The American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine (AOSSM) promotes sports medicine education, research, communication, and fellowship and includes national and international orthopaedic sports medicine leaders. The Society works closely with many other sports medicine specialists, including

athletic trainers Athletic may refer to: * An athlete, a sportsperson * Athletic director, a position at many American universities and schools * Athletic type, a physical/psychological type in the classification of Ernst Kretschmer * Athletic of Philadelphia, a b ...

physical therapists Physical therapy (PT), also known as physiotherapy, is one of the allied health professions. It is provided by physical therapists who promote, maintain, or restore health through physical examination, diagnosis, management, prognosis, patien ...

family physicians Family medicine is a medical specialty within primary care that provides continuing and comprehensive health care for the individual and family across all ages, genders, diseases, and parts of the body. The specialist, who is usually a primary ...

, and others to improve the identification,

prevention Prevention may refer to: Health and medicine * Preventive healthcare, measures to prevent diseases or injuries rather than curing them or treating their symptoms General safety * Crime prevention, the attempt to reduce deter crime and crimi ...

, treatment, and rehabilitation of

sports injuries Sports injuries are injuries that occur during sport, athletic activities, or exercising. In the United States, there are approximately 30 million teenagers and children who participate in some form of organized sport. Of those, about three mi ...

. Formed in 1972 as a forum for education and research with 100 members, the AOSSM today has to more than 2,000 members."About the AOSSM." 1 Jan 2008. The American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine. 20 Aug 2008. http://www.sportsmed.org/tabs/membership/about.aspx

AOSSM History

The AOSSM developed out of the

American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) is an orthopedic organization. Founded at Northwestern University in 1933, as of 2015 AAOS had grown to include about 39,000 members.AAOMembersPage accessed June 27, 2015 The group provides edu ...

’ (AAOS)

Committee A committee or commission is a body of one or more persons subordinate to a deliberative assembly. A committee is not itself considered to be a form of assembly. Usually, the assembly sends matters into a committee as a way to explore them more ...

Sports Medicine Sports medicine is a branch of medicine that deals with physical fitness and the treatment and prevention of injuries related to sports and exercise. Although most sports teams have employed team physicians for many years, it is only since the ...

. The committee was organized in 1964 with Jack Hughston as Chairman. Throughout the next seven years, interest in sports medicine among orthopaedists increased greatly. Don O’Donoghue, MD, approached the AAOS concerning the committee branching off and forming an affiliated, yet separate, society. On January 30, 1972, at the invitation of Dr. Donoghue, 58 orthopaedic surgeons involved in sports medicine gathered to discuss the creation of the new society. A total of 75 orthopaedists were invited, and these physicians make up the list of founding members of the society.Stewart, Marcus J. “The History of the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine.” AOSSM Archives. July 1982. The founding members developed the mission of AOSSM: to hold a scientific meeting that would serve as a forum for

presentation A presentation conveys information from a speaker to an audience. Presentations are typically demonstrations, introduction, lecture, or speech meant to inform, persuade, inspire, motivate, build goodwill, or present a new idea/product. Presenta ...

and

publication To publish is to make content available to the general public.Berne Conve ...

of new ideas; to provide opportunities for physicians to meet and exchange ideas concerning research and the future of sports medicine; as well as to develop a high-quality publication controlled by the Society. In 2013, Jo A. Hannafin, M.D., Ph.D., an orthopedic surgeon at Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) in New York City, was named the first female president of AOSSM.

AOSSM Members

AOSSM members are physicians and allied

health professionals A health professional, healthcare professional, or healthcare worker (sometimes abbreviated HCW) is a provider of health care treatment and advice based on formal training and experience. The field includes those who work as a nurse, physician (suc ...

who demonstrate scientific leadership, involvement, and dedication in the daily practice of sports medicine. Members must demonstrate continuing active research and educational activities in the field of sports medicine. Such activities may include service as a

team physician The team physician for a sports team is the physician who is in charge of coordinating the medical staff and medical services for a sports team. They are also subject to activities involving team building The goal of a team physician is to improve p ...

