Dr. Bonnie Simpson Mason is a nationally recognized educator, innovator, author, and speaker. She is a Clinical Professor of Surgery at Creighton University, an alumna of the Kellog School of Management of Northwestern University, Fellow of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgery and the inaugural Medical Director of Inclusive Excellence for the American College of Surgeons, the largest professional organization of surgeons in the world. Throughout her career, she has developed groundbreaking DEI educational programs, worked to increase diversity in medicine, and prepared thousands of aspiring orthopedic surgeons for successful careers.
Prior to joining the American College of Surgeons, she served as the vice president of diversity and inclusion for the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) where she was the primary lead for the development and implementation of Equity Matters— a 10-year continuous learning and process-improvement initiative in DEI and antiracism designed for specialty societies, hospital systems, and GME faculty, learners and leaders.
After a career in private practice, Dr. Simpson Mason wanted to devote her time to increasing the pipeline and success of diverse of physicians. She founded and served as the executive director of Nth Dimensions, Inc., a non-profit organization that develops and facilitates scholarship and internship programs focused on increasing diversity in medicine, decreasing gender and health disparities, and promoting the professional development of aspiring physicians in orthopedic surgery and other specialties. Currently, Nth Dimensions is the most successful US pipeline program for women and diverse medical students and residents having awarded millions of dollars in scholarships and program grants and exposing thousands of students to orthopaedic surgery over the past 20 years.
Dr. Simpson Mason is also an accomplished author, penning over 20 peer-reviewed articles, textbook chapters, and her self-published Amazon best seller, “The Doctor’s Ultimate Guide to Contracts and Negotiations: Power Moves.” She earned her Bachelor of Science in chemistry with honors from Howard University and her medical degree from Morehouse School of Medicine. She completed a general surgery internship at the University of California, Los Angeles, and returned to Howard University to complete her residency in orthopaedic surgery, where she was named Chief Resident of the Year.
The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgery recognized her ongoing commitment to physician development by awarding her the 2015 Diversity Award, one of the Academy’s highest recognitions. In 2023, Dr. Simpson Mason’s extended mentoring efforts were acknowledged by the J. Robert Gladden Society, which commissioned the Bonnie Simpson Mason, MD Impact Award and her alma mater recognized her with the Distinguished Alumnus Award. Most recently, her orthopaedic surgery peers have elected her to the American Orthopaedic Association, the society which honors leaders in orthopaedics, and for inspiring students to impact others, she was one of eleven awardees nationwide to receive the 2024 Elizabeth Hurlock Beckman Award.
Dr. Simpson Mason’s personal mission is to teach, facilitate, and empower future and current physicians to reach their maximum potential as comprehensively prepared medical professionals and equity practitioners. She attributes her ability to fulfill this mission to having the enduring support of her parents, physician sister, Dr. Sherri Simpson Broadwater, and her own Chicago Bears, her husband, Dr. Thomas Mason, and her two teenage sons, Thomas Jr. and Paul David.