Mark S. Myerson, M.D. has been presented with the 2023 Humanitarian Award by the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS).
A tireless advocate for underserved people suffering with foot and ankle problems, Dr. Myerson is the founder of Steps2Walk, an international volunteer organization which provides both surgical care and education about foot and ankle deformities to underserved regions worldwide.
The former medical director of the Foot and Ankle Institute at Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore, Maryland, Dr. Myerson left his practice in 2016 to devote his full-time attention to Steps2Walk.
“In the western world, we are blessed by opportunity, whether it applies to education or access to timely, affordable and skilled healthcare,” Dr. Myerson said. “For many years, Steps2Walk has maintained a dual commitment—to perform life-changing foot and ankle surgeries on individuals in underserved communities around the world and, simultaneously, to educate surgeons in those regions.”
According to the organization, Steps2Walk programs are hosted in regions that are identified based on critical need for treatment of foot and ankle deformities. The organization’s volunteer faculty comprises more than 250 international foot and ankle specialists who attend annual programs around the globe to share education with local orthopaedic surgeons and treat complex cases.
This year, Steps2Walk will be making a difference in Pakistan, Mexico, and Namibia, among 14 other locations. To date, the organization is responsible for more than 1,400 surgical operations, the training of more than 500 orthopedic surgeons, and programs in more than 24 countries.
Dr. Myerson has contributed to more than 300 peer-reviewed publications and has written six textbooks. He is a past president of the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society. Dr. Myerson continues to serve as a visiting professor in the Department of Orthopaedics at the University of Colorado School of Medicine.
OTW asked Dr. Myerson about particularly meaningful moments during his international work, to which he responded, “Over these years of service, I have learned to be more humble. Many patients travel long distances under arduous circumstances to be evaluated. On any program we will examine 25-35 patients, but only have the capacity to perform 16-20 surgeries. It is just awful to have to turn down any patient under these circumstances, and of course they are disappointed, but they remain grateful for the opportunity and always look forward to being seen in 9-12 months at our next visit.”
“I recall a child of 8 years old from Lahore, Pakistan, with severe bilateral lower limb deformities but we were only able to correct one limb at a time. During the postoperative visit, she was able to see that the foot and leg were straight, and when I asked her if she was pleased, she replied that she was only ‘half happy’ … ‘I will be happy in 6 months when you return to correct my other leg.’”
Concerning what he would you say to younger surgeons who are considering volunteering abroad, Dr. Myerson noted, “In the western world we are educated in a setting of privilege, and it is hard for younger surgeons in their formative years to understand this and not to take their opportunities for granted. There are so many differences in the locations where we work, including language, the surgical environment, and the severity of foot and ankle deformities treated. The work setting is very challenging, and since aging equipment is often all that is available, we have of course learned to ‘do more with less.’ It is difficult to describe the joy, the reward, and the gratification that we all experience on these humanitarian programs, which for the younger surgeon is an unforgettable and often a life changing experience.”