at any level of competition, involvement in the health of athletes, service to local, regional, national, and international competitions, and the presentation of scientific research papers at sports medicine meetings. Members focus on the effects of exercise and the monitoring of its impact on active individuals of all ages, abilities, and levels of fitness. While many members treat high-profile athletes who play on professional teams, many also devote their practices to helping their

community A community is a social unit (a group of living things) with commonality such as place, norms, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given geographical area (e.g. a country, village, tow ...

by treating players on the local high school or

junior college A junior college (sometimes referred to colloquially as a juco, JuCo or JC) is a post-secondary educational institution offering vocational training designed to prepare students for either skilled trades and technical occupations and workers in su ...

team. Through research and advances in

surgical Surgery ''cheirourgikē'' (composed of χείρ, "hand", and ἔργον, "work"), via la, chirurgiae, meaning "hand work". is a medical specialty that uses operative manual and instrumental techniques on a person to investigate or treat a pat ...

and rehabilitation techniques, orthopaedic sports medicine specialists have been able to treat and rehabilitate athletes whose injuries were once career-ending and put them back in the game sooner. Members are broken down into seven different groups: active members, associate members, candidate members, affiliate members, honorary members, emeritus members, and inactive members.

Active members

Active members are: U.S. or Canadian citizens who are orthopaedic surgeons specializing in sports medicine. They must: :# Hold membership in the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons or Canadian Orthopaedic Association or they must be eligible for certification by the

American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery The American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery is an organization with the goal of establishing educational and professional standards for orthopedic residents and surgeons as well as evaluating the qualifications and competence of orthopedic surgeons. I ...

:# Candidate applicants for active membership must be members for two (2) years. :# Noncandidate applicants must practice exclusively in orthopaedic surgery for at least two (2) years in their current location of practice. :# Must have attended an AOSSM Annual Meeting in the past five (5) years. :# Demonstrate a significant contribution and commitment to sports medicine through the following criteria as it relates to their practice: ::* Research and publication ::* Submission and presentation of papers at sports medicine functions ::* Education of persons providing healthcare to athletes ::* Service as a team physician at any level of competition ::* Continuing medical education in sports medicine ::* Service to local, regional, national, and international athletic competitions ::* Capacity to work with other members and contribute to the work of the Society ::* Compliance with other uniform rules and criteria as established by the

Board of Directors A board of directors (commonly referred simply as the board) is an executive committee that jointly supervises the activities of an organization, which can be either a for-profit or a nonprofit organization such as a business, nonprofit organiz ...

or Membership Committee Active members are eligible to vote, and unless specified otherwise, hold office in the Society.

Associate Members

Associate members are: international orthopaedic surgeons practicing outside of the United States or Canada who are certified in orthopaedic surgery and members of their country's national orthopaedic organization, or osteopathic physicians not qualified to be Active Members but certified by the American Osteopathic Board of Orthopedic Surgery. They must: :* Practice exclusively in orthopaedic surgery for at least two (2) years in their current location of practice. :* Must have attended an AOSSM Annual Meeting in the past five (5) years. :* Demonstrate a significant contribution and commitment to sports medicine as required of active members and as otherwise established by the Board of Directors and Membership Committee Associate members are not eligible to vote, hold office, or serve on the Board of Directors. They may act in an advisory capacity and unless specified otherwise, may serve on committees with vote.

Candidate Members

Candidate members are physicians who are enrolled in or have completed an

Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) is the body responsible for accrediting all graduate medical training programs (i.e., internships, residencies, and fellowships, a.k.a. subspecialty programs) for physicians in the ...

(ACGME) approved orthopaedic sports medicine

fellowship A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context. In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements. Within the context of higher education ...

in the United States or Canada. They must: :* Submit an application within the year of the fellowship or within one year of completion of an ACGME approved orthopaedic sports medicine fellowship program. :* Demonstrate a significant contribution and commitment to sports medicine as required of active members and as otherwise established by the Board of Directors and Membership Committee. Candidate members are not eligible to vote, hold office, or serve on the Board of Directors. They may act in an advisory capacity and, unless specified otherwise, serve on committees with vote.

Affiliate Members

Affiliate members are physicians, surgeons, or allied health professionals not qualifying for other membership categories who are interested in or contributing to the knowledge of sports medicine. They must: :* Be practicing in their current location for at least two years; :* Must have attended an AOSSM Annual Meeting in the past five (5) years. Affiliate members are not eligible to vote, hold office in the Society, or serve on the Board of Directors. They may act in an advisory capacity and unless specified otherwise may serve on committees with vote.

