As president of the AOAO Foundation I am pleased to report that the Foundation continues to grow and prosper. The AOAO Foundation board conducted a very productive and prosperous meeting at the Broadmoor in Colorado and voted on several initiatives to continue our mission.
Three new Foundation awards were presented during our recent Annual Meeting. The Emerging Leader Award was presented to Dr. Katherine Sage and the Outstanding Student Scholarship Award was presented to Michael Schloss during the Awards Ceremony. The Outstanding Resident Paper Award was presented to Dr. Terry Presley prior to his presentation at the Adult Reconstructive & Arthritis Surgery session at the Annual Meeting. These three awards will bring recognition to our Academy and Foundation as well as the recipients. The Foundation board unanimously agreed we will continue to recognize outstanding surgeons, residents and students with these awards.
The Foundation board also committed to continue offering the AOAO Foundation Grant of $5,000 for osteopathic orthopedic research. This grant will continue to support osteopathic scholarly activity.
Lastly, and perhaps the most exciting initiative, is our new collaboration with the American Osteopathic Foundation (AOF). The AOF has agreed to match donations to the AOAO Foundation, dollar for dollar, up to $30,000. Through this collaboration, both organizations will potentially fund six $10,000 research grants. These grants will provide excellent support for our Osteopathic Orthopedic Residents and Fellows to conduct meaningful, scholarly, and publishable research.
The kick-off for this matching program occurred during the exhibitors’ reception at the Broadmoor. At that event, we were able to raise enough to fund our first $10,000 research grant! We will need to continue fundraising over the next three years to reach our goal of $60,000. We need your help! Please consider a year-end contribution to your AOAO Foundation whose mission it is to support osteopathic research and education. Donate here.
Please enjoy a happy and healthy holiday season with your loved ones, friends and colleagues.