Mission and Goals

Mission
The ORS Women’s Leadership Forum (WLF) Committee will mentor, foster, encourage and inspire women, including all female-identifying individuals, at the start and throughout their careers in orthopaedic research, and will assist women in obtaining leadership roles in orthopaedic-related organizations.

Goals
Increase engagement and retention of women in ORS by better understanding and serving their diverse needs.

Current initiatives include:

  • Determine the unmet needs of women members of ORS to determine and identify how the WLF could support the community.
  • Serve to engage and retain women members in ORS by fostering opportunities to build community and host programs/sessions that are for women at all career stages.

Webinar -- Building Your Career with Confidence

Wednesday, July 29, 2026
12:00 PM – 1:00 PM Central Time

Register Now

Mapping out career decisions can be a daunting task, whether you are a new faculty member or mid-career. It can be even more difficult in environments where women and gender-diverse individuals remain underrepresented. In this session, Women’s Leadership Forum (WLF) welcomes two women who have successfully navigated careers in orthopaedic research share their stories and practical advice for self-advocacy, negotiation, and dealing with imposter syndrome.

Organizer(s):
ORS Women’s Leadership Forum

Annette McCoy, DVM, MS, PhD, DACVS
Associate Professor, Equine Surgery
University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine
Chair, ORS Women’s Leadership Forum

Feini (Sylvia) Qu, VMD, PhD
Assistant Professor
Orthopaedic Surgery and Sports Medicine
Mechanical Engineering
University of Washington

Brianne Connizzo, PhD
Assistant Professor
Department of Biomedical Engineering
Boston University

Speakers:

Susan Chubinskaya, MS, PhD
Senior Vice President, Provost, and Chief Academic Officer
The University of Texas Medical Branch
My Life Journey: from Immigration to Senior Leadership

Lara Ionescu Silverman, PhD
Principal Consultant
LIS BioConsulting, LLC
Taking Ownership of Your Career Path

Annette McCoy, DVM, PhD, Chair

Brianne Connizzo, PhD, Associate Chair

Ebony Parsons, BS

Feini Qu, VMD, PhD

Katherine Spack, PhD

Rachel Surowiec, PhD

Caitlin Wetzel, MS, ATC

Staff Liaison: Mary Roti

ORS Women’s Leadership Forum Online Community

The ORS Women’s Leadership Forum online community provides a place to facilitate networking among ORS female members.

You must be a member of the ORS to join the online community.

ORS Women’s Leadership Forum Online Community