Ann Van Heest

Past President, The American Orthopaedic Association

Ann Van Heest MD is Professor and Vice Chair of Education in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Minnesota.  Dr. Van Heest trained at the University of Minnesota for medical school and orthopedic surgery residency, followed by completion of the Harvard Hand and Upper extremity fellowship. 

Dr. Van Heest presently serves in a number of national leadership positions.  She is presently the President-elect for the American Orthopedic Association (AOA), a Director at the ABOS, and a member of the ACGME orthopedic RRC.  She is past president of Ruth Jackson Orthopedic Society, and on the BOD for Perry Initiative. 

Dr. Van Heest has a strong interest in orthopedic education.  She served as the University of Minnesota Orthopedic Surgery Residency Program Director for over 20 years.  She also has over 20 publications on orthopedic surgery education, with a focus on innovations in surgical simulation. At the University of MN, Dr. Van Heest was the 2016 resident teacher of the year and 2015 hand fellowship teacher of the year, the 2011 University of Minnesota Award for Outstanding Contributions to Graduate Education.  In 2022,  Dr. Van Heest received the University of Minnesota GME Lifetime Achievement Award.  Dr. Van Heest is the 2010 recipient of the ACGME Parker J Palmer Courage to Teach Award (only two orthopedic surgeons have gotten this award).  She is the 2018 AOA Distinguished Clinical Educator Award (only female ever to get this award). 

Dr. Van Heest endorses collaboration within the house of orthopedics for establishment of competency based medical education in the United States. 

In her clinical practice, Dr. Van Heest sees patients at the University Of Minnesota Medical Center, Gillette Children’s Specialty Healthcare and Shriners Clinic for Children.  Her academic interests include congenital disorders of the pediatric hand and upper extremity, neuromuscular disorders, and storage disease disorders,. She is co-founder of the Pediatric Hand Study Group and a member of Congenital Hand Anomalies Study Group. 

She is married to Greg Van Heest, and has two children, Tyler who is an ENT resident at U of MN, married to Katy with son Theodore; and Elizabeth who works for Medtronic.  She enjoys skiing, tennis, and yoga (when she has spare time).