NORTH AMERICA

I am a first generation medical student in New York interested in promoting the involvement of women of color in the field of orthopaedics.

Orthopedic surgeon specializing in foot & ankle surgery with interest in resident education, clinical research, quality and patient safety.

Orthopedic surgeon in rural America interested in diversifying orthopedics

I was born and raised in Damascus, Syria. I moved to Maryland, USA in 2013 which is where my current family home is. I am a fourth year medical student in NYC.

Trauma Fellow

I've been a physician assistant in the US Army for 10 years and am graduating from an 18-month fellowship in orthopaedic surgery obtaining a doctor of science degree from the US Army-Baylor University progrm.

New graduate in Orthopedic Surgery specialising in Sport Medicine

Originally from Brazil, living in the US for 18 years.

Department Chair Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation, Penn State Health

MS4

Incoming PGY-0 at Yale University!

I am an Orthopedic Surgeon who is currently engaged in full-time research. My subspecialty interest is limb lengthening and reconstruction surgery.

I am an orthopaedic resident at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, currently in my research year. I am also a research fellow in the Harvard Program for Global Surgery and Social Change.

I am a clinical research coordinator

Orthopaedic Oncologist, Vice Chair of Education, Residency Program Director

PGY4 resident at Washington University in St Louis

First Year Medical Student

I am a 4th year medical student and aspiring orthopedic surgeon. As part of the first born generation of my family in USA, I have had to navigate myself through the majority of my medical career. This experience has taught me the value of mentorship and put me in a position to serve as a mentor to other students by sharing information that I learned along the way. Mentorship was also a stepping-stone for my involvement in advocating for diversity.

Carlos M. Barrera MD

My name is Danika Baskar and I am an incoming Orthopaedic Surgery Resident Doctor at Boston Medical Center. I’m originally from Princeton, New Jersey and went to undergrad at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, OH where I studied International Studies with a concentration in global health and Medical Anthropology. After undergrad, I worked as a Clinical Research Assistant with the Pediatrics Division at the Cleveland Clinic and moved back to NJ for my medical school training at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. During medical school, I pursued a Research Fellowship opportunity working with the Stanford Pediatric Orthopaedic Surgery team under Dr. Steven Frick and Dr. Kevin G. Shea to explore my growing interest in the field.

I was initially drawn to orthopaedic surgery because it merges several aspects of medicine that I aspire to incorporate in my daily future practice, including adapting a team-based approach to patient care, working with innovative solutions and novel technology, a strong commitment to mentorship, and improving outcomes through clinical and translational research.

When I think about my career goals, there are some words that come to mind - technically skilled surgeon, leader, clinical investigator, educator, and innovator. In many ways, these goals have been inspired by the wonderful mentors I have had the opportunity to work with over several years who have instilled a profound passion for life-long learning, teaching, dedication to clinical research, and commitment to excellence in patient-centered care.

I am also extremely passionate about being involved with efforts to increase diversity and inclusion within the field of orthopaedics. Throughout my training, I have met educators and leaders who share this vision and have encouraged me to pursue my goals even though I did not have many examples of South Asian women doing the same. As someone who is active on social media sharing my journey and aspects of my life in and outside of medicine, I have been able to connect with others who similarly hope to inspire change by showcasing their experiences. This has taught me the power of empowering action and improvement through visibility and working together to advocate for increasing diversity and inclusion within our field. After attending the 2022 AAOS annual meeting and hearing from leaders about IODA and the ongoing efforts towards this mission, I knew I wanted to become involved. As an IODA member, I hope to learn more about how to work towards improving diversity in orthopaedics beginning with my own community and how to connect with others on a national and global scale towards this ongoing goal.