It’s the meeting of choice for orthopaedic surgeons from around the world

Attending a meeting outside your home country takes planning, resources, and commitment. Although the location may be exotic, the trip requires attention to myriad details—from passports to time changes to language. Deciding to attend means the meeting must be attractive on several levels—from the education to the collegiality.

It’s no wonder, then, that the Academy’s Annual Meeting appeals to so many international attendees. For example, more than 5,800 international attendees—physicians, industry representatives, spouses, and other nonphysicians—attended the 2009 AAOS Annual Meeting in Las Vegas. More than 90 percent of the international attendees were physicians.

More than 100 nations were represented. The Guest Nation Program, which honors a particular country’s contributions to the field of orthopaedics, honored Brazil and led to a record number of Brazilian attendees (599). The top 17 nations accounted for more than 4,000 attendees, the bottom 17 nations each sent 1 attendee (Table 1). Although many of the countries that sent just one surgeon are among the most economically depressed nations of the world, they realize the value in sending a physician to the AAOS Annual Meeting to improve patient care at home.

AAOS and its members should be proud of the Annual Meeting’s reputation as the world meeting for orthopaedics. International attendees not only learn valuable information, but also provide a unique perspective and the opportunity to learn from them. The next time you connect with an orthopaedic surgeon from another country, extend an invitation to the AAOS Annual Meeting—the orthopaedic meeting of choice for doctors from all over the globe.

Dallas Ann Tomlin is manager of international rights and distribution in the AAOS international department. She can be reached at tomlin@aaos.org

What they say about the AAOS Annual Meeting
Orthopaedic surgeons from around the world appreciate the education, the collegiality, and the exposure to innovative ideas, techniques, and technology—just as U.S. surgeons do.

“The world of orthopaedics meets under one roof in an AAOS meeting, and the benefits are enormous. If you attend one, you will endeavour to attend the next.” –Dr. Alex M. Buteera, Rwanda

“There is so much to read and so much to experience, time is not just enough. However, I take my hat off to those who do so much to make the meeting so successful. I will keep on visiting AAOS Annual Meeting as a pilgrimage of orthopaedics and I hope to present my experience in the years to come.” –Dr. Chakra Raj Pandey, Nepal

“Being the biggest meeting of orthopaedic surgeons in the world, the AAOS Annual Meetings is very informative; you can get all your interesting information in very short time, but in highest level.” –Dr. Aare Märtson, Estonia

“The highlight of the meeting is the sheer amount of information and the opportunity to meet old friends from all over the world.” –Dr. Miguel A. Ayerza, Argentina