Something amazing happened this past Saturday, April 21st, during the Perry Outreach Program at Hospital for Special Surgery in NYC. Twenty-one local high school women, including three from the Science and Technology Magnet High School in New London, CT, Khushbu Pandya, Giselle Shuleshko, and Natoniah Williams, immersed themselves in the challenging fields of Orthopaedic Surgery and Engineering and accomplished things they never thought possible.

Fewer than 7% of all practicing orthopaedic surgeons and doctoral-level engineers are female, but you wouldn't have thought that by the way these students dove right in! The students repaired a broken tibia using an "ex-fix," learned to suture, and corrected scoliosis. They also designed an orthopaedic implant, reconstructed a knee, and fixed a broken elbow.

Throughout the day, the students interacted with leaders in the orthopaedic surgery and engineering communities, including faculty from the Hospital for Special Surgery and University of Delaware's Department of Mechanical Engineering.

The Perry Initiative is committed to inspiring young women to be leaders in the exciting fields of Orthopaedic Surgery and Engineering. Strong partnerships between surgeons and engineers are essential for improving the performance of orthopaedic implants and creating solutions to unmet clinical needs. The Perry Initiative was founded in 2009 by Dr. Jenni Buckley (a mechanical engineer) and Dr. Lisa Lattanza (an orthopaedic surgeon). The first Perry Outreach Program was held in the summer of 2009 in San Francisco, California. In 2010, the program expanded nationwide; the organization was incorporated as a non-profit in 2011.