Joshua J. Jacobs, MD, receives AOA’s Distinguished Contributions to Orthopaedics Award

Congratulations to MOR’s own Joshua Jacobs, MD, who was recently honored with the prestigious American Orthopaedic Association (AOA) Distinguished Contributions to Orthopaedics Award at the 2026 AOA Annual Meeting in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The AOA, founded in 1887, is the oldest orthopaedic association in the United States whose selective membership includes established leaders in the profession.  

Dr. Jacobs is the first Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush physician to receive this award.

This honor recognizes an AOA member’s personal achievement, commitment to excellence, meritorious leadership, and substantial contributions influencing the orthopaedic specialty.

Dr. Jacobs is the Grainger Director, Rush Arthritis and Orthopaedic Institute; Co-Director, Institute for Translational Medicine, and Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at Rush University Medical Center. He is a renowned orthopedic surgeon specializing in total hip and total knee replacement surgery who also served as the chairperson of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at Rush Medical College from 2008 to 2024. Dr. Jacobs is a world authority on the biocompatibility of metallic orthopaedic implants and has done extensive research in this area over his 50-year research career. As a past President of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons in 2013 - 2014, the Orthopaedic Research Society in 2006 - 2007, and the Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation from 2024 to the present, Dr. Jacobs has made significant contributions to the field of orthopedics throughout his career.