Maintaining the integrity of orthopaedic literature

Maureen Leahy

What do plagiarism and duplicative publishing have to do with orthopaedic surgeons? Plenty, it seems. Instances of these practices in orthopaedic circles have increased in recent years, putting the integrity of the scientific literature at risk.

Test your knowledge

Below are sample questions from the Intellectual Property Quiz designed for Academy authors and editors. The basic module covers basic copyright issues and the advanced module explores situations actually encountered in Academy publishing and CME courses. How well would you do?

OREF named official AAOS fundraiser

At its meeting on Dec. 4, 2009, the AAOS Board of Directors approved an agreement that makes the Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation (OREF) the official fundraising arm for AAOS orthopaedic education programs. The new agreement strengthens the existing working relationship between the two organizations and broadens the scope of OREF’s fundraising efforts for the Academy. OREF provides similar fundraising support for approximately 40 other orthopaedic organizations.

Medical liability and healthcare reform

Just a thought I had while reading the statement by Peter J. Mandell, MD, to the Senate Judiciary Panel regarding insurance/medical reform (“Dr. Mandell addresses House Committee,” AAOS Now, November 2009): This and many other statements refer to the “insurance industry,” the “pharmaceutical industry,” the “hospital industry,” the “device industry,” and so on.

Educator, editor: Alan M. Levine, MD

Mark W. Wieting

Alan M. Levine, MD, died suddenly on Oct. 25, 2009, while exercising near his home. At the time of his death, he was finishing a 5-year term as chair of the AAOS Council on Education. In this position, he moved the Academy forward into new areas of educational research and evaluating the effectiveness of our continuing medical education programs.

The man behind the clubfoot treatment revolution

Jennie McKee

Ignacio V. Ponseti, MD, pioneered nonsurgical clubfoot treatment Ignacio V. Ponseti, MD, who passed away on Oct. 18, 2009, at the age of 95, left an indelible mark on the world of orthopaedics during a career that spanned 7 decades. After arriving at the University of Iowa in 1941, Dr. Ponseti found that many young patients who underwent surgery for clubfoot experienced foot stiffness, pain, arthritis, and limited mobility as adults.

Teaching surgeons to do more than surgery

Annie Hayashi

Exchange program provides vital instruction in spine, adult reconstruction “In all my travels, the Hospital for Trauma and Orthopaedics (HTO) in Ho Chi Minh City was the most overcrowded and under resourced of any hospital I have ever seen,” said Stuart L. Weinstein, MD. “But the doctors do a wonderful job.” As part of the AAOS-VOA Visiting Faculty and Development Program, Dr.

Pat on the back…

2010 members of the Orthopaedic Medical Grants Association (OMeGA) board members: C. McCollister Evarts, MD, president; Michael A. Simon, MD; Michele M. Zembo, MD, MBA; William W. Tomford, MD; Richard H. Gross, MD. Martinus Richter, MD, PhD, and co-author Stefan Zech, MD, recipients of the American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society 2009 Leonard J. Goldner Award for outstanding research paper, “Intraoperative Pedobarography Leads to Improved Outcome Scores in Randomized Controlled Trial.”

Executive director on the street

What’s the status of tort reform in your state? Are other issues related to healthcare reform significantly affecting your members? State orthopaedic society executive directors recently attended the AAOS-sponsored Executive Directors’ Institute to discuss important issues affecting their members and ways to collaborate with the Academy. AAOS Now talked to executive directors from Massachusetts, Tennessee, California, and Iowa about issues in their states.

Surgical Skills Scholarships help improve orthopaedic care

In 2009, the AAOS International Surgical Skills Scholarship program gave orthopaedic surgeons from Armenia, Belarus, Croatia, Macedonia, and Sierra Leone the opportunity to increase their knowledge and sharpen their surgical skills. Each year, the scholarship program rotates to one of four regions. All of the 2009 winners are from the Middle East and Africa; the 2010 program is open to surgeons from Asia and the Pacific.

Ending the year on a proactive note

Anyone who attended the Business Meeting during the 2009 Annual Meeting in Las Vegas heard it more than once: “The Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation (OREF) wants to be the primary fund raiser for the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS).” Joseph D. Zuckerman, MD The new agreement strengthens our existing relationship with the OREF and provides for an expansion of its fundraising initiatives in the area of orthopaedic education.

OPUS 2008: An orthopaedic snapshot

Hazel Natividad, MA; Heidi Schmalz

Census data provides a peek at the profession, practices Not many people live in Montana or Wyoming—by population, they rank 44th and 50th among all U.S. states—but they are well-served with orthopaedic surgeons. Both states have more than 10 orthopaedic surgeons per 100,000 population. In contrast, Texas, the 2nd most populous state, has fewer than 6 orthopaedic surgeons per 100,000 population.

OTA celebrates 25 years

Annie Hayashi

Organization’s history spans 32 years Ramon B. Gustilo, MD; Edwin G. Bovill, Jr., MD; and Michael W. Chapman, MD, were academic traumatologists practicing in underfunded city hospitals in January 1977. The three men were having lunch across the street from San Francisco General Hospital—the first Level I trauma center in the United States—discussing the unique and formidable challenges they faced. That conversation led to the eventual formation of the Orthopaedic Trauma Association (OTA).

AAOS launches online video library

Frank B. Kelly, MD

Interactive channel tells orthopaedic stories In early November 2009, the AAOS public relations department, with the guidance of the AAOS Communications Cabinet, launched an online video library. This archive enables the AAOS to share stories of orthopaedic care—and caring orthopaedists—with the media and the public through an interactive audiovisual channel on the AAOS Web site.

AAOS wins prestigious CLIO Award

CLIO Healthcare recognizes 75th anniversary campaign It’s no small feat to win a CLIO award—one of the most sought-after in the communications field, given to honor excellence in creativity and design. Hundreds of entries are submitted in each category and are judged by the industry’s most accomplished and celebrated leaders. This year, the CLIOs created a new award category, specific to health care.

AAOS establishes new volunteer Achievement Awards

John R. Tongue, MD

Active volunteer involvement is at the heart of AAOS activities. Our meetings, courses, educational materials, clinical practice guidelines, and advocacy efforts are just a few of the many activities that depend on participation by volunteers for their success. Volunteers are vital—not only to the AAOS, but also to orthopaedic specialty societies; national, state, and local orthopaedic societies; and the broader medical community.

LFP class of 2010-2011

Selected by the Leadership Development Committee, the Leadership Fellows Program (LFP) class of 2010–2011 consists of 10 new LFP Fellows chosen from 55 applicants. Established in December 2001, the LFP is a 1-year program that identifies future leaders and prepares them to assume roles of responsibility within AAOS. The LFP combines didactic leadership training with an ongoing mentoring program that matches the participants with an established leader within the orthopaedic community.

In memoriam

Billy M. Adamson, MD May 2009 Creston, Calif. Virginia M. Badger, MD Oct. 11, 2009 Lacey, Wash. Vinay Chakravarthy, MD June 25, 2008 Jamaica Plain, Mass. T. C. Harper, MD July 10, 2007 Reno, Nev. Andrew G. Hudacek, MD Dec. 9, 2008 Morristown, N.J. Joe B. Jarman, MD Oct. 16, 2009 Enid, Okla. Robert Charles Johnson, MD March 2009 Hendersonville, N.C. William N. Jones, MD Mystic, Conn. Michael T. Mazurek, MD Nov. 7, 2009 San Diego, Calif. William B.