Scoliosis Research Society Announces Recipient for the 2025 Lifetime Achievement Award

Scoliosis Research Society Announces Recipient for the Lifetime Achievement Award 

Milwaukee, WI (September 20, 2025) – During the 60th SRS Annual Meeting in Charlotte, NC, USA, the Scoliosis Research Society (SRS) announced the recipient for the Lifetime Achievement Award -- John B. Emans, MD. 

The SRS Lifetime Achievement Award honors a member for distinguished service to the Society, as well as significant contributions to spinal deformity care. 

Dr. Emans is a Professor of Orthopedic Surgery at Harvard Medical School and Director Emeritus of Spine Surgery at Boston Children’s Hospital. Originally from upstate New York and Vermont, he attended Harvard College, Harvard Medical School, and completed a general surgery residency at Peter Bent Brigham Hospital and orthopedic surgery residency at Massachusetts General Hospital.  

After two years as Major in the Army Medical Corps, he returned in 1978 to Boston Children’s as faculty. Like all pediatric orthopedists of the era, he did all aspects of pediatric orthopedics. Boston Children’s was large enough to support full-time sub-specialization and for the last four decades he has concentrated on pediatric spine deformity.  He taught residents and fellows at Boston Children’s and mentored several generations of pediatric orthopedic surgeons.  He has long held a particular interest in congenital spine deformities, very early onset spine deformity and bracing for scoliosis.  

He was an early member of SRS, POSNA, SDSG, PSSG, and their leadership, committees, study groups and multi-center databases. Membership provided an opportunity to help advance the fields of early onset deformity, congenital deformity and non-operative treatment of AIS.  A myriad of presentations, peer-reviewed publications, book chapters, and international visiting professorships were all possible thanks to SRS and other organizations.  He recently received POSNA’s Hall of Fame Award and ICEOS’s Campbell Award for Innovation in Early Onset Scoliosis.  He continues in practice at Boston Children’s Hospital. 

Letters of support for Dr. Eman praised this honor "as a reflection of the vast impact he has had on all of us who take care of pediatric spinal deformity patients, and his vast and long-standing impact on the SRS.  He has certainly been an important mentor and colleague, and we support of his receipt of this special honor.” 

Read more about the award winners on our Annual Meeting website. 

About Scoliosis Research Society 

The Scoliosis Research Society is a non-profit, professional organization, made up of physicians and allied health personnel. Our primary focus is on providing continuing medical education for health care professionals and on funding/supporting research in spinal deformities. Founded in 1966, SRS has gained recognition as the world's premier spine deformity society. Please visit www.srs.org for further information. Also follow us on X, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram.