Dr. Mary Lloyd Ireland Honored by AOSSM

July marked an incredible honor for Dr. Mary Lloyd Ireland, who received the 2026 Thomas A. Brady Community Service Award from the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine (AOSSM) for decades of service to sports medicine and her community. 

“It’s not about me – it’s about the service to the community, being the best, doing the right thing, and all that falls in between," Ireland shared in her remarks. 

Ireland received her medical degree from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis. She completed fellowships in Pediatric Orthopaedic Surgery and Sports Medicine at Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School and in Orthopaedic Surgery and Sports Medicine at Hughston Orthopaedic Clinic, Columbus, Ga.

She is board certified by the National Board of Medical Examiners and American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery in Orthopaedic Surgery and Orthopaedic Sports Medicine.

Ireland founded the Active Girls Healthy Women Initiative through the College of Health Sciences at the University of Kentucky in 2018. She is the Co-Director of this Initiative with the mission of Optimizing health and promoting physical activity and wellness for girls and women across the lifespan. The “Girls Can” initiative was started in 2019. (www.uky.edu/chs/aghw & www.MaryLloydIreland.com/awhi.html).

She is a philanthropist creating the James E Ireland Foundation in 1994. (www.IrelandFoundation.org). She is an advocate for women in professional and athletic arenas. She is a staunch supporter of resident education and shows expertise and skills in caring for patients. She has lectured extensively. (www.MaryLloydIreland.com).

Ireland served as a Team Physician for Eastern Kentucky University for 18 years and Team Physician for the University of Kentucky for 11 years. She served as Medical Coordinator and Head Physician for the Bluegrass State Games for 11 years. 

She was honored to serve in the US Olympic Sports Medicine program for numerous teams. She was the Head Physician at the Olympic Sports Festival in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1990 and served Medical Staff Member at the Olympics in Barcelona, Spain in 1992.

She is a fellow of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and the American College of Sports Medicine. She is a member of the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine, Ruth Jackson Orthopaedic Society, and an affiliate member of the National Athletic Trainers Association.

Ireland has served on multiple AOSSM committees including Nominating, Hall of Fame, and Youth Sports STOP project. She has served on the Kentucky Medical Association's Committee on School Health, Physical Education, and Medical Aspect of Sports since 1989. She has been a member of the Kentucky State Advisory Council on Athletic Trainers since 1992.