Ohio orthopaedic surgeon Joel L. Mayerson, MD, FAOA, FAAOS, has been appointed chair of the American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons’ (AAOS) Advocacy Council. Dr. Mayerson assumed his new role in January 2026. He has been active with AAOS for nearly two decades, most recently completing his Board of Councilors’ (BoC) leadership role on the AAOS Board of Directors. In his BoC leadership role, Dr. Mayerson served on the Education Council, Research and Quality Council, and the Political Action Committee of the American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons. His volunteer service has spanned the full AAOS governance structure and has also included service on the Board of Specialty Societies and the Musculoskeletal Tumor and Metabolic Disease Committee. As chair of the former Patient Education, Publication, and Website Development Committee, he demonstrated his commitment to advancing patient resources and communication within the organization.

Beyond AAOS, Dr. Mayerson has held long-standing national leadership roles in guidelines and standards. He has served on the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) Bone Cancer National Guideline Committee and was selected to assist in developing the inaugural national treatment guidelines for chordoma. He also served on the NCCN Soft Tissue Sarcoma National Guidelines Committee. In addition, he has volunteered as an oral examiner for the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery Part II Board Certification Examination and as a member of the Musculoskeletal Oncology Recertification Exam Standards Committee.

Dr. Mayerson is a past president of the Musculoskeletal Tumor Society and helped lead the organization’s transition to oversight of accreditation and the match process for orthopaedic oncology fellowships in North America. He is also a past president of the Ohio Orthopaedic Society, where he helped create programs that resulted in more than 40% membership growth during his term.

Dr. Mayerson’s research focuses on outcomes in orthopaedic oncology surgery and innovative surgical techniques that improve patient care. He has authored more than 150 peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters and has delivered more than 125 international, national, and regional presentations.

Dr. Mayerson is a professor of orthopaedic surgery and an orthopaedic oncologist at The Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital (“the James”) at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center in Columbus, Ohio. He also serves as associate chief medical officer of procedural services and medical director of perioperative services and sarcoma services at The James. In addition, he is director of the Division of Musculoskeletal Oncology within The Ohio State University Department of Orthopaedics. He previously served as program director of The Ohio State University orthopaedic residency program for nine years.