
Thank You to Edward Armbruster, DO, FAOAO – Exiting Editor of The OrthopodBy Steven J. Heithoff, DO, FAOAO
Orthopod Editor
Orthopod Editor
Dr. Ed Armbruster applaudes a colleague at AOAO's 2018 Annual Meeting in October. © 2018 Decisive Moment Events Sometimes we do things simply for the love of the game. Dr. Ed Armbruster accepted the role of Editor of The Orthopod two years ago without fanfare or notoriety. He didn’t pursue the job but he also didn’t hesitate to serve. “I wa … [Read More...]
Notes From Leadership

AOAO Committees Focus on Strategic PlanBy Steven D. Morton, DO, FAOAO
AOAO President
AOAO President
As we approach the end of this year, our AOAO Committees are hard at work implementing the Strategic Plan the Board set in motion this past March. The Strategic Plan was divided into 4 key areas of focus: Membership Retention and Recruitment, CME, Identity/Distinctiveness and Strategic Partnerships. The Strategic Planning Committee, under the d … [Read More...]

Status of Residency Programs: Single Accreditation System UpdateBy Lee Vander Lugt, DO, FAOAO
Executive Director
Executive Director
The Single Accreditation System, the process of moving previously AOA accredited orthopedic surgery residencies into the ACGME, continues to move forward. Although the progress has been slow, it has been steady. In 2015, at the beginning of this process, 44 orthopedic residencies were accredited by the AOA. Currently 41 programs are either ac … [Read More...]

Passing of the BatonBy Steven J. Heithoff, DO, FAOAO
Orthopod Editor
Orthopod Editor
The Orthopod baton has officially passed from Dr. Armbruster to me. As your next editor, I commit myself to uphold its high standards and I have a few new ideas in mind. Notice we have our First Letter to the Editor authored by Dr. Richard Howard, a lifelong teacher, practitioner and champion of the osteopathic orthopedic cause. He brings a … [Read More...]
Letter to the Editor

The Apprentice Model for Resident Training – It’s Undervalued!By Dr. Richard Howard, DO, FAOAO
A new “Letters to the Editor” section is being added to The Orthopod that allows AOAO members to comment on publications, discuss aspects of the practice of Osteopathic Orthopedic Surgery, or offer opinions on any subject pertaining to our profession. For the inaugural editorial, I have asked Dr. Richard Howard to give us his perspectives on Ost … [Read More...]
CME Updates
What is going on at the AOAO meetings?By Dennis Blackburn, DO, FAOAO
CME Chair
CME Chair
Well, we are providing you with specialty specific CME in osteopathic orthopedics. We are also providing you with your required opioid CME credits, physician health and wellness, and business-related education ranging from investment planning to coding. We will continue to assist you with meeting your state and the AOA requirements with regards to … [Read More...]
2019 AOAO Leadership Seminar: May 4-5
Leadership in medicine is an important part of a surgeon’s practice. Whether in the academic setting or private practice, surgeons benefit from leadership skills. Leadership is a core medical competency but there is little opportunity for this skill to be taught or reinforced. The Academy will host its second Leadership Seminar, May 4-5, 2019 in R … [Read More...]
Congratulations to This Year’s Award Recipients!
2017 Bob Green, DO Memorial Award Winner Gregory T. Lichtman DO Knotty Cane Award Steven D. Morton, DO, FAOAO Appreciative Award Recipients Edward Armbruster, DO, FAOAO and Charles Orth, DO, FAOAO Donald Siehl Appreciative Award Gary S. Ulrich, DO, FAOAO The Morton J. Morris DO, JD Award for Osteopathic Orthopedic Education Joel L. … [Read More...]
Residents & Students
RAOAO UpdateBy Ross Burge, DO
Orthopedic Surgery Resident
Community Memorial Health System
RAOAO President
Orthopedic Surgery Resident
Community Memorial Health System
RAOAO President
Academy and AOAO Foundation Benefits for Residents While attending the Annual Fall Meeting in Atlanta, several benefits that the AOAO Foundation and the Academy provide were brought to my attention. I have listed these below to encourage residents to utilize these, or at least be aware of existing opportunities. For those who don’t know, the AOAO F … [Read More...]

New SAOAO National BoardBy Anna Roman-Pleschko
President, SAOAO
President, SAOAO
At the 2018 Annual Meeting, SAOAO held elections to select new members of the board. This update will provide an opportunity for you to get to know the new board that will be serving the current medical students for the next year. We would like to thank Jeffery Gibson and the immediate past board for their service and leadership, and we look … [Read More...]
Membership News

The Funky Three-Legged Stool and the Holy Trinity of the Osteopathic ProfessionBy Edward G. Loniewski, DO, FACOS, FAOAO
Remembering Edward A. Loniewski, DO, FACOS, FAOAO - 1/13/1932- 1/23/2018 I was given the honor to write a short obituary of my father by Steven Heithoff, DO, FAOAO. At first this seemed to be daunting task since he dedicated his entire professional career towards the advancement of this organization as well as other osteopathic organizations. Yet … [Read More...]

