Board of Councilors Overview

The Board of Councilors (BOC) is the orthopaedic community's national "grass roots" representative advisory body to the Board of Directors of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and the American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS).  It serves as a resource to AAOS organizational units and addresses issues affecting the AAOS, orthopaedic surgeons, and their patients.  

Leadership

The BOC is led by three officers - secretary, chair-elect, and chair.  Each position is a one-year term.  The secretary and chair-elect are elected each year by the BOC with the aid of its Nominating Committee.  The chair is the immediate former chair-elect.  The officers are members of the AAOS Board of Directors. 

Representatives

The BOC is composed of representatives from each state orthopaedic society, four regional societies, the District of Columbia, the U.S. Territories, the U.S. Military, and Canada. These representatives, also known as "Councilors," are elected or appointed by their respective societies.  A Councilor may serve one three-year term and may be eligible for an additional three-year term. The number of representatives for each geographical society is determined by the number of AAOS Fellows within each state. Membership, including the Officers, shall be approximately 112 members. 

Meetings and Attendance

The BOC meets during the AAOS Annual Meeting, the Combined National Orthopaedic Leadership Conference (NOLC)/ Fall Meeting.  Some committees may meet throughout the year via conference call.  Major activities at these meetings include:

• Providing recommendations regarding proposed advisory opinions, resolutions, standards of professionalism, and bylaws changes from the AAOS Fellowship;
• Exploring AAOS health policy, education, communication, research, membership, and governance issues and formulating specific recommendations to the AAOS Board of Directors and other AAOS leadership bodies on these issues;
• Meeting with Congress and other federal officials to promote the interests of orthopaedic surgeons and their patients during the Combined NOLC/Fall Meeting; and
• Creating and implementing educational programs for the enhancement of Councilors' competence, as well as improving members' practice environments and the delivery of patient care.