Antonia Chen, M.D., M.B.A., Chair and Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery, believes in the strength of collaboration, which inspires her to readily say yes when called to lead. Her latest role is serving as President of the American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons (AAHKS) for the 2026-27 term. Established in 1991 to be the global authority on excellence in hip and knee care, AAHKS has a membership of over 5,500 surgeons and other healthcare professionals.

“Leadership roles, like being President of AAHKS, are incredibly important to me because it is necessary to give arthroplasty surgeons a voice along with a seat at the table with regard to research and advocacy efforts,” she said. “It is also important for us to come together as a profession to address the problems that aren’t just affecting us individually but are affecting us collectively. By volunteering for these leadership roles, we can address the important issues that we are facing and collaboratively make changes to improve our profession.”

Dr. Chen is the second woman and the youngest surgeon to take the reins as AAHKS president.

“Since only 2.6% of AAHKS members are females, being the second woman president feels incredibly special,” said Dr. Chen, who has been an AAHKS member since residency. “It gives other women the opportunity to look at us and know that they also can be President of AAHKS, and hopefully inspires the next generation of women to enter arthroplasty and to contribute to the fantastic organization of AAHKS.”

Dr. Chen’s top priority is to focus on arthroplasty surgeon burnout and well-being.

“We must meaningfully and tangibly address problems that we are facing as a profession, such as more administrative burden, reimbursement declines, longer hours, and greater physical and emotional burden,” she explained. 

Her second priority is to bring equity into the field of arthroplasty, joint replacement or reconstruction surgery, by equipping arthroplasty surgeons with opportunities and tools that enable them to excel.

“This involves coaching, mentorship, and sponsorship,” she said. “I have been supported by so many individuals in our field, and I want to give back to others to lift the next generation of arthroplasty surgeons.”

After earning an M.B.A. from Rutgers Business School and her medical degree from Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Dr. Chen completed an orthopedic surgery residency at the University of Pittsburgh, followed by a fellowship in hip and knee arthroplasty at the Rothman Orthopaedic Institute. In 2024, she joined UTSW, specializing in hip and knee replacements and joint replacement infection management.