AAOS is continually improving how it supports and reflects its membership

Five years ago, AAOS created a Membership Council to better understand and meet the needs of its members. This ongoing effort includes outreach to the many diverse groups that make up the Academy. Groups that are part of the Membership Council include the International Committee; Diversity Advisory Board; Resident Assembly; and Communications Committee, which oversees OrthoInfo and AAOS Now.

Valerae O. Lewis, MD, FAAOS, is the second person to head this council. She is chair of the Department of Orthopaedic Oncology at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.

Dr. Lewis spoke with Stuart J. Fischer, MD, FAAOS, of the AAOS Now Editorial Board, to outline her goals as chair and discuss future initiatives.

Getting to know the membership
For Dr. Lewis, getting to know AAOS’ members is a top priority. “For the current year, [the primary goal] is really looking carefully at our members, who they are and really what they want,” she said. “It’s very important for the Academy to provide value to our members, but I think it’s also important to know exactly what our members value. And I think that definitely differs or varies depending on who our members are.”

She noted that a major task for the council is identifying the different practice types that make up the membership, such as private practices, academia, multi-practices, or hospital-based practices. The annual Member Value Assessment Survey (MVAS) has been helpful in this regard, as it seeks to capture a snapshot of the membership’s demographics, needs, and feedback on how AAOS supports them.

Improving communication and connection
Dr. Lewis noted that good communication with members is necessary for both the Membership Council and the Academy to achieve their goals. Thus, identifying which channels are the most successful for communicating with members is key.

For instance, resident and younger attendings are particularly tuned in to social media. To reach those members, the AAOS Social Media Ambassador program is also expanding, with more than 20 spots available. “If you’re interested in being a social media ambassador, please reach out,” Dr. Lewis encouraged.

Expanding AAOS’ reach on social media goes beyond the ambassador program. “At the end of the board meetings, we’ll now be using our social media to let the members know exactly what’s going on in the boardroom,” Dr. Lewis shared. “Because, you know, as [the song from the musical Hamilton] says, ‘You want to be in the room where it happens.’ I think it’s important for our members to be in that room. So as the Communications Committee and Membership Council, we’ll be really using our social media so that our members are actually in the room where it matters.”

Supporting early-career members
Social media is one approach to address the larger goal of getting younger members involved in AAOS. “It’s really important to hear the voice of our younger members,” Dr. Lewis said. “The Academy does have to walk a careful tightrope. We definitely have to be relevant to our mid-career members, but at the same time, [AAOS] also has to be relevant and present for our younger members.”

To expand its offerings to early-career members, this year the Membership Council inaugurated the Launchpad Program, which aims to support postgraduate year 5 (PGY5) orthopaedic surgeons with the tools they need to navigate fellowship and early practice. Each PGY5 participant will be partnered with a mentor who is early- to mid-career and practices in the same specialty, with mentorship spanning the subsequent three to four years. In addition to mentorship, the program will also feature preparation for the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery Examination Parts I and II, as well as information regarding practice management, fellowship choices, and more.

“I think it’s a fabulous program,” Dr. Lewis shared.

Expanding AAOS’ global impact
The International Committee is a key avenue for Membership Council outreach. “The Academy should be the go-to resource for all orthopaedic surgeons, not just American orthopaedic surgeons,” Dr. Lewis said. “The International Committee is really working toward those efforts.”

Dr. Lewis highlighted a recent pilot program to adjust membership dues for international members according to geographic location. “So your membership dues may reflect the GDP [gross domestic product] of your country,” she explained. “It’s just a pilot, and we’re starting out. It’s one way to make sure that the Academy represents and is available to be [a] resource to all orthopaedic surgeons. Because I do think our … educational resources are unparalleled.”

A bit about Dr. Lewis
Dr. Lewis has had broad experience within AAOS as a member of the Board of Directors, Diversity Advisory Board, Resolutions Committee, and Committee on Ethics and Outside Interests. She has chaired the AAOS Tumor Instructional Course Committee and the Musculoskeletal Oncology Content Committee and has been a member of the Education Council. All of these positions have prepared her for her current role.

“Those committees roll up to the Membership chair, but they do give me a different view of the Academy,” she said. “As chair of the Membership Council, I really have to have a broad view of orthopaedic surgeons, because we do have many stockholders, and it’s important to appeal to each one of those stockholders, or each one of those member groups.”

Besides her extensive work with the Academy and service as department chair of large academic institution, what does Dr. Lewis do with her free time?

Since her daughters have gone off to college, Dr. Lewis admits, “I’ve turned into the stereotypical orthopaedic surgeon — I really like being outside and I really like playing sports!”

Stuart J. Fischer, MD, FAAOS, is an orthopaedic surgeon in private practice in Watchung, New Jersey. He also serves on the AAOS Committee on Ethics and Outside Interests, the Hip Program Committee, and the Digital Health Task Force. Dr. Fischer is a member of the AAOS Now Editorial Board.