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Driving Innovation in Sports Medicine: AOSSM Research Program Year in Review

By C. Benjamin Ma, MD, Lynette L. Craft, PhD

    • Research

What do fatigue in the throwing arms of youth baseball players, virtual reality, ACL graft force, and designing return-to-play decision-making tools all have in common?

These topics were all AOSSM winners this year and provide examples of the diverse sports medicine research supported by AOSSM grants and awards. In 2024 alone, AOSSM gave out $500,000 in new grants and $19,400 in awards.

The work of our members to improve patient outcomes and successful treatment of sports injuries forms one pillar of the AOSSM Strategic Plan. Recognizing excellence is the job of the AOSSM Research Committee (C. Benjamin Ma, Chair). The committee had busy year overseeing submissions, review, and selection of winners of numerous grants and awards. In addition, the committee also undertook several research related activities aimed at fostering collaborations, delivering research training, and expanding our grant portfolio.

The Society offers its gratitude to the committee as well as all our members and volunteer leaders who offered their unparalleled effort and expertise to make our research program a success this year. Likewise, thanks are due to our industry colleagues and corporate partners who have provided tremendous support this year. Keep an eye on the Research Program page throughout the year to stay up to date with AOSSM grants, awards and research activities—be sure to watch the updated research video for program highlights!

As we look toward 2025, please consider a tax-deductible donation to research activities at AOSSM. Your support can help fuel the next generation of discovery in orthopaedic sports medicine!

AOSSM Sports Medicine Grants

The generosity of many generous supporters, partners and members who made individual donations to AOSSM resulted in the funding of several collaborative grants, including several new opportunities in 2024.

Return to Play

The 2024 Return to Play Grant represents a new collaboration among AOSSM, Arthrex, the J. Robert Gladden Orthopaedic Society, The Aircast Foundation and The FORUM to investigate clinical human research on return to play after musculoskeletal injury. To help encourage diversity in orthopaedic sports medicine research, the investigative team had to include at least one member of AOSSM AND The Forum OR the J. R. Gladden Sports Medicine Orthopaedic Society to be eligible. In addition, studies utilizing diverse or previously understudied cohorts of patients were strongly encouraged. The winner of this 2-year grant ($200,000) is:

  • Christian Latterman, MD, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, “Development of a MPFL Reconstruction Return to Play Decision-Making Tool”

Steven P. Arnoczky Young Investigator Grant (YIG)

This grant supports early-career surgeons in clinical (up to $40,000) and basic science research (up to $40,000). The grant also aims to help train early-career surgeons to lead research projects, from hypothesis generation to experiment design, execution, and result interpretation, with guidance from an experienced mentor or team. The winners of the 2024 YIG are:

  • Basic Science: Luke Troyer, MD, The Curators of the University of Missouri, “Analysis of Noninvasive Biomarkers for ACL Reconstruction”
  • Clinical Science: Yining Lu, MD, MAYO Clinic, Rochester, MN, “Artificial Intelligence for Data and Insights in Young Hip (AIDY)”

Sandy Kirkley Clinical Outcomes Research Grant

This grant is given in honor of Dr. Sandy Kirkley who championed rigorous randomized controlled trials in orthopaedic sports medicine. She believed the field should match the evidence standards of nonsurgical specialties. In her honor, a $20,000 grant offers seed or supplemental funding for outcome research or pilot studies. Each year we award one grant, and the 2024 winner is:

  • Ivan Wong, MD, Nova Scotia Health Authority, “Arthroscopic Distal Tibia Allograft vs Latarjet for Subcritical Bone Loss.”

AOSSM-JRF Ortho Allograft Grant

In coordination with and support from JRF Ortho, AOSSM offers one grant of up to $50,000 to support a basic science or clinical research project to advance insight into meniscal or osteochondral allografts. The 2024 winner is:

  • Alvin Su, MD, PhD, Nemours Children’s Hospital, “Biomechanics of segmental meniscus transplant: a human cadaveric study.”

