Academy member Jonathan Kirschner, MD, assistant attending physiatrist at the Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) and an assistant professor of clinical rehabilitation medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine, has been selected to represent the Academy to the United States Bone and Joint Initiative (USBJI). The USBJI is a rapidly-developing organization with a goal of restoring activity, function, and comfort for those with musculoskeletal injuries and disorders. Being a member of USBJI allows AAPM&R to interact with more than 100 other member organizations in the musculoskeletal community, ensure that PM&R's voice is heard, and that our priorities and concerns are communicated.
As the Academy liaison, Dr. Kirschner will represent the interests and concerns of physiatry, encourage participation in USBJI activities, and assist in the dissemination of knowledge of bone and joint health. Dr. Kirschner also serves as the Academy's representative on the Steering Committee of The Burden of Musculoskeletal Diseases in the United States: Prevalence, Societal and Economic Cost (BMUS), a publication and key resource in carrying out the mission of the USBJI.
We'd also like to thank our outgoing Academy liaison, Steve Gnatz, MD. Dr. Gnatz served as the Academy’s representative for many years before joining their Board in 2011, then was appointed to president-elect in 2012, and then president from 2013-2015. Thank you for representing physiatry and the Academy, Dr. Gnatz!