The Academy recently added two new staff members to its senior management team: Chief Technology Officer (CTO) Bill Bruce, and Director of Publications Hans Koelsch, PhD. Both Mr. Bruce and Dr. Koelsch began their tenure at AAOS in September.

Bill Bruce. MBA
Bill Bruce, the Academy’s first CTO, is responsible for leading the design, development, delivery, and implementation of the Academy’s wide-ranging technology resources. In this role, Mr. Bruce supports the Academy’s technology-related work with business planning to meet key objectives, and works with the senior management team to oversee the strategic growth of the Academy’s technology resources.

Prior to joining the AAOS, Mr. Bruce served in management and leadership positions at the American Psychiatric Association (APA) in Arlington, Va., for more than a decade, and was most recently the APA’s chief information officer. In that position, he led information technology strategy and operations as part of the APA’s executive team.

“Bill is well-versed in both infrastructure management and software development methodologies,” said AAOS Chief Executive Officer Karen L. Hackett, FACHE, CAE, in announcing the appointment.

Mr. Bruce holds two degrees from the University of Maryland: a BS in information systems management, and an MBA with a focus on business strategy, finance, human capital and operations. A lifelong learner, Mr. Bruce earned both degrees while working full-time.

According to Mr. Bruce, some of his main priorities as CTO include developing and refining the Academy’s methodologies for making technical decisions and measuring the value the Academy receives from its technology investments.

“I want to ensure the Academy is getting the most out of its technological decisions,” said Mr. Bruce. “It is important for the AAOS information services department to continue to be a trusted and valued internal resource that can guide and advise the organization in its use of technology.

“I see technology as a business-enabler,” continued Mr. Bruce. “As CTO, I know the importance of understanding the technological capabilities of all the Academy’s resources—as well as staying up-to-date on the changing world of technology as a whole—to help steer the Academy toward technology solutions that add value for our members.”

Hans Koelsch, PhD
Hans Koelsch, PhD, the new director of the publications department, will oversee and guide the Academy’s text and periodical publishing program. He will direct the overall planning, budgeting, development, and production of both print and online publications.

Dr. Koelsch will also have responsibility for determining publications policies and standards for manuscript submission, permissions, editing, production, and publication. He will collaborate with the AAOS Publications Committee, chaired by Evan L. Flatow, MD, and the AAOS Communications Cabinet, chaired by Michael F. Schafer, MD, to direct the creation of new products and the revision of existing publications.

Prior to joining the AAOS, Dr. Koelsch served in senior management positions for 20 years at Springer Science + Business Media, LLC, a niche publisher of scientific, technical, and medical product lines. Most recently, Dr. Koelsch served as the company’s editorial director of mathematics for North America. Some of his previous positions at Springer included director of editorial cooperations for China and Eastern Europe, as well as editorial director for physics at Springer’s New York office.

“Dr. Koelsch has in-depth experience managing scholarly publishing across divisions and disciplines,” said AAOS Chief Education Officer Constance M. Filling. “In addition, he brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise based on his work with learned societies and publishing programs in North America, Europe, and China.”

Prior to his work at Springer, Dr. Koelsch was a researcher at Freie University in Berlin and at Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne in Lausanne, Switzerland. He studied chemistry and philosophy in undergraduate and graduate school, and earned a PhD in physics from Freie University.

According to Dr. Koelsch, as the Academy continues to refine its current publications and develop new product lines, one of his priorities will be to foster their online presence and visibility. Another important strategy, noted Dr. Koelsch, involves interlinking and integrating the content of products such as journals, books, and eBooks.

“As we look to the future,” he said, “we must focus on making products such as eBooks and websites more compelling to our members and the public at large to ensure they come to the AAOS for their needs related to orthopaedic surgery.”

Jennie McKee is a staff writer for AAOS Now. She can be reached at mckee@aaos.org