Honorary Members

Honorary members are those who do not meet the qualifications of Active, Associate, or Affiliate membership, but who have made special contributions to sports medicine. They are not eligible to vote, hold office in the Society, or serve as a member of the Board of Directors, but may act in an advisory capacity and, unless specified otherwise, may serve on committees with vote. Nominees for honorary membership are submitted to the Board of Directors for consideration. A limited number of honorary members is determined by the Board of Directors.

Emeritus Members

Emeritus members are an active member or affiliate member who has reached the age of 65 and is no longer engaged in active medical practice due to age or health. Emeritus Members are not eligible to vote, hold office, or serve as a member of the Board of Directors but may act in an advisory capacity and unless specified otherwise serve on committees with vote.

Inactive Member

Inactive members are members or an allied health professional who have met the qualifications for any category of membership but are currently unable to practice medicine due to physical disability or such other reason acceptable to the Board of Directors. Inactive members are not eligible to vote, hold office, or serve as a member of the Board of Directors but may act in an advisory capacity and, unless specified otherwise, serve on committee with vote.

AOSSM Meetings

Th
AOSSM Annual Meeting
an
AOSSM Specialty Day
are two of the AOSSM’s main meetings. The AOSSM Annual Meeting is held once a year (usually at the end of June or beginning of July) and is a place for the Society’s members and Board of Directors to meet, as well as for educational courses and research to be presented. AOSSM Specialty Day is held during th
American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons’ annual meeting
It is a one-day meeting that provides educational courses and presentations focused on sports medicine. The Society also hosts other meetings throughout the year focusing on particular injuries or sports specifics areas, such as

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

hockey Hockey is a term used to denote a family of various types of both summer and winter team sports which originated on either an outdoor field, sheet of ice, or dry floor such as in a gymnasium. While these sports vary in specific rules, numbers o ...

AOSSM Publications

The AOSSM Web site houses a ful
Online Library
of scientific and patient education materials. The AOSSM also has five print publications.

''American Journal of Sports Medicine'' (AJSM)

American Journal of Sports Medicine is a monthly, peer-reviewed scientific journal, first published in 1974. It is the official publication of AOSSM, and is ranked 1st out of 63 journals in Orthopaedics and 5th out of 84 journals in Sport Sciences in Thomson Reuters’s 2012 Journal Citation Reports, with an Impact Factor of 4.439. The journal is published by SAGE Publishers.

''Sports Health: A Multidisciplinary Approach''

Sports Health (January 2009) is published bimonthly and is a collaborative publication from AOSSM, th
American Medical Society for Sports Medicine
(AMSSM), the

National Athletic Trainers' Association The National Athletic Trainers' Association (NATA) is the professional membership association for certified athletic trainers and others who support the athletic training profession. Founded in 1950, the NATA has grown to more than 43,000 member ...

(NATA), and th
Sports Physical Therapy Section
(SPTS). Sports Health is a resource for all medical professionals involved in the training and care of the competitive or

recreational Recreation is an activity of leisure, leisure being discretionary time. The "need to do something for recreation" is an essential element of human biology and psychology. Recreational activities are often done for enjoyment, amusement, or pleasure ...

athlete. The journal is published by SAGE Publishers.

''Sports Medicine Update''

''Sports Medicine Update'' is AOSSM's bimonthly publication and includes educational articles, Society news and research updates, resources, and new developments within the orthopaedic sports medicine community.

''Sports Tips'' and ''In Motion: Active Living for All Ages''

Both ''Sports Tips'' and ''In Motion'' are patient education publications. ''Sports Tips'' are one-page fact sheets on athletic related conditions and injuries. ''In Motion'' is a quarterly newsletter and features short articles focusing on sports medicine, fitness, and musculoskeletal issues for people of all ages.

AOSSM Research Programs and Grants

AOSSM awards grants to researchers working on break-through treatments and investigations in sports medicine.

Young Investigators Grant

The Young Investigator Grant provides awards aimed at providing "seed money," or start-up funds, for pilot projects. The principal investigator must be an early career orthopaedic surgeon, fellow, or resident with interests in sports medicine research. Any investigative team seeking such a grant must include at least one member of AOSSM in good standing.

