2025 JRGOS Presidents Health Equity & Diversity Award

The J. Robert Gladden Orthopaedic Society announces Linda Suleiman, MD as the recipient of the 2025 JRGOS Presidents Health Equity & Diversity Award! The JRGOS Presidents Health Equity & Diversity award reflects the ethos and achievement of past, present, and future JRGOS Presidents. The recipient for this award emphasizes leadership in Orthopaedic Surgery, advancement of culturally sensitive care, a commitment to diversity and inclusivity, educational impact, clinical and academic excellence, innovation in Orthopaedic practices, service, and humanitarian contributions.

Linda Suleiman, MD, the 2025 JRGOS Presidents Health Equity & Diversity Award Recipient

Dr. Suleiman is an Associate Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery and Associate Dean of Diversity and Inclusion at Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine. After completing medical school at Howard University School of Medicine, Dr. Suleiman became the first Black woman to complete an Orthopaedic Surgery Residency at Northwestern University. She then completed an Arthroplasty Fellowship at Rush and a two year Health Policy Fellowship with the American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons (AAHKS).

Antonia F. Chen, MD, MBA, Chair & Professor of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery University of Texas Southwestern, JRGOS Member, nomination stated, “She truly encompasses everything that this award represents – she has demonstrated incredible leadership skills in traditionally non-diverse subspecialities such as adult reconstruction, she has emphasized the need to provide culturally sensitive care and spread this information by giving multiple grand rounds presentations, she is an excellent clinician and academic surgeon, she has an incredible impact on multiple mentees that demonstrates her commitment to diversity and inclusion, and provides incredible service to our underserved patients through Operation Walk –Women Orthopaedist Global Outreach (WOGO).”

Dr. Christen Russo, Associate Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at Columbia University Irving Medical Center, JRGOS Member, highlighted Dr. Suleiman’s leadership by stating, “Dr. Suleiman founded the Women in Arthroplasty group of AAHKS and is the current chair. She is an AAHKS program committee member, and will be program chair for AAHKS 2026. She is on the Presidential line of RJOS and will serve as the first black president of RJOS from 2026-2027.”

While highlighting Dr. Suleiman’s educational impact, Dr. Surrenthia Parker, Chief of the Division of Orthopaedic Surgery Jackson Park Hospital, JRGOS Board Member and Co-Chair of the Claudia L. Thomas MD Award Committee stated “Dr. Suleiman serves as the Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Northwestern University. In this role, she has increased the under represented minority house staff representation from 11% [to] 31%. She started the summer Northwestern Medicine Scholars Program for high school students to spend 6 weeks in Orthopaedics, shadowing and participating in research.”

Dr. Rinelda Horton, Orthopaedic Surgeon at Kaiser Permanente Mid-Atlantic Medical Group in the Washington Metropolitan Area, JRGOS Board Member and Co-Chair of the Claudia L. Thomas MD Award Committee, highlighted Dr. Suleiman’s academic and social impact by stating, “Dr. Suleiman has published multiple papers on equity and healthcare disparity, including partnering with Heartland Alliance to implement a screening process that includes social determinants that impact patient selection and outcomes. Last year she won the AAHKS Fare Grant for diversity research to implement a digital joint screening program that will increase access to healthcare in socially vulnerable populations. In her relatively short career in Orthopedics, Dr. Suleiman has already made a huge impact toward advancing culturally sensitive care and improving diversity within Orthopedics.”

Join JRGOS Presidents Diversity & Health Equity Committee in congratulating Dr. Linda Suleiman on this distinguished accomplishment.

Below find Dr. Suleiman’s recent publications.

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