Your COS President

Marlene DeMaio, MD, EdD; Capt., Medical Corps, U.S. Navy, retired

Dr. Marlene DeMaio is a sports medicine fellowship–trained orthopedic surgeon who hails from Vineland, NJ. An honors graduate of Brown University and Hahnemann Medical College (now Drexel), she completed orthopedic surgery residency at Yale–New Haven Hospital and a sports medicine fellowship at the Cincinnati Sports Medicine and Orthopedic Center.

Dr. DeMaio served 20 years as a medical officer in the U.S. Navy Medical Corps, retiring at the rank of Captain. During her military career, she was a trailblazer: the first woman to hold numerous roles, including Head Team Physician and Department Head of Orthopaedics, Sports Medicine, and Podiatry at the U.S. Naval Academy and the inaugural winner of the Dept. Of Defense’s Female Senior Leadership Award. She served as Chief of Orthopaedics for the USNS Mercy and USNS Comfort, Surgery Department Head for Expeditionary Medical Force–Camp Pendleton in the Gulf, and orthopedic consultant to the White House, U.S. Capitol, The Pentagon, U.S. Navy CVX Carrier Program, and US Marine Corps Warfighting Lab.

A nationally recognized researcher, Dr. DeMaio was the first military recipient of the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine Excellence in Research Award and the first female recipient of the US Medicine/Delta Dental Berry Award. She was principal investigator on the tri-service research that led to the modern combat body armor systems credited with saving countless lives during the Global War on Terrorism. She was the Director of Research for three different medical centers overseeing and guiding staff and resident clinical and basic science research.

Following her military service, Dr. DeMaio held academic and clinical leadership positions at the Huntington VA Medical Center, Marshall University, and the CPL Michael J. Crescenz VA Medical Center in Philadelphia, where she served as Chief of Orthopaedic Surgery and Co-Director of the Osteoarthritis Clinic. She was a Clinical Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Her last federal position was as a Senior Medical Consultant for the VA Office of Inspector General.

Dr. DeMaio has held numerous national leadership roles, including Past President of the Ruth Jackson Orthopaedic Society, Past President of the Association of Bone and Joint Surgeons, and Past Chair, Board of Trustees of Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research. She served on the Editorial Board of the American Journal of Sports Medicine for 25 years. As an oral examiner for the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery for 15 years and then as part of the web based longitudinal learning, she helped promote our specialty’s standards. Dr. DeMaio remains deeply engaged in advancing orthopedic education.

In 2025, she earned a Doctor of Education from Drexel University, focusing on core surgical skills essential for all trainees. Despite many honors, Dr. DeMaio considers being named “Teacher of the Year” by U.S. Navy orthopedic chief residents her most meaningful achievement.