Sandy Kirkley Clinical Outcome Research Grant

Dr. Sandy Kirkley was an advocate for well-conducted, randomized controlled trials to evaluate the efficacy of interventions in orthopaedic sports medicine. She said that the field must "rise to the challenge of designing and implementing clinical trials that provide the same level of evidence in support of treatments as our nonsurgical colleagues demand." In honor and memory of Dr. Kirkley, AOSSM established a small grant that would provide start-up, "seed," or supplemental funding for an outcome research project or pilot study.

Career Development Award

AOSSM offers a per year supplement grant to sports medicine orthopaedic surgeons who have an active Career Development Award (K Award) from the

National Institutes of Health The National Institutes of Health, commonly referred to as NIH (with each letter pronounced individually), is the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and public health research. It was founded in the late ...

(NIH). The purpose of this grant is to facilitate the research careers of orthopaedic surgeons who have completed training in sports medicine and who have a faculty position at an academic institution. The award is open to individuals regardless of time since training.

MARS Project

AOSSM has initiated the AOSSM Multi-Center ACL Revision Study (MARS), utilizing a grant from th
Musculoskeletal Transplant Foundation
(MTF). The study will evaluate outcome for patients undergoing revision ACL surgery and examine the predictors of outcome. The MARS project has been approved by the Institution Review Board(IRB) of the central coordinating site,

Vanderbilt University Vanderbilt University (informally Vandy or VU) is a private research university in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded in 1873, it was named in honor of shipping and rail magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided the school its initial $1-million ...

MERI Project

The Multi-Center Evaluation of the Responsiveness of the IKDC (MERI) Study is designed to evaluate and compare the responsiveness to change of several measures commonly used in patients undergoing knee surgery: th
International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) Subjective Knee Form
th
WOMAC
the Cincinnati Knee Rating System, and th
SF-36
The specific patient population targeted for this study are those individuals who receive any form of surgical articular cartilage repair procedure for at least one symptomatic full thickness (Outerbridge Grade III or IV)

lesion A lesion is any damage or abnormal change in the tissue of an organism, usually caused by disease or trauma. ''Lesion'' is derived from the Latin "injury". Lesions may occur in plants as well as animals. Types There is no designated classifi ...

of the

femoral condyle The lower extremity of femur (or distal extremity) is the lower end of the femur (thigh bone) in human and other animals, closer to the knee. It is larger than the upper extremity of femur, is somewhat cuboid in form, but its transverse diameter i ...

trochlea Trochlea (Latin for pulley) is a term in anatomy. It refers to a grooved structure reminiscent of a pulley's wheel. Related to joints Most commonly, trochleae bear the articular surface of saddle joint, saddle and other joints: * Trochlea of hume ...

. These procedures can include

debridement Debridement is the medical removal of dead, damaged, or infected tissue to improve the healing potential of the remaining healthy tissue. Removal may be surgical, mechanical, chemical, autolytic (self-digestion), and by maggot therapy. In p ...

, marrow stimulation techniques such as

microfracture Fracture mechanics is the field of mechanics concerned with the study of the propagation of cracks in materials. It uses methods of analytical solid mechanics to calculate the driving force on a crack and those of experimental solid mechanics t ...

, drilling or abrasion

arthroplasty Arthroplasty (literally " e-orming of joint") is an orthopedic surgical procedure where the articular surface of a musculoskeletal joint is replaced, remodeled, or realigned by osteotomy or some other procedure. It is an elective procedure that i ...

, osteochondral

autograft Autotransplantation is the transplantation of organs, tissues, or even particular proteins from one part of the body to another in the same person ('' auto-'' meaning "self" in Greek). The autologous tissue (also called autogenous, autogene ...

allograft Allotransplant (''allo-'' meaning "other" in Greek) is the transplantation of cells, tissues, or organs to a recipient from a genetically non-identical donor of the same species. The transplant is called an allograft, allogeneic transplant, o ...

transplantation, mosaicplasty or autologous

cartilage Cartilage is a resilient and smooth type of connective tissue. In tetrapods, it covers and protects the ends of long bones at the joints as articular cartilage, and is a structural component of many body parts including the rib cage, the neck an ...

implantation. Any surgeon who performs at least three of these procedures a year can be involved in the project.

