Regional Representatives Committee
IODA's Regional Representatives Committee serves to discuss region-specific initiatives and matters of interest for regional representatives.
We encourage IODA members to contact their Regional Representative the email below. Most regions have an IODA WhatsApp group that you will be invited to join.
Committee Chair
Rotating chair
Africa
Dr Bezawit Tefari Tsegaye
africa@orthopaedicdiversity.org
Dr Bezawit T. Tsegaye is an orthopaedic and trauma surgeon based in Ethiopia. She has held numerous roles in the Ethiopian Society of Orthopaedic and Traumatology. Dr Tsegaye is passionate about mentorship, surgical outreach programs and medical innovation projects to increase accessibility and equity in trauma care in Africa.
Europe
Dr Marie Fridberg
Europe@orthopaedicdiversity.org
Dr Marie Fridberg is a trauma and paediatric orthopaedic surgeon in Denmark. She is the founder of the Danish Orthopaedic Women's Society (2016) adn the first woman to serve on the Danish Orthopaedic Board of Directors as Treasurer. She was among the founders and an inaugural board member of Young Orthopaedics Denmark in 2010 and has been an AO Faculty member (Denmark) since 2018.
Latin America and Caribbean
Associate Professor Maria Gala Santini Araujo
LatinAmerica-Caribbean@orthopaedicdiversity.org
Dr Maria Gala Santini Araujo is a foot and ankle surgeon based at the IUHI Medicine School in Buenos Aires and leads the foot and ankle division of Italian Hospital of Buenos Aires (IHBA). She completed fellowships at IHBA and the University of Leuven in Belgium. Dr Santini Araujo is the AAOT Women's Committee Chair and the Vice President of the SAMECIPP Board. She was the recipient of the AOFAS Traveling Fellowship in 2023.
Middle East
Dr Saleh Alsaifi
MiddleEast-NorthAfrica@orthopaedicdiversity.org
Dr. Saleh Alsaifi is a consultant in adult and pediatric orthopaedics and limb reconstruction, currently leading the Division of Pediatric Orthopaedics at AlRazi Hospital in Kuwait. He has held several national leadership roles, including Chair of Orthopaedics at AlRazi Hospital and Head of Kuwait’s Orthopaedic Council. A fellowship-trained specialist with international experience, he is active in advancing inclusive care and education through regional and global orthopaedic societies.
North America
Dr Zachary Lum
NorthAmerica@orthopaedicdiversity.org
Zachary C. Lum, DO, FAOA, is an Assistant Clinical Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery and Chief Wellness Officer at UC Davis Medical Center, specializing in adult hip and knee reconstruction. He completed fellowship training in joint reconstruction at UC Davis following residency at Valley Orthopaedic Surgery. Dr. Lum’s scholarship spans arthroplasty outcomes and value and the use of artificial intelligence in surgical education and quality. He serves on the AAOS Knee Program Committee and chairs the AAHKS Diversity Advisory Board. An OREF-funded investigator, he also an editor of the Journal of the American Osteopathic Academy of Orthopaedics, in addition to mentoring trainees and leading department wellness initiatives.
North America
Dr Marc Tompkins
NorthAmerica@orthopaedicdiversity.org
Dr. Tompkins is an orthopedic sports medicine surgeon and Professor in the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at the University of Minnesota and a faculty for the orthopedic sports medicine fellowship at TRIA Orthopedic Center. Clinical interests for Dr. Tompkins are in complex reconstructive and joint preservation surgery in the knee and shoulder. In addition to an adult practice, he is the co-director of the pediatric sports medicine program at Gillette Children’s Specialty Healthcare.
Dr. Tompkins sits on the Editorial Board for AJSM, KSSTA, and Sports Health. He serves on committees and in leadership roles for organizations, including AOSSM, PRISM, AAOS, ISAKOS, the ROCK group, and IPSG. He has participated in both AOSSM and Patellofemoral Foundation/ISAKOS traveling fellowships. He also has expertise in leveraging technology, including mixed reality applications and wearables, to help facilitate surgical education and patient rehabilitation.