About

Established by the AOA in 2022 and announced by former Own the Bone Steering Committee Chair Kyle J. Jeray, MD, FAOA, the award seeks to recognize an outstanding clinician who captures Dr. Bunta’s selfless commitment to improving bone health care coordination and bone health management of orthopaedic patients through the Own the Bone initiative.  Specifically, nominated candidates for the award are noteworthy for exhibiting:

  • Dedication to the area of metabolic bone health
  • Desire to acquire bone health knowledge and expertise
  • Leadership in successfully advocating for and advancing secondary fracture prevention efforts at their institution
  • Commitment to patients above and beyond the standard of care

Each year, the awardee will be announced and recognized as an honorary invitee during the Own the Bone Symposium.

Click here to nominate a colleague for the Andrew D. Bunta Own the Bone Clinician of the Year award.

Meet the 2024 Awardee - Kristyn Hare, PA-C

Kristyn Hare, a physician assistant at the University of Wisconsin Hospitals & Clinics, has won the 2024 Andrew D. Bunta, MD Own the Bone Clinician of the Year award.

The award was announced at the virtual 2024 Own the Bone Symposium on June 6th. Dr. Paul Anderson presented the award and congratulated Kristyn: “…She has just been a wonderful leader of this program… and also has been a leader in teaching other APP’s about bone health and has been a resource for many people establishing their own bone health program. It is a great pleasure to honor Kristyn with this Andrew Bunta award… Congratulations Kristyn.”

The Andrew D. Bunta Clinician of the Year award honors a clinician who demonstrates exceptional expertise, leadership, volunteerism and commitment to the Own the Bone mission of improving bone health care.

Dr. Neil Binkley at the University of Wisconsin also provided statements of support: “Kristyn’s knowledge and clinical implementation of bone health care is simply extraordinary…It is unsurprising that she commonly uncovers conditions that have previously been overlooked by other providers. Her dedication to ongoing learning assures that this status of excellence will be maintained as the field evolves.

…She is always collegial and is a simply an outstanding healthcare professional.  In summary, I believe that Kristyn Hare is an exception clinician well worthy of the Bunta Clinician of the Year Award. She exemplifies what a bone health clinician should ideally be.”

Meet Past Awardees

2023 Awardee – Laura Boineau, FNP

Laura Boineau, a nurse practitioner in the Prisma Health – Upstate Department of Orthopedic Surgery specializing in orthopedic trauma, has won the inaugural Andrew D. Bunta, MD Own the Bone Clinician of the Year award.

The award was announced at the virtual 2023 Own the Bone Symposium on June 8th and was highlighted during the 2023 AOA Annual Meeting opening ceremony in Salt Lake City, Utah.

The Andrew D. Bunta Clinician of the Year award honors a clinician who demonstrates exceptional expertise, leadership, volunteerism and commitment to the Own the Bone mission of improving bone health care. Laura is well-recognized for her expertise in providing bone health/osteoporosis management for orthopaedic patients.

Laura Boineau, FNP

The AOA congratulated Laura, saying, “Nominated candidates for the award are recognized for exhibiting dedication to the area of metabolic bone health, desire to acquire bone health knowledge and expertise, leadership in successfully advocating for and advancing secondary fracture prevention efforts at their institution, and commitment to patients above and beyond the standard of care.”  Stephen Kates, MD, FAOA, Chair of the Own the Bone Steering Committee added: “The Own the Bone Steering Committee is delighted to recognize Laura Boineau as the recipient of the inaugural Andrew D. Bunta Clinician of the Year award.  Like Dr. Bunta, Laura is universally well-regarded for tirelessly advancing the patient care mission of Own the Bone, and for sharing her expertise to support the education of others. She is a very deserving awardee for this special AOA award.”

Interested in nominating an outstanding bone health clinician for 2025?

Nominations for 2025 can be submitted by clinicians at enrolled Own the Bone institutions, and nominees must have a tenure of at least one year at their current institution at the time of their nomination.

Nominations open on July 1, 2024.  The deadline to submit a nomination is January 15, 2025.

Click here to submit a nomination.

The recipient of the Andrew D. Bunta Clinician of the Year award will be announced and recognized at the 2025 Own the Bone Symposium.