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Michael G. Vitale, MD, MPH, of Brooklyn, New York, was inducted as a Fellow of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Dr. Vitale was one of 549 new Fellows inducted during ceremonies at the Academy's 72nd annual meeting in Washington, DC.

Dr. Vitale is the Herbert Irving Assistant Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and Assistant Attending Pediatric Orthopaedic Surgeon at the Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital of NewYork-Presbyterian. Dr. Vitale is the author of more than eighty scientific papers and abstracts, and lectures extensively on musculoskeletal disorders in children, including his special interest in scoliosis and spine surgery. Dr. Vitale was invited to join the Spinal Deformity Study Group – an elite group of fifty surgeons across North America studying deformities and spinal reconstructive surgery. He was also recently appointed Chairman of the Evidence Based Medicine Committee of The Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America.

Orthopaedics is a medical specialty that focuses on the diagnosis, care and treatment of patients with disorders of the bones, joints, muscles, ligaments, tendons, nerves, and skin. These elements make up the musculoskeletal system. The Academy is the largest medical association for musculoskeletal specialists. Its members have completed medical school plus at least five years of specialty study in orthopaedics in an accredited residency program, passed a comprehensive oral and written exam and have been certified by The American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery Inc. The Academy has 27,959 members worldwide.

An advocate for improved patient care, the Academy is participating in the Bone and Joint Decade, the global initiative to raise awareness of musculoskeletal health, stimulate research and improve people's quality of life. President Bush has declared the years 2002-2011 National Bone and Joint Decade in support of these objectives.