the AAOS. This led to the formation of the Concerned Group, which included Drs. Raymond Pierce, Charles Epps, James Hill, and Randall Morgan. Together, they met with AAOS Executive Director Dr. William Tipton and AAOS President Dr. Douglas Jackson to outline their plans for integration.

Members of the CCAAM including Drs. Charles Epps, E. Anthony Rankin, and Timothy Stephens

Following this meeting, in 19, AAOS President Dr. Douglas Jackson established an Ad Hoc Diversity Advisory Committee known as the Committee of Concerned African American AAOS Members (CCAAAM). The committee submitted the required documentation in 1997 to gain incorporation into the AAOS and chose to name the new society in honor of the first African American board-certified orthopaedic surgeon, Dr. J. Robert Gladden. In 1998, the J. Robert Gladden Orthopaedic Society was officially incorporated into the AAOS as a multicultural, pluralistic, and multiracial membership organization.
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