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Inducted Class of 2019
Marilyn attended Morehead State University on a presidential scholarship, graduating in 1969 Summa Cum Laude with an AB degree in English (minor Russian) and Magna Cum Laude with a BS degree in Biology. In 1970, Marilyn was offered a teaching fellowship at the University of Kentucky (UK). She taught literature, composition, and technical writing while earning an MA (1972) and PhD (1978) in English.
Dr. Fox’s academic interests in literature, writing, and science have informed her career choices. In 1980, she accepted the position of senior editor at the American Board of Family Practice (ABFP) in Lexington, KY, where she managed the editorial, technical, and administrative aspects of three major clinical examinations for family practice physicians: In-Training; Certification; and Re-certification. In 1984, Marilyn moved to the Chicago area to further her career in test development and medical publishing, first at the University of Illinois at Chicago, and then at the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons (AAOS), the largest orthopedic organization in the world, with over 38,000 members worldwide.
Dr. Fox was hired by AAOS in 1985 as a senior editor to help build an in-house publishing program. From 1992, when she was promoted to director, until she retired in 2012, Dr. Fox oversaw the publication of hundreds of scientific, medical, paramedical, and patient-centered texts; journals; magazines; and websites. She managed a staff of 45 and traveled widely to international scientific and medical conferences, book fairs, and workshops. She managed multi-million dollar budgets, working as staff liaison to the Publications Committee to plan and oversee Academy publications. At the time of her retirement in 2012 AAOS publishing was considered the premier program of its kind among medical specialties. It rivaled the orthopedic publications of major commercial medical publishers in both list size and annual revenues.
Marilyn was considered a thought leader on the Academy’s senior management team, invited by the Board of Directors and Council on Education to participate in many board-level workshops and strategic planning sessions. Dr. Fox was awarded an honorary membership in the Academy when she retired.
Throughout her career and into retirement, Dr. Fox has been active in various civic and not for-profit organizations, serving on the boards of the Lexington Rape Crisis Center and the Howard Brown Health Clinic in Chicago. She was named the Volunteer of the Year in 1987 at the Oak-Leyden Center for Children in Oak Park, Illinois.
Dr. Fox has also pursued her love of writing and is a published poet, with poems published in several poetry magazines over the years. At present she lives on 240 acres in the Outer Blue Grass area of Kentucky. She continues to be active in political and civic organizations and to write and publish her poetry.
References
Karen L. Hackett, Chief Executive Officer, AAOS 2003-2017 (retired);
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Mark W. Wieting, Chief Education Officer, AAOS 2006-2012 (retired)
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Joan Golembiewski, Senior Manager, Publishing Operations, AAOS
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