Playmaker Grant Lab

This “Shark Tank-style” grant competition held at the AOSSM annual meeting has long been generously supported by The Aircast Foundation. This year, University Hospitals Cleveland-Haslam Sports Innovation Center joined the team and provided $25,000 for us to award a third winner ($75,000 total awarded). Both organizaitons have committed to the event for the 2025 Annual Meeting in Nashville. The 2024 Playmaker Grant Lab winners (pictured, left to right) are:

  • Joshua Bram, MD, Hospital for Special Surgery, “Determination of skeletal age from knee radiographs and MRIs using AI”
  • Daniel Kaplan, MD, NYU Langone Orthopedics, “Workload and Fatigue in the Throwing Arms of Youth Baseball Players”
  • Joshua Roth, PhD, University of Wisconsin-Madison, “Identifying laxity phenotypes to optimize combined LET and ACLR”

Military Advanced Surgical Treatment Program (MAST)

In 2023, for the first time, partner organizations AOSSM, AANA, SOMOS and AAOS reviewed, discussed, and deliberated to determine the winner of the $200,000 grant from the consortium. Additionally, in early 2024, $75,000 was provided to fund a second excellent project.

The second annual MAST meeting was held in November 2024. Members of AOSSM, AANA and SOMOS reviewed, scored, discussed, and selected winners. The 2024 grants were awarded to:

  • Patrick Mescher, MD, Uniformed Services University, “Harnessing Fully Immersive Virtual Reality (FI-VR) for Advanced Arthroscopy Skills Development: A Randomized Controlled Trial of Orthopaedic Sports Medicine Fellows Performing ACL Reconstruction” ($75,000)
  • Travis J. Dekker, MD, at the 10th Medical Group, United States Air Force Academy, “Ideal Suture Configuration in a Novel Shoulder Instability Model” ($100,000)
  • Drew Recker, MD, Wake Forest University, “Bracing and Reconstruction of the Anterior Cruciate Ligament of Efficacy Trial (BRACE-trial)” ($50,000)
  • Samuel B. Adams, MD, Duke University Medical Center, “Clinical Evaluation of the Effect of Novel Chondroprotective Irrigation Solution (CPX) on Chondrocyte Viability and Morphology: A Potential Alternative to Traditional Arthroscopic Fluids” ($50,000)

AOSSM Research Awards

AOSSM received over 700 abstracts for consideration of Research Awards in 2024. After reviewing full manuscripts of the finalists, the Research Committee selected winners who were awarded a $12,000 honorarium at the 2024 Annual Meeting. The winners are:

Nicholas Lemme, MD, Brown University, “How Steep is Too Steep? Assessing the Limits of Lateral Extra-Articular Tenodesis and Slope-Reducing Osteotomy in ACL Graft Force and Knee Stability.”

Jade He, PhD, Stanford University, “Patient acceptable symptom state 2 years after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction reflects knee loading patterns associated with worse outcomes”

Scott Martin, MD, Massachusetts General Hospital, “Hip Arthroscopy Versus Physical Therapy for the Treatment of Symptomatic Acetabular Labral Tears in Patients Older Than 40: 24-Month Results of an RCT”

In addition, up to two Bart Mann Awards are given each year to AOSSM members serving as first-time grant reviewers for the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The award aims to support service to the profession, enhance professional development, and provide valuable clinical perspective and expertise to NIH study sections. This award also comes with an honorarium ($5,000). The 2024 Bart Mann awardee is:

  • Elizabeth A Wellsandt, DPT, MS, PhD, University of Nebraska.

Clinician Scholar Support

AOSSM is pleased to sponsor member participation in the Orthopaedic Research Society’s Clinician Scholar Career Development Program. The CSCDP is an annual two-day training workshop for orthopaedic residents in their PGY2-PGY5 years, surgeons in fellowships, and junior faculty (through year three) who have the potential and desire to become orthopaedic clinician scholars. Clinician scholars advance the field of orthopaedics through innovative research and peer-reviewed funding. The sponsorship covers the round-trip economy airfare, two nights hotel, and all meals during the dates/times of the program ($2,400 sponsorship). The 2024 AOSSM-sponsored participant is:

  • Elaine Shing, MD, PhD, University of Utah.

