Voices for change: Celebrating diversity within the AO

Spanish orthopedic trauma surgeon Héctor J Aguado, MD, PHD, knows how important it is for the AO to reflect the community of patients served by AO surgeons. That—along with a genuine desire to learn more about diversity, inclusion and mentorship—is what prompted his to dive headfirst into AO Access.

Aguado, a consultant in the Hospital Clínico Universitario Traumatology and Orthopaedic Surgery Service’s Trauma ad Orthogeriatric Unit in Valladolid, Spain, is a member of the AO Access Faculty and Leader Development Task Force. In that role, he works with AO colleagues to empower innovative and inclusive faculty and leaders who value the diversity of health care workers and patients.

“AO Access is a good opportunity for me to give voice to the value of inclusion. Let’s go for that. Here in Spain, we have fewer problems with, for example, women getting on faculty panels [but] we don’t have, for example, black, Chinese, or Indian surgeons. “Your race, ethnicity, or gender should not matter. I think we have to be more open and give equal opportunities—let more people into the group.”

‘Always wanted to be a doctor’

Aguado, the son of a physician, can’t recall a time when he didn’t want to become a doctor, though at one point he toyed with the idea of studying engineering.

“At a certain point, I thought about that because my friends at school wanted to become engineers, and I really liked figuring out how things work. This was around 1998, and there was a big boom for telecommunications companies,” he recounted. “Then, when I was 18 and it was time for me to apply for university, I was on holiday with my family. My parents took my brother and me on an outing by car, a long drive, and they started talking about medicine: ‘You always wanted to be a doctor,’ they said, and it was
true.”

‘Not just about looking at x-rays’

More than 20 years after that conversation, Aguado is still passionate about people in general and patients in particular.

“One thing I always tell my students when they are in the clinics with me is, ‘You saw 30 to 45 patients today, and all of them left the clinic smiling. That’s because they’re cured or feel better about their condition. It means you did you job,’” he said. “If a patient is angry or uncomfortable with me, I did something wrong. Making patients feel comfortable is part of the job of helping people. It’s not just about looking at x-rays. It’s how the patient feels.”