JRGOS Strengthening the Foundation for Careers in Orthopaedics
Pictured: Melvyn Harrington, MD, Co-Chair of the Resident Support & Success Committee
Pictured: James Fleming, MD, Co-Chair of the Mentorship Committee
Houston, November 2025, was the site for a Gladden Regional Mentorship Reception, hosted by Alysia Kemp, MD, Assistant Professor in the Department of Orthopedic Oncology, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Dr. Kemp is a Gladden Society Board member and the immediate past Chair of the Gladden Society Education Committee.
Jim Fleming, MD, Co-Chair of the Mentorship Committee, Melvyn Harrington, MD, Co-Chair of the Resident Support & Success Committee, and Valerae O. Lewis, MD, Chair of the Department of Orthopedic Oncology at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Chair of AAOS Membership Council and first recipient of the Claudia Lynn Thomas Award also attended the event.
Pictured: Valerae O. Lewis, MD, Chair of the Department of Orthopedic Oncology at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and Gladden members and guests.
Pictured: James Fleming, MD Co-Chair, Mentorship Committee, Melvyn Harrington, MD, Co-Chair, Resident Support & Success Committee and Gladden members and guests.
The Gladden Society continues to expand its Regional Pod Mentoring System, designed to strengthen mentorship by bringing together Gladden members and non-member orthopedic surgeons—across both private and academic practices—alongside residents from training programs within the same region. These Gladden Regional Receptions are essential touchpoints that ensure mentorship remains a driving force behind the Society’s mission.
The Gladden Regional Receptions and Mentorship Pods are essential because gaps in mentorship, at any career stage, can significantly impact an orthopedic surgeon’s professional trajectory, access to opportunities, and long-term success. The pathway to orthopedic surgery is not a straight pipeline, but a continuous circle; Breakdowns at any point in this continuum contribute to resident attrition, surgeon burnout, and the loss of future leaders in the field.
Through structured, regionally based engagement, the Gladden Regional Receptions and Mentorship Pods intentionally create for connection, guidance, and community spaces, ensuring mentorship is accessible, consistent, and sustained rather than incidental.
Regional Pod Receptions expand networking opportunities and introduce multiple points of connection for orthopedic surgeons and medical students and residents, strengthening relationships and support across training, early practice, and leadership development.