Thank You to Edward Armbruster, DO, FAOAO – Exiting Editor of The OrthopodBy Steven J. Heithoff, DO, FAOAO
Orthopod Editor
Orthopod Editor
Dr. Ed Armbruster applaudes a colleague at AOAO's 2018 Annual Meeting in October. © 2018 Decisive Moment Events Sometimes we do things simply for the love of the game. Dr. Ed Armbruster accepted the role of Editor of The Orthopod two years ago without fanfare or notoriety. He didn’t pursue the job but he also didn’t hesitate to serve. “I wa … [Read More...]

Congratulations Steven D. Morton, DO, FAOAO – New AOAO PresidentBy Steven J. Heithoff, DO, FAOAO
Orthopod Editor
Orthopod Editor
Some people can remember names. Others remember every hole on a golf course. A song can put most of us way back in high school! Our new AOAO President, Dr. Steve Morton, has a particular memory talent. Wine! He can associate a friend, a place or an event with a bottle of wine. His home collection of more than 500 bottles certainly qualifies … [Read More...]

So Many Journals, So Little Time!
AOAO’s New Benefit Exclusively for Academy Members The Dr. John H. Drabing Virtual Library of the AOAO Foundation contains the AOAO 6-PACK – a bundled subscription to six popular orthopedic journals at an unprecedented discount – all accessible through one password-protected portal. Member Subscribers have convenient online access to a full year … [Read More...]

DO’s that Do: Flying High with Dr. Greg Barnhill, Plane and Helicopter Owner/PilotSteven J. Heithoff, DO, FAOAO
Editor, The Orthopod
Editor, The Orthopod
How many of you make rounds in a helicopter? Or fly up to wilderness Canada for fishing and backcountry Idaho for hiking? Meet Greg Barnhill, DO, and read about his fascination with flying! When did you first get interested in flying? My father was a family doc and had a patient who owed him for delivering his twins. He was also a … [Read More...]
General Articles
Global Outreach
Health Volunteers Overseas© Recent Initiative In the summer, HVO published a peer-reviewed eBook in partnership with Frontiers in Public Health and, in the announcement below, you’ll see we are launching an e-volunteering initiative to foster new ways of providing training and education to our colleagues abroad. All of this is in addition to ou … [Read More...]
AOAO Introduces New Ambassador Program in 2019By James R. Ingram, DO, FAOAO
Membership Committee Chair
Membership Committee Chair
The Membership Committee will be introducing a new Ambassador Program next year. The goal of this program is to reach out to osteopathic medical students with information on the profession of orthopedic surgery. The idea for this initiative originated during the AOAO Board of Directors’ Strategic Planning Session this past March. Details about this … [Read More...]
2018 – A Good Year!By Gary Ulrich, DO, FAOAO
President, AOAO Foundation
President, AOAO Foundation
It has been an extremely productive year! The AOAO Foundation continues to strive to uphold its mission of supporting osteopathic orthopedic research and education. After several months of research and negotiations with three major publishers, the John H. Drabing Virtual Library became a reality this year. The Foundation also established a … [Read More...]
Call for Associate Editors
The Orthopod is seeking associate editors to review published manuscripts and submitted abstracts for future issues. Please submit your name to the Editor at Orthopodeditor@aoao.org if you are interested! Include the following information: Name Orthopedic Residency Fellowship Academic Appointments Field of Interest: Foot … [Read More...]
Abstracts
The Role of In-Office Diagnostic Needle Arthroscopy for Intra-Articular Knee Symptoms With a Normal MRI: A case report for ACL Insufficiency
Sean Mc Millan, DO1, FAOAO; Elizabeth Ford, BA2; Jim Stenson, DO3 Authors’ Disclosure Statement: Dr. Mc Millan reports that he receives equity, patents, and is an advisory board member for Trice Medical. Student Doctor Ford reports that she is has equity in Trice Medical. Dr. Stenson has no conflicts to report. 1Dr. Mc Millan is the Chief of … [Read More...]
The Financial Impact of Surgical Site Infection in Uncontrolled Diabetes Mellitus Patients Undergoing Open Reduction Internal Fixation Procedures
Kyle L. Barner, OMS-III1; Cameron G. Hanson, OMS-II1; Kevin A. Witte, D.O.2 1Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences 2St. Luke’s Health System Background In 2015, The Center for Disease Control and Prevention reported 30.3 million patients in America were estimated to have diabetes mellitus (DM) with 1.5 million new cases diagnosed … [Read More...]
Arthritis Research UK Musculoskeletal Health Questionnaire (MSK-HQ) as an Indicator of Health Status and Health Literacy in an Urban SettingBaek, Peter; Moran, Sheila; Kirschenbaum, Ira, MD; Simela, Ashley, DO
Key Words: Musculoskeletal condition, health literacy, urban setting, patient-reported outcome, orthopedics, spine, hand, arthroplasty candidates, sports medicine, BMI, obesity, ESL, MSK-HQ, health status ABSTRACT Objective: The Musculoskeletal Health Questionnaire (MSK-HQ) is a standardized musculoskeletal outcomes measure for the health status … [Read More...]