AOSSM Awards

Each year during the AOSSM Annual Meeting a variety of awards are presented for research and outstanding achievement in sports medicine."AOSSM Awards." 1 Jan 2008. American Orthopaedic Society. 20 Aug 2008.

AOSSM Hall of Fame

In 2001, AOSSM established the Hall of Fame to honor members of the orthopaedic sports medicine community who have contributed significantly to the specialty and set themselves apart. Being inducted into the Hall of Fame is one of the highest honors given to a Society member.

Robert E. Leach, MD Mr. Sports Medicine Award

This award is given to an individual who has provided outstanding service in the orthopaedic community, and made numerous contributions to the specialty of sports medicine.

Kennedy Lecture

This lectureship is named in honor of John C. Kennedy, MD, FRCS(C) a past president of AOSSM. This lecture is supported by a Kennedy Family Endowment and AJSM and is named by the current AOSSM President.

Thomas Brady Award

This award is given to an orthopaedic surgeon who has been dedicated to excellence in sports medicine on a local level, with local athletes.

Cabaud Memorial Award

This award is given to the paper that best exemplifies clinically relevant

hypothesis A hypothesis (plural hypotheses) is a proposed explanation for a phenomenon. For a hypothesis to be a scientific hypothesis, the scientific method requires that one can test it. Scientists generally base scientific hypotheses on previous obse ...

-driven

basic science Basic research, also called pure research or fundamental research, is a type of scientific research with the aim of improving scientific theories for better understanding and prediction of natural or other phenomena. In contrast, applied resear ...

research (hard or soft tissue

biology Biology is the scientific study of life. It is a natural science with a broad scope but has several unifying themes that tie it together as a single, coherent field. For instance, all organisms are made up of cells that process hereditary i ...

, ''

in vitro ''In vitro'' (meaning in glass, or ''in the glass'') studies are performed with microorganisms, cells, or biological molecules outside their normal biological context. Colloquially called "test-tube experiments", these studies in biology an ...

'' research,

laboratory A laboratory (; ; colloquially lab) is a facility that provides controlled conditions in which scientific or technological research, experiments, and measurement may be performed. Laboratory services are provided in a variety of settings: physicia ...

or "bench-type" research, or ''

in vivo Studies that are ''in vivo'' (Latin for "within the living"; often not italicized in English) are those in which the effects of various biological entities are tested on whole, living organisms or cells, usually animals, including humans, and ...

'' animal).

Excellence in Research Award

This award is given to the best paper submitted in any category to the Awards Committee with a primary author under the age of 40 at the time of the Annual Meeting.

NCAA Research

The award is given to the best paper submitted that pertains to the health, safety, and well-being of collegiate student-athletes.

O’Donoghue Sports Injury Research Award

This award is given to the best overall paper that deals with clinical based research or human ''in vivo'' research.

George D. Rovere Award

This award is given annually to an individual AOSSM member to recognize their contribution to sports medicine education throughout the years.

Hughston Award

This award is given for the most outstanding paper that appeared in AJSM, the year prior to the award. It was named after the founder of AJSM, Jack C. Hughston, MD.

Christian Koi Award

The Christian Koi Awards are given to the best paper in

clinical science Clinical research is a branch of healthcare science that determines the safety and effectiveness ( efficacy) of medications, devices, diagnostic products and treatment regimens intended for human use. These may be used for prevention, treatm ...

and the best paper in basic science submitted by a sports medicine fellow for the AOSSM Annual Meeting.

AOSSM Poster Award

Given during the AOSSM Annual Meeting for an outstanding poster presented during the meeting.

AOSSM Member Doctor Directory

AOSSM member physicians are listed in th
AOSSM Member Doctor Directory
for the public's use. Searches can be done by physician’s last name or by city/state or country.

References

External links

American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine

American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons

American Medical Society for Sports Medicine

National Athletic Trainers' Association

Sports Physical Therapy Section

''American Journal of Sports Medicine''

''Sports Health: A Multidisciplinary Approach''

SAGE Publishers

Musculoskeletal Transplant Foundation

National Institutes of Health
{{DEFAULTSORT:American Orthopaedic Society For Sports Medicine Medical associations based in the United States Sports professional associations based in the United States Sports medicine organizations Orthopedic organizations Medical and health organizations based in Illinois