The American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine provides its members and the field with research, education and community in support of its mission:
To be the premier global, sports medicine organization for orthopaedic surgeons and other professionals who provide comprehensive health services for the care of athletes and active people of all ages and abilities.
The elected leaders and professional team embrace business best practices to serve members and the interests of the Society. In 2022, the 50th anniversary of the Society, they developed a five-year strategic plan to help shape the next half-century of success.
2022-2027 Strategic Plan
The resulting strategic plan identifies essential priorities that help orthopaedic sports medicine surgeons facilitate world leading, evidence-based prevention, diagnosis and treatment promoting a safe return to physical activity. Proposed initiatives and projects are evaluated against these priorities to ensure they are aligned with the primary objectives and vision for the organization’s future.
For this five-year plan, the Board of Directors have developed the following key priorities:
Education: Knowledge Access
Goal: Orthopaedic sports medicine surgeons learn and apply evidence-based care to the needs of athletes and people pursuing physically active lifestyles.
- Sustain customized clinical content linking members’ and other sports professionals’ needs to relevant association information and vetted industry content.
- Link the AOSSM Annual Meeting, AOSSM Journals and other individual educational delivery channels into an integrated curriculum providing easier, faster, and more engaging access to AOSSM content by members and other participants.
- Monitor the emerging educational needs of orthopaedic sports medicine surgeons and translate this knowledge into relevant content.
- Create mutually beneficial partnerships with relevant organizations related to injuries that may prevent a return to physical activity and facilitate access to education on evidence-based research to guide patient care.
- Create a pool of engaging educators emphasizing practitioners and clinicians from underrepresented groups and who represent diverse patient populations.
Research: Knowledge Discovery
Goal: Orthopaedic sports medicine surgeons lead the discovery of independently vetted techniques or therapies that improve patient clinical outcomes and result in the successful treatment of sports or other injuries.
- Support multi-center research identifying emerging techniques or therapies that may prevent sports or other injuries that prevent a return to physical activity or that addresses the health inequities that might contribute to those injuries.
- Support the creation of content, financial resources or mentor groups for orthopaedic sports surgeons interested in multi-center research or research careers.
- Communicate the value of AOSSM’s support of and accomplishments in research to members and other relevant stakeholders.
- Create mutually beneficial partnerships with relevant organizations to create and promulgate clinical guidelines relevant to sports or other injuries and facilitate access to the outcomes of this evidence-based research to guide patient care.
- Seek diverse sources of funding to support research and education activities.
Foundational Community of Sports Medicine Surgeons
Goal: AOSSM represents a diverse, inclusive, engaged, and supportive fellowship of peers committed to advancing the care of athletes and the profession of orthopaedic sports medicine.
To achieve this priority, three supporting principles have been developed:
