It is an honor to greet you as the 2024-2025 President of AOSSM. Receiving the medal from Dean Taylor at the 2024 Annual Meeting in Denver was among the highlights of my career. I have been a member of this Society for my entire career—at least 30 years—and believe deeply we are a first-rate organization full of good people doing hard work toward a noble mission.
Like many of us, I belong to several societies, but I have always felt there is something special about AOSSM. The camaraderie we share draws you in and makes education and professional networking a truly fun experience! Because I enjoyed it so much, I started engaging in many different activities, giving a little more time every year and becoming more in involved in the leadership and operations of our unique community.
When Jim Bradley called to let me know the Nominating Committee was inviting me to join the presidential line, I was humbled—and a little anxious! Early in a surgical career, we are consumed with building our practices and growing our influence. Once we progress, it’s easier to step back and mentor and build programs as part of your professional life. At this point in my journey, I’m feeling motivated to focus on the leadership mindset and step up to a new level of service to our Society.
To help focus the efforts of leadership, volunteers and the professional team over the course of the next 12 months, I’ve declared this “The Year of F. A. S. T.” The acronym stands for:
- Fiduciary Management
- Alliances
- Strategic Discipline
- Team Stabilization
Stout Fiduciary Management is a critical component in the management of every type of business, from our giants like Google to our own healthcare institutions to our professional societies. For several years AOSSM has invested in a wide range of opportunities to secure a strong future for its members, including major research awards, technology like our award-winning website and signature AI-driven search engine, and more. Now it is time to realize the benefits of these investments. We will take a deep look at our operations, including scrutinizing loss-leader programs and archaic paradigms, and evolving to stay in the lead of both the orthopaedic and association fields.
In our drive to be thought leaders and facilitators we will continue exploring strategic Alliances and look for mutually beneficial possibilities for the future. AOSSM is committed to working across disciplines and borders, from partnerships like MAST and our Return to Play grant which drive discovery and inclusion, to educational opportunities like our upcoming surgical skills course, Global Innovations in Complex Shoulder Surgery, and our newly-announced, five-year Specialty Day collaboration with AANA.
The Society is fortunate to have many passionate Members and partners who continually share ideas for growth. We adhere to strong Strategic Discipline to ensure we are collecting, analyzing and acting on opportunities that focus on our five-year Strategic Plan and deliver on our mission to be the best in class in high impact for all constituents and keep us best-in-class in sports medicine education.
Finally, in today's fast-paced environment, we recognize the need for both innovation and continuity. We must have an aggressive mindset for the Stabilization of our professional team to document institutional knowledge and manage through change. This team is comprised of some of the finest experts in operational management and, together with a Board who guide strategic direction and high-level decision making, the Society will remain focused its mission and core values. This will be especially important for our publishing team as we welcome a new Editor-in-Chief for The American Journal of Sports Medicine.
Like any team, our success depends on our collective strengths and the effectiveness of wise leadership. I invite you to join me in strengthening interest and engagement in the Society, and strive to advance the Society through these F.A.S.T. principles. Thank you for the opportunity to represent you and the field of orthopaedic sports medicine this year.