AOSSM Research Activities

Throughout the year, AOSSM creates, curates, and disseminates evidence-based research to guide patient care through such activities as research workshops, think tanks and consensus statements. Below are just a few examples of projects from 2024 that have influenced the scientific field and clinical practice of sports medicine.

Research Workshop: Collaborating with Industry

The Research Committee conducted a highly successful workshop at the 2024 Annual Meeting in Denver. The two-hour workshop engaged several of our generous corporate partners and focused on research collaborations with industry. The panel had a robust discussion about what types of studies industry generally funds, why these collaborations are important and mutually beneficial, and successful approaches for identifying and securing industry funding. Participants included experts from industry partners Arthrex, Smith+Nephew, ENOVIS and Stryker, as well as AOSSM members Brian Werner, MD, Sara Edwards, MD, Jeffrey Nepple, MD, and Alvin Su, MD, PhD. Andrew Sheean, MD, Alvin Su, MD, PhD, and Kurt Spindler, MD, served as moderators. The group also presented the content in a free, Orthopaedic Research Society webinar, now available on the ORS website.

AOSSM-Arthritis Foundation Think Tank: Multicenter Trial for the Treatment of Shoulder Osteoarthritis (OA)

A new multi-year collaboration with the Arthritis Foundation kicked off in 2024 with a think tank conducted just prior to the 2024 Annual Meeting. The event engaged close to 30 thought leaders, surgeons, clinicians and scientists to understand the most pressing issues and knowledge gaps in osteoarthritis (OA) of the shoulder. The Arthritis Foundation and the Research Committee are now finalizing the request for proposals for a $500,000 multicenter collaborative grant in shoulder OA to be awarded in 2025; applications will open in early January on the AOSSM Research Program website. In addition, members of the think tank faculty have submitted a summary manuscript to OJSM for consideration.

This successful collaboration will continue in 2025 with a second think tank focused on hip OA held prior to the 2025 Annual Meeting in Nashville, and we anticipate it will be followed by the release of an RFP for a research grant in late 2025.

EU-US Meniscus Rehabilitation Consensus: An ESSKA-AOSSM-AASPT Initiative

AOSSM joined an international collaboration with the European Society of Sports Traumatology, Knee Surgery & Arthroscopy (ESSKA) and the American Academy for Sports Physical Therapy (AASPT). The Research Committee provided oversight on a joint consensus statement focused on “Rehabilitation After Knee Pathology.” C. Benjamin Ma, MD, and Airelle Giordano, PhD (AASPT) served as U.S. chairpersons, with an additional 15 AOSSM members involved in the project. Completed in April 2024, results were presented at the 2024 ESSKA Congress in Milan and at a highly attended session at the 2024 AOSSM Annual Meeting. The manuscript is now being prepared for journal submission.

AOSSM has begun work on another collaborative statement with ESSKA and AASPT focused on ACL rehabilitation. Volker Musahl, MD, from AOSSM and Mark Paterno, PhD, from AASPT will serve as the U.S. group co-Leaders in this collaborative activity.

IKDC Computer Adaptive Test Development

This year we will continue developing a computer adaptive test (CAT) version of the IKDC SKF and seek approval for adoption within the Patient Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS). AOSSM developed the IKDC SKF in 1999 as a knee-specific patient-reported outcome (PRO) measure of symptoms, function and sports activity for individuals with knee conditions including ligament and meniscus injuries, articular cartilage, lesions and patellofemoral pain. Validation of the IKDC SKF was published in the American Journal of Sports Medicine (AJSM) in 2001. A subsequent AJSM article in 2006 provided normative data for different patient populations. The IKDC SKF has gained worldwide recognition and popularity and has been culturally adapted and translated into 21 languages, available on the AOSSM Research Resources Page. The project aims to have the IKDC SKF available as a CAT that will streamline the administration of the measure to allow for efficient and precise measurement of knee-related symptoms, function and sports activity for individuals with a ligament and meniscus injury, cartilage lesions and patellofemoral pain. This will make the IKDC widely available to researchers and clinicians in diverse research and clinical settings.

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