Robert M. Orfaly, MD, MBA, FAAOS, an Oregon-based orthopaedic surgeon, has been appointed as the new chair of the Education Council for the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS). Dr. Orfaly assumed the position after the AAOS 2026 Annual Meeting in New Orleans.

The AAOS Education Council provides oversight and decision making for the Academy’s education portfolio, which is developed in accordance with essential policies and standards of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education.

A shoulder and upper extremity surgeon, Dr. Orfaly’s career has focused on improving the quality and value of orthopaedic patient care and advancing orthopaedic education. He is a professor of orthopaedic surgery and the quality medical director in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Rehabilitation at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) in Portland, where he has served on the faculty since 1999. His institutional leadership has included roles in promotion and tenure, value analysis, quality oversight, faculty compensation, and Faculty Council.

Dr. Orfaly has demonstrated a long-standing commitment to leadership and service within AAOS. He has held numerous leadership roles, including serving on the AAOS Board of Directors while in the leadership line of the Board of Councilors. His extensive volunteer contributions include chairing the former Membership and Leadership Development Committee, serving as a mentor for the AAOS Leadership Institute, and participating on the previous AAOS Communications Cabinet. Most recently, from 2021 to 2025, he served as editor-in-chief of AAOS Now, where he guided the Academy’s flagship member publication through significant digital advancements, including the integration of video interviews and the launch of the Bone Beat podcast. Dr. Orfaly is also a graduate of the former AAOS Leadership Fellows Program, reflecting his deep and sustained engagement in cultivating leadership within the Academy.

Following his term on the Board of Directors, Dr. Orfaly expanded his professional leadership and quality management expertise by earning a Master of Business Administration degree in healthcare administration from Southern Oregon University.

Beyond AAOS, Dr. Orfaly has demonstrated a long-standing commitment to professional advocacy and access to quality medical care.

He is a past president of the Oregon Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons and recipient of the John Tongue Advocacy Champion Award.

He also served as president of the Oregon Medical Association, where he chaired the Healthcare Finance Committee and Policy Committee, and represented the organization as an alternate delegate to the American Medical Association House of Delegates.

Dr. Orfaly earned his medical degree from McGill University in Montreal. He completed a surgical internship at the University of Toronto, followed by orthopaedic residency and fellowship training in hand and upper extremity surgery at the University of British Columbia. He completed additional fellowship training in shoulder surgery at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio.