AO North America Meeting Proves the Magic of Synergy by The Convergence of Multiple Specialties

AO North America's (AONA®) meeting, "The Magic of Synergy—Working Together for a Stronger Tomorrow" provided an unparalleled venue for surgeons in diverse specialties to come together to collaborate and share knowledge and best practices

PAOLI, Pa.--(EON: Enhanced Online News)--AO North America (AONA®) presented a unique opportunity for surgeons in orthopaedic trauma, craniomaxillofacial, spine and veterinary surgery to converge together to discuss challenges, differences and commonalities in musculoskeletal disorders and fracture management. The meeting themed "The Magic of Synergy—Working Together for a Stronger Tomorrow", took place in Lake Buena Vista, Florida on February 23-25, 2012.

“Convergence of Outcomes for Fixation of Intertrochanteric Hip Fractures by Nails and Plates: The Roles of Technical Improvement and Reimbursement”

More than 200 surgeons, fellows, and residents came from all over the world to learn from each other, share research, exchange experiences, network and explore the latest ideas, innovations and solutions to improve patient care.

Alan Ruggles, DVM, ACVS, Co-Chair of the meeting, says, “Due to the quality of the scientific presentations and the participation from all attendees, we fulfilled our goal of providing a mechanism to share experiences and demonstrate the unique synergy that exists across the AONA specialties.” Ted Choma, MD, Research and Scientific Committee for the meeting, agrees, “This scientific meeting really leveraged AONA’s strength for providing high quality education and has tremendous potential for growth.”

“This meeting presented a forum to take ideas from the basic and clinical research realm to the operating room for both our two-legged and four-legged patients,” says Ruggles.

Interactive Scientific Program and Lively Welcome Reception

Plenary sessions offered topics of mutual interest such as applied basic science research, tissue engineering, translational medicine, applying evidence from the literature into practice, as well as financial planning at every stage in the career, and legal tips for practice management. More than 120 scientific sessions included presentations focused on the challenges in fracture management, critical bone and cartilage defects, primary fracture treatment and minimally invasive surgery.

Clifford Turen, MD, Director, 2012 AONA multispecialty meeting, and Michael Baumgaertner, MD, President AONA, welcomed participants and set the stage for the thought-provoking scientific agenda and exciting networking opportunities.

The exhibit floor provided participants with an opportunity to view the newest innovations from top companies in the industry.

Sponsoring exhibitors included: Synthes (Gold) and Siemens (Bronze). Other exhibitors included: BioMedtrix; Bone Foam Inc.; DePuy Orthopaedics, Inc.; The Greene, Metcalfe, Bizic and Robinson Team, Merrill Lynch Global Wealth Management; Hologic; I.T.S. USA; Innomed, Inc.; Lilly USA, LLC.; Medtronic Spinal; Orthomed North America; Sawbones/Pacific Research; Schaerer Mayfield USA, Inc.; Smith & Nephew, Inc.; Veterinary Transplant Services, Inc.; Wolters Kluwer Health/Lippincott Williams & Wilkins and Zimmer.

Captivating Keynote and Specialized Research Attract Attention

Former US Senator and Doctor William Frist provided his views on the current state of healthcare reform, industry support in education, changing market forces and what the future holds. His session concluded with a heartfelt and inspiring discussion of his medical mission work.

Voted on by the Research and Scientific program committee and the audience, awards were presented to top abstract and posters:

* Top Abstract Award
Zoe MacIssac, MD, University of Pittsburgh, School of Medicine, “Precise Control of Osteogenesis for Craniofacial Defect Repair: The Role of Dose, Delivery System, and Direct Osteoprogenitor Contact in Bone Morphogenetic Protein-2 –Based Bioprinting”

* Top Poster Award
Foster Chen, BS, UCSD School of Medicine, “Convergence of Outcomes for Fixation of Intertrochanteric Hip Fractures by Nails and Plates: The Roles of Technical Improvement and Reimbursement”

Concluding the Event

On the final day, plenary sessions included: “Tissue Engineering: What Lies Ahead for Animals and Humans?” by Jimi Cook, DVM, ACVS, PhD and “Translational Medicine: What Do Veterinary and Orthopaedic Oncology Have in Common?” by Nicole Ehrhart, VMD, MS, DACVS.

Ehrhart explains, “The cross disciplinary nature of this meeting was a novel one and very successful-not only crossing disciplines within human medicine, but also between veterinary medicine and human. Sharing ideas, successes, and remaining challenges allowed attendees to see how others outside of their discipline have approached similar issues.”

George Kushner, DMD, MD, FACS, Professor, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, University of Louisville Hospital, describes his experience at the meeting as being "different, primarily because it combined multiple specialties such as orthopedics, spine surgery, oral and maxillofacial surgery, otolaryngology, plastic and reconstructive surgery and veterinary surgery. Although they are different specialties, they have a surprising amount in common. This forum had high quality papers and abstracts submitted and presented. I feel this meeting was a success and will hopefully be continued in years to come.”

AONA is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement of patient care in orthopaedic trauma, craniomaxillofacila, spine and veterinary surgery by fostering and expanding a network of healthcare professionals in research, development, clinical investigation and education. For additional information, visit the AONA website at www.aona.org or call 610.695.2459.