Awards
The Hand Association is proud to honor the following members through its Awards programs.
Clinician/Teacher of the Year
This Clinician/Teacher of the Year honors an individual who has made a major contribution to clinical and/or teaching in the field of hand surgery.
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2007
Miguel Saldana, MD
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2004
Nash Naam, MD
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2003
Richard Brown, MD
Sue Michlovitz, PT, PhD, CHT
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2002
Anthony DeSantolo, MD
Michael Jabaley, MD
Maureen Hardy
Sterling Mutz, MD
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2000
Peter Amadio, MD
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1999
Wyndell Merritt, MD
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1998
Alan Freeland, MD
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1997
James Hoehn, MD
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1996
Robert Beckenbaugh, MD
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1995
Forst E. Brown, MD
Humanitarian Award
The Humanitarian Award honors a deserving Association member who has made or continues to regularly make unique or special contributions, and/or personal sacrifices for the betterment of humanitarian efforts.
The AAHS is now accepting nominations for the 2027 Humanitarian Award. Please submit descriptive nominations to the attention of the Awards Committee at contact.org. Please note that self-nominations will not be considered by the Awards Committee and current members of the Award Committee and Board of Directors are ineligible for the Humanitarian Award.
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2026
Donald Lalonde, MD,
Demonstrates a tireless, sustained commitment to global education and outreach, including long-standing involvement with Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in Ghana and leadership in the education of WALANT procedures. His numerous humanitarian efforts have significantly advanced hand surgery worldwide.
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2025
Steve McCabe, MD,
For his long history of mission and volunteer work, including his travel to Poland and the Ukraine to help refugees from the war.
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2024
Drs. James Sanger and Hani Matloub,
For their efforts as a team over 40 years, dedicating their talents to produce a unique interchange with patients in under-resourced areas, ultimately acting as driving force of humanitarian and philosophic endeavors.
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2023
Rebecca Neiduski, PhD, OTR/L, CHT,
For her leadership, commitment, and educational service over 17+ years through hand care medical missions across the globe, and her spirit, dedication, and mentorship to always consider how can we make things better? and influence the lives of many.
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2021
Marco Rizzo, MD,
For his longstanding commitment and years of care to some of the most vulnerable and underserved patients in the United States, the patients of the Navaho Nation.
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2020
Miguel Pirela-Cruz, MD
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2019
Warren Schubert, MD
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2018
Michael Murphy, MD
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2017
Scott Kozin, MD
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2016
Lynn Bassini, MA, OTR/L/ CHT
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2015
Louis L. Carter, M.D.
HAND Journal Award
The HAND Journal Award is given annually by the Journal Committee to the lead author of a paper which is identified by the Journal Committee, Editorial Board and membership as the most impactful and innovative paper from the previous years issues of HAND.
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2020
Independent Variables Affecting Outcome of Carpal Tunnel Release Surgery
Jaqueline Watchmaker, MD
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2019
Postoperative Pain Management Following Carpal Tunnel Release: A Prospective Cohort Evaluation
Andrew Miller, MD
Rothman Institute of Orthopedics, Philadelphia, PA
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2018
A Multicenter, Prospective, Randomized, Pilot Study of Outcomes for Digital Nerve Repair in the Hand Using Hollow Conduit Compared With Processed Allograft Nerve
Kenneth R. Means, Jr., MD
The Curtis National Hand Center at MedStar Union Memorial Hospital, Baltimore, MD
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2017
Achieving the optimal epinephrine effect in wide awake hand surgery using local anesthesia without a tourniquet
Daniel E. Mckee, MD
McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
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2016
A prospective randomized trial comparing the effectiveness of one versus two (staged) corticosteroid injections for the treatment of stenosing tenosynovitis
Emran Sheikh, MD
MALO Health & Wellness, Rutherford, NJ
Lean & Green Award
The Lean & Green Award honors an AAHS member who has decreased the amount of waste generated by any activity related to hand surgery or therapy as well as decreased the total costs related to hand surgery or therapy, within their home institution or elsewhere. The qualifying contributions of this individual could include publications, presentations or other actions that had a significant impact on reducing the garbage production and/or costs of any activity related to hand surgery or therapy.
