Five young investigator slots available; application deadline is Dec. 15

The AAOS is sponsoring five (5) Young Investigator participants to attend the Femoroacetabular Impingement (FAI) Research Symposium, which will be held May 9–11, 2012, in Chicago. The symposium is the next in an annual series designed to provide an opportunity for experts to exchange information and develop collaborative endeavors through scientific presentations and active discussion groups. Symposium involvement is by invitation only.

Why FAI?
Over the past decade, major advances in elucidating the pathophysiology of hip osteoarthritis (OA) have occurred. Most importantly, the profound etiologic role of FAI has come to the forefront. Although OA symptoms will not develop in all hips with radiographic FAI morphology, early detection of disease and interventions to prevent or halt disease progression and preserve the natural hip joint are the focus of future treatment innovations.

OA is a leading cause of reduced quality of life and loss of function, and lower extremity OA is particularly common and costly. The number of total hip arthroplasty procedures is expected to increase by 200 percent over the next two decades, and these procedures are coming under closer scrutiny in efforts to hold down healthcare costs. Innovative strategies are needed to more effectively prevent, diagnose, and treat OA.

Cochaired by John Clohisy, MD and Young-Jo Kim, MD, PhD, the 2012 AAOS FAI symposium will emphasize a multidisciplinary approach and will focus on summarizing current knowledge, developing consensus, and identifying research strategies for several key issues related to the condition.

The 2012 FAI symposium is supported in part by a grant from the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (1R13AR061918-01). It is another in a series of collaborative efforts involving the AAOS, governmental agencies, industry, specialty societies, the Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation (OREF), the Orthopaedic Research Society (ORS), leading researchers, and clinicians. Goals of the symposium include defining the knowledge base in a chosen topic area based on scientific evidence, identifying gaps in the knowledge base, and outlining future research opportunities.

Do you qualify?
Young Investigator applicants must be no more than seven years beyond training. Selected applicants will receive airfare, lodging, and meals. All application materials must be received by December 15, 2011. For more information and to download an application form, visit aaos.org/research or email Erin Ransford, manager, research development, at ransford@aaos.org