Routt named AONA educator of the year


By Roman Petrowski, Office of Communications

Dr. Milton 'Chip' Routt receives the AO North American Jeff Mast Educator of the Year Award

Milton ‘Chip’ Routt, MD, receives the AO North American Jeff Mast Educator of the Year Award at OneAO in April.

The AONA has named Milton ‘Chip’ Routt, MD, professor and Andrew R. Burgess, MD, Chair in Orthopaedic Surgery Trauma, as the recipient of the AO North American Jeff Mast Educator of the Year Award.

Routt received the award at the OneAO event in Phoenix in April. The event invites the AO North America community to recognize and celebrate the exception educators who have made significant contributions to medical education.

“Teaching for and learning with AONA have been career-long privileges,” Routt said. “Since my first course in 1987, I have immersed myself in the various AONA educational activities – from courses to webinars and everything else in between. And along the way, I likely learned a lot more than I taught. So, I accepted the award in recognition of all AONA educators!”

Routt was selected for his remarkable commitment to instructing physicians across all stages of their careers. The honors are bestowed upon individuals who have demonstrated outstanding dedication to teaching physicians at every stage of their training and career.

Routt has taught over 193 courses and has served as a lecturer with AO North American since 1990. His scholarly endeavors include numerous peer-reviewed articles and insightful book chapters, which further attest to his dedication to advancing medical education.

“Renowned for his unwavering dedication to patient care and his fervent enthusiasm for teaching, Dr. Routt embodies the essence of a distinguished physician-surgeon and inspirational educator,” the AONA said.

Routt currently serves as the president of the Surgeon’s Council and co-chairman of the Quality Assurance Committee and is also on the Medical Executive Committee at Memorial Hermann Hospital – Texas Medical Center.

Routt has received a variety of awards throughout this career, including the 2019 Leonard Town Award for Humanism and Education, the 2018 Memorial Hermann Hospital Physician of the Year, and orthopedic resident teaching awards from UTHealth Houston and the University of Washington as well as the Jack McDaniels Traveling Fellowship. He was also named a distinguished alumnus of UTMB and Brenham High School.

The AO is a medically-guided, not-for-profit organization, a global network of surgeons, and the premier education, innovation, and research organization for the surgical treatment of trauma and musculoskeletal disorders. The AO helps drive development, innovation, and research by delivering value-added products and services to the AO’s clinical division, clinical unit, its global network of surgeons and operating room personnel, and its partners.