Dear Friends,
I trust you and your family had a wonderful holiday season. AOAO has recently performed an update on our website, which will be released soon. Hopefully this new format will be more user friendly. We have added a way for members to ask questions of the AOAO Board. From the Home Page, select “Ask the President” at the bottom of the page. Questions submitted will be reviewed by AOAO leadership, including the Executive Director, to provide answers in a timely fashion. The goal of this feature is to enhance communication with the membership. Many questions may arise after or during meetings as a result of lecture topics or interaction with colleagues. The Board wants to provide this easy access to members and will also disseminate factual answers to AOAO members.
The AOAO Foundation will be offering a surgical Skills Lab in Las Vegas on Friday January 26th 2018. The topic will be shoulder surgery, arthroscopic and open procedures. This course will be staffed by representatives from the AOAO Sports and Shoulder sections. Past participants of the Skills Lab have found this activity to be highly educational. I encourage our members to attend.
The Virtual Library, initiated by the AOAO Foundation, continues to near completion. In correspondence with Gary Ulrich, DO, FAOAO, it may be available to members in May of 2018. At this time of giving, I would encourage members looking for a tax deduction to consider the AOAO Foundation.
The Board will have a strategic planning meeting in March 2018. The purpose of the meeting will be positioning the AOAO, retaining and increasing membership, increasing and expanding member benefits and determing how the Board can facilitate maintaining osteopathic distinction in our residency programs as we approach single accreditation with the ACGME.
Finally, I look forward to seeing you at the 58th Postgraduate Seminar, at the Terranea Oceanfront Resort in Rancho Palos Verdes, CA. If you have not been to this facility it is truly amazing. The meeting facility is absolutely first class, only surpassed by the on site dining, vistas, and amenities. Our theme for this meeting is “Orthopedic Techniques – What’s Good, Better, and Best”, commandeered by Dennis Blackburn, DO, FAOAO and several committed moderators. Program Chair for this quality CME is Fred McAlpin, DO, FAOAO. The schedule for the meeting is expected to provide around 20 AOA Category 1-A CME credits.
To all of our AOAO family and your individual families, I extend my best wishes for health and prosperity in the New Year.
James R. Ingram, DO, FAOAO
President