Hughston Clinic orthopaedic surgeon, Champ L. Baker Jr., M.D., FACS, received two prestigious national awards last weekend at the annual meeting of the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine (AOSSM).

Dr. Baker was honored with the Robert E. Leach, M.D,, "Mr. Sports Medicine" Award for his significant contributions to the world of sports medicine. He was also awarded the George D. Rovere, M.D., Award for his contributions to sports medicine education. More than 1,400 orthopaedic surgeons from across the United States attended the three-day conference in Providence, Rhode Island, and were on-hand to witness Dr. Baker receiving the awards.

The Mr. Sports Medicine Award is the top award presented each year by the AOSSM. Dr. Baker is the 37th recipient of this distinguished award given to an individual who has provided outstanding service in the orthopaedic community and has made numerous contributions to the specialty of sports medicine. As part of the award, $5,000 will be donated to Dr. Baker's charity of choice. The only other physician from the Hughston Clinic to win this award is the clinic's founder, the late Dr. Jack C. Hughston, a pioneer in developing the discipline of sports medicine. Dr. Hughston, the father of sports medicine, was also Mr. Sports Medicine in 1976.

The George D. Rovere Award is given annually to a member of the AOSSM for his or her contributions to sports medicine education. Throughout his career, Dr. Baker has consistently served the AOSSM and other industry organizations, and remained dedicated to education and training through teaching, lectures, research and published articles. For 25 years, Dr. Baker has served as Director of the Hughston Sports Medicine Fellowship program at the Hughston Clinic, where more than 200 young doctors have trained, studied and advanced their knowledge of sports medicine.

"It is a tremendous honor to be recognized with these awards," said Dr. Baker. "I am humbled and grateful. It has always been my passion to serve and give back to the field of sports medicine, to further advance the discipline through research, continuing education, hands-on experience, physician collaboration and the discovery of new and innovative ways to treat patients."

"This is quite an accomplishment for Dr. Baker to win two awards in the same year from the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine," said Mark Baker, CEO of the Hughston Clinic. "Everyone at Hughston is extremely proud of Dr. Baker for this well-deserved recognition."

Besides being a physician at the Hughston Clinic where he previously served as president from 1994 to 2000, Dr. Baker is chairman of the board of directors at the Hughston Foundation. He is also a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at the Medical College of Georgia.

Dr. Baker holds teaching appointments at Tulane University School of Medicine and at the Medical College of Georgia.

Dr. Baker's specialties include sports medicine and arthroscopic surgery. He has been the team physician for numerous local and regional athletic teams, including the University of Alabama, and is currently the team physician for Columbus State University. Dr. Baker has also served on the U.S. Olympic Committee as a volunteer physician and is past president of the Board of Trustees at Columbus State University.

Source:
American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine
Hughston Clinic