In this episode of the AAOS Now podcast, Stuart Fischer, MD, FAAOS (left), and Michael J. Leddy III, MD, FAAOS, discussed how the Board of Councilors supports grassroots advocacy for orthopaedic surgeons at all levels of government.
Published 10/19/2025
The new AAOS Now Podcast — which replaces the AAOS Advocacy Podcast — launched in August with an episode spotlighting the Board of Councilors (BOC).
The AAOS Now Podcast will cover a broad range of topics relevant to orthopaedic surgeons, including research and quality, clinical innovation, practice management, professional development, and health policy/musculoskeletal advocacy. Past episodes of the Advocacy Podcast remain available on the Bone Beat Orthopaedic Podcast Channel.
In the first episode of this engaging new series, Stuart Fischer, MD, FAAOS, host and AAOS Now Editorial Board member, and BOC Chair Michael J. Leddy III, MD, FAAOS, discussed how the BOC supports orthopaedic advocacy at the state and federal levels.
What is the BOC?
Dr. Leddy explained that the BOC represents the grassroots of the orthopaedic profession, including serving as an advisory body to the AAOS Board of Directors and a resource for AAOS committees.
He also shared his personal journey to becoming BOC chair and how his involvement in the Louisiana Orthopaedic Association — where he served as regional representative, treasurer, and president — prepared him to join the BOC. He noted that many BOC members are past or current state orthopaedic society leaders who bring their local perspectives and passion to address national orthopaedic issues.
Dr. Leddy expounded on the most pressing issues facing orthopaedic surgeons, including scope of practice, prior authorization, and Medicare reform. He emphasized the importance of members developing relationships with their state legislators to underscore the issues that directly impact orthopaedic practice and patients.
Expanded state grants
The BOC administers funding opportunities for the state orthopaedic societies through two committees: the BOC State Orthopaedic Societies (SOS) Committee and the BOC Committee on State Legislative and Regulatory Issues (which, Dr. Fischer noted, everyone calls “SLRI,” pronounced “slurry”). These committees review grant proposals submitted by state societies to fund various initiatives to strengthen and foster development of the state orthopaedic societies or respond to various legal, legislative, and regulatory issues affecting the practice of orthopaedics and patient care on the state level. These grant funds are named the BOC SOS Assistance Fund and BOC Health Policy Action Fund, respectively.
Dr. Leddy shared that the AAOS Board of Directors approved a three-year pilot program to expand the available funding of the BOC SOS Assistance Fund from $20,000 to $60,000 annually to better support state society initiatives. More information is available on the BOC grants and award webpage.
Dr. Leddy’s priorities
As BOC chair, Dr. Leddy explained that during his term, he plans to:
- Continue fostering bidirectional communication between AAOS, the BOC, and the state orthopaedic societies
- Engage state orthopaedic society leaders to provide support where it is most needed
- Educate residents on the importance of advocacy and membership in both state and national orthopaedic societies
Come to the Crescent City
The episode wrapped with Dr. Leddy encouraging members to join him in his hometown of New Orleans for the AAOS 2026 Annual Meeting, March 2-6. “I can’t tell you how excited we are to have the Academy back,” he said. “There are so many things to do here, and it’s going to be a wonderful time.”