AAOS Invites Members to August In-district Advocacy Event

Ricardo Rodriguez, MD, FAAOS

The National Orthopaedic Leadership Conference (NOLC) is an annual gathering of AAOS leaders in Washington, D.C., built around advocacy for the orthopaedic community. One key feature of the event is a day of meetings on Capitol Hill, during which orthopaedic surgeons take the Council on Advocacy’s legislative priorities directly to members of Congress. Although the business portion of the 2020 NOLC was carried out virtually in June due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it is as important as ever that AAOS members continue to engage with lawmakers. That is why AAOS has transformed this portion of NOLC this year into a nationwide, two-week, in-district advocacy event taking place Aug. 15–29.

Academy Registry Program Now Captures COVID-19 Data

Deanna Killackey; Terry Stanton

The Academy’s Registry Program is now collecting COVID-19 data through the capture of the International Classification of Diseases, 10th revision (ICD-10) code for COVID-19 confirmed diagnosis, U07.1. The new code is enabled across each of the AAOS registries, comprising the American Joint Replacement Registry (AJRR), Shoulder & Elbow Registry, Musculoskeletal Tumor Registry, and American Spine Registry, the latter a collaborative effort between the American Association of Neurological Surgeons and AAOS.

Orthopaedic Organizations Denounce Racism and Discrimination

Eric Ward Carson, MD, FAAOS; Anthony E. Johnson, MD, FAAOS; Dawn LaPorte, MD, FAAOS; Monica Maria Payares, MD, FAAOS

The Ruth Jackson Orthopaedic Society (RJOS), J. Robert Gladden Orthopaedic Society (JRGOS), American Association of Latino Orthopaedic Surgeons (AALOS), and the Academy are devoted to creating equity in orthopaedic surgery and combating healthcare disparities. It is with heavy hearts that we take this time to denounce not only the acts of overt racism of the past few weeks, but also the systemic racism and continued discrimination in our country.

We Hear You. We Feel You. We Are Learning From You.

Anthony E. Johnson, MD, FAAOS

Leadership is the ability to influence others to achieve a common goal. Leadership roles may be formal, appointed positions or informal peer leadership (a.k.a., “key opinion leaders”). At the core, every patient encounter is a leadership opportunity, as the medical team seeks to influence the patient to achieve a common goal (movement from a diseased or injured state to a healthy state, free from the effects of the disease or injury), while respecting the patient’s autonomy and considering as many modifiable social determinants of health as possible. Thus, all members of AAOS—from resident to emeritus—are leaders within their respective spheres of influence.

Annual Meeting Committees Promote Diversity Among Educational Faculty

Claudette M. Lajam, MD, FAAOS; Eric Strauss, MD, FAAOS; Andrew H. Schmidt, MD, FAAOS

AAOS leadership has made diversity an important strategic initiative. The AAOS Annual Meeting is AAOS’ flagship event and showcases the Academy to the world. Further, it is our opinion that cultivating a more diverse faculty at the Annual Meeting is an important step to increase the diversity of our specialty.

Governing a National Medical Society in the 21st Century

Stuart L. Weinstein, MD, FAAOS; M. Bradford Henley, MD, MBA, FAAOS

National medical societies such as AAOS face an enormous array of complex challenges in the 21st century. Members have the right to expect that AAOS, led by its Board of Directors (BoD), will be responsive to its stakeholders (members, future members, the public, etc.) and help members overcome hardships such as the ones we are currently facing. In order to do this, AAOS must act proactively and be nimble in uncertain times. AAOS needs a contemporary governance structure.

AAOS Introduces Annual Meeting Official Hotel Provider: onPeak

New this year, AAOS has partnered with onPeak to be the official hotel provider for the AAOS 2021 Annual Meeting. Only through onPeak can you secure AAOS exclusive discounted nightly rates at favorable San Diego hotels. There are more than 50 hotels to choose from, but the Academy encourages you to book your hotel early for the best selection and price.

AAOS, OREF Collaborative Effort Helps Drive Funding for Targeted Clinical Research Needs

AAOS and the Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation (OREF) announced a strategic partnership to help narrow the gap between clinical research funding and prioritized clinical research needs in musculoskeletal care.