AO NA Executive Council

Milton Lee (Chip) Routt, Jr., M.D. is the Dr. Andrew R. Burgess Endowed Chair and Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at The University of Texas McGovern Medical School at Houston, The Texas Trauma Institute, and Memorial Hermann Hospital – Texas Medical Center. He currently serves as the President of the Surgeon’s Council and Co-Chairman of the Quality Assurance Committee, and on the Medical Executive Committee at Memorial Hermann Hospital – Texas Medical Center. Dr. Routt is a native of Chappell Hill, Texas, graduating Summa Cum Laude from Texas A&M University. Following medical school at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, he completed a Surgical Internship and Orthopaedic Residency at Vanderbilt University. His Orthopaedic Traumatology fellowship was at the University of Washington’s Harborview Medical Center. He remained there as faculty from 1989 through 2012. Dr. Routt has published numerous peer-reviewed articles and other educational contributions including book chapters. He is best known as a tireless and devoted physician-surgeon, and passionate teacher. Dr. Routt has received a variety of awards including the 2019 Leonard Tow Award for Humanism and Education, the 2019 James Red Duke Physician Leadership Award, 2018 MHH Physician of the Year, Orthopedic Resident Teaching awards at UT Houston and the University of Washington, and the Jack McDaniels Traveling Fellowship. Dr. Routt is an Ashbel Smith Distinguished Alumnus of UTMB and a Distinguished Alumnus of Brenham High School. He has directly mentored, educated, and hosted hundreds of Orthopaedic Traumatologists from the United States and Canada, and from across the globe. He is recognized nationally and internationally for his work with pelvic and acetabular injuries. Dr. Routt is currently serving as the AO North America President. He is a member of the Orthopedic Trauma Association, the AO Alumni Association and the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society, among others. Dr. Routt is board certified by the American Board of Orthopedic Surgeons.

Travis T. Tollefson MD MPH FACS Dr. Tollefson is the proud father of Theo, a toddler who has humbled him by making him take days off. Theo is already an avid Jayhawk basketball fan, as any well informed gentleman should be. He is Professor and Director of Facial Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery at the University of California Davis, where he specializes in cleft and pediatric craniofacial care, facial reconstruction and facial trauma care. -His interest in the emerging field of Global Surgery and improving surgical access in low-resource countries led him to complete an MPH at the Harvard School of Public Health. He helps lead the CMF arm of the AO-Alliance.org, whose goal is to instill AO principles in facial injuries in low resource settings. -His current research is focuses on clinical outcomes of patients with cleft lip-palate, facial trauma education in Africa, patterns of mandible fracture care, and patient reported outcomes in facial paralysis surgeries. He coedited, Complete Cleft Care, an evidence-based textbook on team management of cleft lip-palate. He serves as his department’s Director of Wellness and Mentoring, co-director of the UC Davis Cleft Team. He serves on the Board of Directors of the American Board of Otolaryngology- Head and Neck Surgery, American Academy of Facial Plastic Surgery,and is the Editor-In-Chief for Facial Plastic Surgery and Aesthetic Medicine journal (formerly JAMA - Facial Plastic Surgery).

Dr. Klineberg is a board-certified Orthopaedic surgeon and Professor in the Department of Orthopaedics at the University of Texas, Houston. He has a busy clinical practice which is focused on spinal surgery with cases that range from minimally invasive discectomies and fusions to complex spinal oncology and deformity reconstructions. Dr. Klineberg has specific expertise in deformity surgery and spinal trauma and has published multiple papers on deformity correction, outcomes research and complications as well as the biomechanics of spinal correction. His basic science research interests currently focus on the biomechanics of spinal fusion and fixation.

After obtaining a bachelor's degree from Tabor College in Hillsboro, Kansas, Dr. Crist earned his medical degree from the University of Kansas School of Medicine. He completed his residency at the University of Kansas School of Medicine, Wichita, and a fellowship in orthopaedic trauma at the University of California-Davis. Dr. Crist is the Director of the Orthopaedic Trauma Service, Director of the Orthopaedic Trauma Fellowship, and the Vice Chairman for Business Development. He specializes in orthopaedic trauma/fracture care, hip and pelvis reconstruction including total hip arthroplasty, and young adult hip disorders/hip preservation. Dr. Crist is a Tenured Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Missouri School of Medicine. He has research interests in fracture care, nonunions, deformity, infections, anterior total hip arthroplasty, patient-centered outcomes and hip preservation procedures. From the beginning of his career, he’s been involved with AO and continues to enjoy teaching at AO events, participating in committee and leadership roles, and being a part of the AO Family.

Dr. José M. García-López, VMD, Dipl. ACVS, Dipl. ACVSMR American College of Veterinary Surgeons American College of Veterinary Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation Associate Professor Large Animal Surgery Department of Clinical Studies - New Bolton Center University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine José obtained his VMD from the University of Pennsylvania in 1996 and went on to complete a 1-year Equine Internship at Mid-Atlantic Equine Medical Center (Ringoes, New Jersey, USA) followed by a 3-year Large Animal Surgical Residency with a special focus on Equine Sports Medicine at Tufts University in North Grafton, Massachusetts. He became a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons in 2001. Following his residency, José obtained a Lecturer position in the Section of Equine Sports Medicine and Imaging at the University of Pennsylvania’s New Bolton Center in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania where he remained for 2 years. From 2002 through 2022, he returned to Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine as an Assistant, then Associate Professor in Large Animal Surgery, where he helped develop the Equine Sports Medicine and Surgery Service of which he served as its Director from 2014-2022. He became board certified by the American College of Veterinary Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation in 2013. While at Tufts, he focused his work on the diagnosis and management of musculoskeletal disorders as well as the use of advanced imaging in the equine athlete. In 2022, he returned to the University of Pennsylvania’s New Bolton Center where he is currently a Clinical Associate Professor of Large Animal Surgery, with a focus on equine orthopedics including arthroscopy and fracture repair, lameness diagnosis and treatment, and advanced imaging. Dr. García-López is also a faculty member of AO VET North America (AO VET NA), of which he is currently serving as Chair. He regularly lectures and provides consultations at the national and international level.

Doctor Roger G. Wilber graduated from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in 1986, beginning his career in Family Practice. Following an internship at Highland General Hospital in Oakland California, he served as Lieutenant in the Alaskan Public Health Service for three years. An increased interest in musculoskeletal disorders inspired Dr. Wilber's return to training at the State University of New York at Buffalo, where he completed an internship in General Surgery under the mentorship of Dr. John Border. His inclination to Traumatology was further developed through the close training and friendship of Dr. Lawrence Bone in the Department of Orthopedics at SUNY Buffalo. Dr. Wilber's primary focus became reconstruction of the pelvis and acetabulum, along with complex traumatic disorders and diseases of the hip. He completed a fellowship in Adult Reconstruction at Wayne State University under Drs. Jeffrey Mast and Keith Mayo, and has spent over 23 years as a Trauma and Adult Reconstruction surgeon at University Hospitals and MetroHealth Medical Center in Cleveland, Ohio. He is the current Chief of both Adult Reconstruction, and Pelvic and Acetabular Surgery at MetroHealth. Beyond his post, Dr. Wilber continues to pursue interest projects in his field. He is dedicated to improving healthcare in developing regions, serving as a volunteer surgeon in Bhutan, and a visiting professor across the globe. He collaborates with various organizations in developing healthcare technology to improve standards throughout the medical practice and educational system. Dr. Wilber has contributed extensively to the AO Foundation, completing the Faculty, Chairman, and Leadership Education Programs. He has served as Chairman of the Faculty Education Program, and the AONA Education Committee. He currently serves as the Chairman of Trauma for AO North America, Trustee of the AO Trauma International Board, and Chairman of the Competence Training and Assessment Project for the AO Foundation, driving efforts to improve surgical training.