The AAHS is now accepting nominations for the 2027 Lean & Green Award. Please submit descriptive nominations to the attention of the Awards Committee at contact@handsurgery.org. Please note that self-nominations will not be considered by the Awards Committee and current members of the Award Committee and Board of Directors are ineligible for the Lean & Green Award.
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2026
Chris Jehle, MD,
For his published work, Solid Waste and Associated Environmental Impact of WALANT Carpal Tunnel Release Performed Across Three Clinical Settings
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2027
Drs. Nikolas Kazmers and Brittany Garcia,
For their published work, Carbon Footprint of Open Carpal Tunnel Release Performed in the Procedure Room versus Operating Room Setting
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2024
Joshua Gillis, MD,
For his published work with OR K Wires, aiding in reduction of waste with no increase in infection
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2023
Asif Ilyas, MD,
For his published and presented work on decreasing the unnecessary cost of sedation in trigger finger and carpal tunnel surgery in the United States.
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2022
Steven Koehler, MD,
For published work promoting lean and green surgery and WALANT, including excellent open access video demonstrations with availability to developing parts of the world.
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2021
Donald Lalonde, MD,
For his commitment to and promotion of economic and environmental conscience practices in hand surgery, particularly development of WALANT, promotion of WALANT around the globe among both developed and underserved communities, and his Wide Awake Hand Surgery book.
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2020
Joshua Abzug, MD
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2019
Peter J. L. Jebson, MD
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2018
Peter C. Rhee, DO
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2017
Robert E. Van Demark, MD
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2016
Mark E. Baratz, MD
Resident Annual Meeting Presentation Award
The Resident Annual Meeting Presentation Award is given to a resident who has been identified by the Program Committee as having the best trainee presentation of the Annual Meeting.
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2026
The Effect of Virtual Reality on Peri-Operative Anxiety during WALANT Hand Surgery: A Prospective Randomized Trial
Kazune Matsuoka, MD
Philadelphia College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA
ACPA Seropositivity: A Paradoxical Benefit in Silicone Metacarpophalangeal Arthroplasty for Rheumatoid Arthritis
Adam Schluttenhofer, MD
Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN
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2024
Should we save the lunate? A Comparison of Lunate Fixation Versus Salvage for Coronal Plane Fractures in Kienbock's Disease
Lauren Dittman Tagliero, MD
Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN
Clinical Outcomes of Revision Carpal Tunnel Release Treated with Adipofascial Flap and Nerve Wrapping
Sneha Rao, MD
Duke University, Durham, NC
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2023
Cancer metastases to the hand: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Todd Dow
Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
Reconstruction of the proximal scaphoid with a pedicled vascularized osteo-chondro-ligamentous graft from the proximal hamate : Cadaver anatomic study and description of a novel surgical technique
Marie Witters
Marseille University Hospital, Marseille, France
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2022
Don't Believe What You See: Cross-sectional Areas and Volume Replacement of Commonly Used Screws for Scaphoid Fixation
Connor Goo, BS
University of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI
Evaluation of Patient Expectations prior to Carpal Tunnel Release
Miranda J. Rogers, MD, MS
University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT
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2020
Carpal Kinematics in Madelung Deformity
Abbas Peymani, MD, MS
Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Which PROMs do Patients Prefer? A Convergent Mixed Methods Analysis
Lauren Shapiro
Stanford University, Redwood City, CA
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2019
The Effects of Porcine Extracellular Matrix Nerve Wrap as an Adjunct to Primary Epineurial Repair
Philip J. Hanwright, MD
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
Multimodal Pain Management Regimen in Upper Extremity Trauma - A Randomized Controlled Blinded Study
Julian Zangrilli, DO
Jefferson Health, Stratford, NJ
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2018
Elbow Trauma and Plasminogen Deficiency Showing Functional Deficits in an Animal Model
Mihir J. Desai, MD
Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN
Long-Term Effects of Radiation Therapy for Benign Conditions of the Hand
Kalila Steen, MD
University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
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2017
