Since 2016, The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery and JBJS Journal of Orthopaedics for Physician Assistants (JOPA) have awarded two $500 prizes to outstanding JOPA review articles or case studies written by authors who were PA students at the time of article submission.
The 2019 award winners for best articles by PA students produced high-quality literature reviews that address current and impactful topics. We recognized author Matthew Morrow, BA, PA-S out of Northwestern University for “The Effects of Cannabinoid Use on Acute Orthopaedic Pain: A Review of the Current Literature,” which showed that cannabis use provided little to no pain relief for acute musculoskeletal pain. The review also concluded that cannabis use while recovering from musculoskeletal trauma may be associated with an increased use of narcotics. The article suggests that cannabis use has a larger role for chronic rather than acute musculoskeletal pain.
Brittany Szabo, PA-S and Justin Gambini, MSPAS, PA-C, from Campbell University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, were recognized for “Ewing Sarcoma: A Review on Primary Bone Malignancy in Pediatrics and the Diagnosis, Treatment, and Challenges of Managing Ewing Sarcoma.” This article provided a comprehensive review of a “can’t miss” orthopaedic diagnosis, including clinical and diagnostic signs for orthopaedic providers to look for.
Congratulations to our 2019 PA student writing-award winners! We are offering two $500 awards again this year, so please encourage all of your PA students to submit an article for consideration! Deadline for submission is December 31, 2020.
And be on the lookout for an announcement about 2 additional 2019 JOPA Writing Award winners.
Dagan Cloutier, PA-C
Editor, JBJS Journal of Orthopaedics for Physician Assistants
