ROSEMONT, Ill. (April 3, 2023)—The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) today announced a call for proposals for the AAOS IDEA Grant Program, a multi-year initiative to inspire diversity, equity and access across the field of orthopaedics. Now in its second year, the program will award $300,000 in 2024 to help address decades of inertia surrounding persistent disparities across orthopaedics and, in turn, better serve patients nationwide.

“The AAOS launched the IDEA Grant Program in 2022 with the goal of igniting meaningful, lasting and measurable change across orthopaedics,” said AAOS Diversity Advisory Board Chair Anthony E. Johnson, MD, FAAOS. “We saw a genuine desire from last year’s applicants to address the gaps across gender, culture and ethnicity in our field. And, while we understand it is going to take time to break down barriers, we look forward to building on the momentum and believe that this call for proposals will help ensure funding can flow directly to the programs and organizations that need it most.”

The AAOS IDEA Grant Program tracks encompass a wide net to better fund and support a diverse pipeline of individuals who pursue orthopaedics as a profession; foster DEI initiatives for community-based or academic orthopaedic surgeons; and expand the availability of AAOS educational and networking opportunities to diverse students and practicing orthopaedic surgeons. Diversity focus areas of the program include gender, race/ethnicity, LGBTQ+, socioeconomic, veteran status and disability. Program funds will be allocated across four tracks, each with a different DEI focus and target recipient. Additional funding from AAOS supporters may be added to extend the reach of the initiative.

Grant proposals will remain open now through June 19, 2023, at 11:59 p.m. CT.

Applicants are encouraged to review the evaluation criteria and general application terms at aaos.org/IDEA. Grant recipients will be responsible for providing an outcomes report to AAOS to measure impact at the end of the funding period. To learn more about the AAOS IDEA Grant Program or receive information about the 2023 IDEA Grant Program recipients, email media@aaos.org.

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About the AAOS
With more than 39,000 members, the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons is the world’s largest medical association of musculoskeletal specialists. The AAOS is the trusted leader in advancing musculoskeletal health. It provides the highest quality, most comprehensive education to help orthopaedic surgeons and allied health professionals at every career level to best treat patients in their daily practices. The AAOS is the source for information on bone and joint conditions, treatments and related musculoskeletal healthcare issues; and it leads the healthcare discussion on advancing quality.

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