Intratendinous Injection of Hydrogel for Reseeding Decellularized Human Flexor Tendons
Chao Long, MD
Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA
Infection Rates of Buried vs. Exposed Kirschner Wires in Phalangeal, Metacarpal, and Distal Radius Fractures
TJ Ridley, MD
University of Minnesota, St Paul, MN
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2016
A Randomized, Double-Blinded, Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial Assessing the Therapeutic Efficacy of Botulinum Toxin in Treating Scleroderma-Associated Raynaud's Phenomenon
Ricardo J. Bello, MD, MPH
Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD
Metacarpophalangeal Arthroplasty for the Management of Inflammatory Arthritis; An Analysis of 583 Arthroplasties
Eric Wagner, MD
Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN
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2015
Early Active Motion Versus Protective Splinting Following Open Carpal Tunnel Release Surgery
Blake D. Murphy, MD
Division of Plastic Surgery, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
PCLF as a Backbone for Chondrocyte Attachment and Proliferation Augmented by Platelet Lysate
Eric Wagner, MD
Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN
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2014
Changes in Blood Glucose Levels after Corticosteroid Injection in the Hand & Wrist
Daniel London, MD
Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Washington University, St. Louis School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO
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2013
Long Term Outcomes of Proximal Row Carpectomy- A Systematic Review
Harvey Chim, MD
Department of Plastic Surgery, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH
Vargas Award
The Vargas International Hand Therapy Teaching Award is named in honor of Dr. Miguel Vargas, a hand surgeon who practiced in Puerto Rico and was an international emissary for education. The Award is an outgrowth of the AAHS's mission. Its intent is therapy outreach - to foster an exchange of educational ideas between therapists in the AAHS and in the host country to result in improved patient care for upper extremity problems. The Vargas Award is hand therapy education driven. Education is the foremost purpose and mission of the Award, with a portion of the trip emphasizing hands-on postoperative care of the upper extremity in host countries where surgery is applicable and possible. As volunteers, awardees collaborate with others to provide informative hands-on training to improve patient care and host site education.
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2027
Lisa Michael, OTD, OTR/L, CHT
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2024
Thomas Berger, DPT, CHT
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2023
Thomas Berger, DPT, CHT
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2021
Rebecca J. Saunders, BS, PT/CHT
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2020
Kimberly G. Kraft, PT, DPT, CHT
Ghana
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2019
Lisa Flewelling
Ghana
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2018
Susan Blackmore, MS, OTR/L
Bhutan
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2017
Catherine M. Sullivan, BScPT
Ghana
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2016
Aviva Wolff, OTR/L, MA, CHT
Guatemala
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2015
Adam Crelling, MS
Ghana
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2014
Gayle Severance, MS, OTR/L
Ghana
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2013
Julianne Howell, PT, MS, CHT
Guatemala
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2010
Paula Galaviz, MS, OTR, CHT
Armenia
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2009
Donna Breger Stanton, MA, OTR/L, CHT, FAOTA
Thailand
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2008
Mary Nordlie, MA, OTR, CHT
Egypt
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2006
Donna Pendleton, PT, CHT
Lorna Ramos
Cluj-Napoca, Romania
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2005
Emily Altman PT, CHT
Ecuador
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2004
Sharon Dest, OTR/L, CHT
Paula Galaviz, OTR/L, CHT
Guatemala
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2003
Paul Brach, PT, CHT
Susan Michlovitz, PT, PhD, CHT
Brian Adams, MD
Lee Osterman, MD
Chinle, Arizona
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2002
Veronica Fernandez, PT
Alan Freeland, MD
Miguel Saldana, MD
Mark Baratz, MD
Various US Locations
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2001
Gail Groth, OTR/L, CHT, MHS
Scott Kozin, MD
Uganda
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2000
Karen Henehan-Flink, OTR/L, CHT
Terry Light, MD
Lithuania
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1999
Katherine Ann Schofield, OTR, CHT
Nash Naam, MD
Egypt
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1998
Lynn Bassini, MA/OTR, CHT
Alan Freeland, MD
Venezuela
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1997
Colette Jewell, ORT/CHT
Paul Weeks, MD
Kenya
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1996
Lynne Feehan, MScPT
Somprasong Songcharoen, MD
Thailand
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