Leesa M. Galatz, MD, Receives Honor from Prestigious Society for Contributions to Orthopedic Research
2021 ORS Women’s Leadership Forum Award recognizes outstanding leadership and mentorship
The Orthopaedic Research Society (ORS) has named Leesa Galatz, MD, Professor and Chair of the Leni and Peter W. May Department of Orthopedic Surgery at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and the Mount Sinai Health System, the recipient of the 2021 Women’s Leadership Forum Award. The award is given annually to a woman biologist, clinician, or engineer who has made significant contributions to the understanding of the musculoskeletal system and musculoskeletal diseases and injuries. Honorees also demonstrate outstanding leadership through service to the professional community and mentorship of colleagues and trainees.
“This award reflects ORS’ commitment to the support and advancement of women in science and medicine,” Dr. Galatz said. “Moments like this energize me to continue to pursue excellence in orthopedic practice and research.”
Dr. Galatz was named Chair of Orthopedics at Mount Sinai in 2015. She specializes in shoulder and elbow surgery, with an interest in shoulder instability, rotator cuff disease, and shoulder arthroplasty. Beyond her clinical work, Dr. Galatz is a leading researcher in the basic science of rotator cuff disease and tissue engineering strategies for tendon healing as part of two major projects funded by the National Institutes of Health. Her additional research includes clinical projects with colleagues providing shoulder and elbow service and colleagues in the Department of Population Health Science and Policy at Icahn Mount Sinai.
She has received numerous awards for her work, including the Charles S. Neer Award for Basic Science Research from the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons in 2009, and the 2014 Kappa Delta Ann Doner Vaughan Award given by the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons for research on the natural history of rotator cuff disease. Dr. Galatz was a European Shoulder and Elbow Traveling Fellow in 2007, sponsored by American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons, and an American British Canadian Traveling Fellow in 2009. She has served as a Member at Large on the Board of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and as a Delegate on the Board of the American Optometric Association.
Before joining Mount Sinai, Dr. Galatz was the Chief of the Shoulder and Elbow Service at Washington University in St. Louis. She earned her MD degree at George Washington School of Medicine and Health Sciences in Washington, DC. After her internship and residency at George Washington University Hospital, Dr. Galatz pursued a fellowship in shoulder and elbow surgery at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. Upon completing her training in 1999, she was appointed to the faculty of Washington University in St. Louis.
Dr. Galatz will receive the award at the virtual ORS 2021 Annual Meeting during the ORS Outstanding Achievement Awards Session on Sunday, February 14.
About the Mount Sinai Health System
Mount Sinai Health System is one of the largest academic medical systems in the New York metro area, with more than 43,000 employees working across eight hospitals, over 400 outpatient practices, nearly 300 labs, a school of nursing, and a leading school of medicine and graduate education. Mount Sinai advances health for all people, everywhere, by taking on the most complex health care challenges of our time — discovering and applying new scientific learning and knowledge; developing safer, more effective treatments; educating the next generation of medical leaders and innovators; and supporting local communities by delivering high-quality care to all who need it.
Through the integration of its hospitals, labs, and schools, Mount Sinai offers comprehensive health care solutions from birth through geriatrics, leveraging innovative approaches such as artificial intelligence and informatics while keeping patients’ medical and emotional needs at the center of all treatment. The Health System includes approximately 7,300 primary and specialty care physicians; 13 joint-venture outpatient surgery centers throughout the five boroughs of New York City, Westchester, Long Island, and Florida; and more than 30 affiliated community health centers. We are consistently ranked by U.S. News & World Report's Best Hospitals, receiving high "Honor Roll" status, and are highly ranked: No. 1 in Geriatrics and top 20 in Cardiology/Heart Surgery, Diabetes/Endocrinology, Gastroenterology/GI Surgery, Neurology/Neurosurgery, Orthopedics, Pulmonology/Lung Surgery, Rehabilitation, and Urology. New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai is ranked No. 12 in Ophthalmology. U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Children’s Hospitals” ranks Mount Sinai Kravis Children's Hospital among the country’s best in several pediatric specialties.
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