Dr. Garvin elected president-elect of American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery

Kevin Garvin, MD, the L. Thomas Hood, MD, Professor and Chair of the UNMC Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Rehabilitation, has been elected president-elect of the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery for a one-year term. He will become president in October 2024.

“It is an honor to be recognized by my peers for the president-elect and president position of the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery,” said Dr. Garvin, who is an orthopaedic surgeon for Nebraska Medicine. “I am excited for the opportunity to serve.”

Said James Linder, MD, CEO of Nebraska Medicine, “Dr. Garvin and I have worked together for 35 years. He is the consummate orthopaedic surgeon focused on the highest quality patient care, innovation and mentoring his faculty and residents. The ABOS will benefit greatly from his leadership.”

Bradley Britigan, MD, dean of the UNMC College of Medicine, congratulated Dr. Garvin, as well.

“This new role illustrates Dr. Garvin’s stature within the orthopaedic medical community,” Dr. Britigan said. “His professional knowledge and leadership skills are well known to his colleagues and will be of great value to ABOS.”

The ABOS Board of Directors consists of 21 members, which includes 12 active directors, six senior directors, two directors-elect and one public member director. ABOS board members serve one 10-year term while the public member director serves a three-year renewable term. Nominations to the ABOS Board of Directors come from the American Orthopaedic Association, the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and the American Medical Association.

Dr. Garvin specializes in hip and knee reconstruction, as well as treatment of musculoskeletal infections. He is an active researcher with more than 150 peer-reviewed articles and many textbook chapters to his credit.

Dr. Garvin said he has been fortunate to hold leadership positions not only at the UNMC College of Medicine and Nebraska Medicine, but also nationally. He has served as chair of the department of orthopaedic surgery for more than two decades and, from 2017-18, was president of the North American Hip Society.

In 2018, he was elected to the ABOS Board of Directors and has served the board in many capacities, most recently as chair of the ABOS Oral Examination Committee.

Dr. Garvin said he believes those experiences will help him in the position of president-elect and president of the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery. He said he will strive to prioritize the well-being of patients when making decisions and always do what is best for patients as the field of health care changes.

Dr. Garvin earned his medical degree at the Medical College of Wisconsin. He completed an orthopaedic surgery residency at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and a hip fellowship at the Hospital for Special Surgery.

The American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery Inc. was founded in 1934 as a private, voluntary, nonprofit, independent organization to serve the best interests of the public and the medical profession. These interests are achieved through the ABOS by establishing standards for the education of orthopaedic surgeons. These standards are evaluated by the ABOS through examinations and practice evaluations.

More information can be found at the ABOS website. See this link for a full list of ABOS Board Members.