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. It is a member of the American Board of Medical Specialties. [1]
It was officially founded in 1934 [2] after the American Orthopaedic Association (founded in 1887) charged a committee with establishing an organization with less stringent membership guidelines than the AOA. Borne from that committee was the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons in 1933. The AOA charged a second committee with establishing an orthopedic specialty board. The eventual board – the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery – consisted of representatives of the AOA, the AAOS and the orthopedic surgery section of the American Medical Association. [1]
Orthopaedic surgery or orthopaedics, is the branch of surgery concerned with conditions involving the musculoskeletal system. Orthopaedic surgeons use both surgical and nonsurgical means to treat musculoskeletal trauma, spine diseases, sports injuries, degenerative diseases, infections, tumors, and congenital disorders.
Podiatry or podiatric medicine is a branch of medicine devoted to the study, diagnosis, and medical and surgical treatment of disorders of the foot, ankle, and lower extremity. The term podiatry came into use in the early 20th century in the United States and is now used worldwide, including in countries such as the United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada.
Hand surgery deals with both surgical and non-surgical treatment of conditions and problems that may take place in the hand or upper extremity including injury and infection. Hand surgery may be practiced by graduates of general surgery, orthopedic surgery and plastic surgery. Chiroplasty, or cheiroplasty, is plastic surgery of the hands.
The American Society for Surgery of the Hand (ASSH) was founded in 1946 to facilitate the exchange of information related to problems of the hand. It is the oldest and largest medical specialty society in the United States devoted to the care of the hand.
The American College of Surgeons (ACS) is an educational association of surgeons founded in 1912. Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, it was founded by Frederic Atwood Besley, MD, FCAS, a military surgeon. The ACS provides membership for doctors worldwide specializing in surgery who pass a set of rigorous qualifications.
Foot and ankle surgery is a sub-specialty of orthopedics and podiatry that deals with the treatment, diagnosis and prevention of disorders of the foot and ankle. Orthopaedic surgeons are medically qualified, having been through four years of college, followed by 4 years of medical school to obtain an M.D. or D.O. followed by specialist training as a resident in orthopaedics, and only then do they sub-specialise in foot and ankle surgery. Training for a podiatric foot and ankle surgeon consists of four years of college, four years of podiatric medical school (D.P.M.), 3–4 years of a surgical residency and an optional 1 year fellowship.
The American Board of Surgery (ABS) is an independent, non-profit organization located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, founded for the purpose of certifying surgeons who have met a defined standard of education, training and knowledge. Surgeons certified by the ABS, known as diplomates, have completed a minimum of five years of surgical residency training following medical school and successfully completed a written and oral examination process administered by the ABS. The ABS provides board certification in general surgery, vascular surgery, pediatric surgery, surgical critical care, surgery of the hand, hospice and palliative medicine, and complex general surgical oncology.
Established in 1939, the American Osteopathic Association Bureau of Osteopathic Specialists (AOABOS) is a non-profit umbrella organization for 18 medical specialty boards in the United States. Along with the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) and the American Board of Physician Specialties (ABPS), the AOABOS is one of three leading entities that oversees physician board certification in the United States. The AOABOS assists its Member Boards in developing and implementing educational and professional standards to evaluate and certify physician specialists.
The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery is a biweekly peer reviewed medical journal in the field of orthopedic surgery. It is published by the non-profit corporation The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, Inc. It was established as the Transactions of the American Orthopedic Association in 1889, published by the American Orthopedic Association. In 1903, volume 16 of the Transactions became the first volume of the American Journal of Orthopedic Surgery, which was renamed Journal of Orthopaedic Surgery in 1919 and also became the official journal of the British Orthopaedic Association. The journal obtained its current name in 1921. As of 2016, it had a Journal Citation Reports impact factor of 4.8 and ranking of 10/197 (surgery), 2/76 (orthopedics).
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, physical therapists, family physicians, and others to improve the identification, prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation of sports injuries. Formed in 1972 as a forum for education and research with 100 members, the AOSSM today has to more than 2,000 members.
Ruth Jackson was the first female board-certified orthopedic surgeon in the United States and the first female admitted to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.
Dr. John F. Sarwark is Head, Orthopaedic Surgery and Martha Washington Foundation Professor of Pediatric Orthopedics at Lurie Children's Hospital; Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery, Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, Illinois.
Melvin Starkey Henderson (1883–1954) was an American orthopedic surgeon, who was born in St. Paul, Minnesota (USA).
Scott Spann is an American orthopaedic surgeon, medical device inventor, former world-class swimmer and recovered quadriplegic.
The American Osteopathic Board of Surgery (AOBS) is an organization that provides board certification to qualified Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.) who specialize in the use of surgery to aid in the diagnosis and treatment of disease (surgeons). The board is one 18 medical specialty certifying boards of the American Osteopathic Association Bureau of Osteopathic Specialists approved by the American Osteopathic Association (AOA). As of 2011, 1,279 osteopathic physicians held active certification with the AOBS. The AOBS is one of two certifying boards for surgeons in the United States; the other certifying board is the American Board of Surgery of the American Board of Medical Specialties. Fellows of the AOBS are eligible for full membership in major U.S. surgical societies such as the American College of Surgeons (ACS) and the Society of Thoracic Surgeons. Board certified surgeons of the AOBS are also eligible for membership in the American Society for Metabolic & Bariatric Surgery.
The American Osteopathic Board of Orthopedic Surgery (AOBOS) is an organization that provides board certification to qualified Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.) who specialize in the medical and surgical treatment of disorders of the musculoskeletal system. The board is one of 18 medical specialty certifying boards of the American Osteopathic Association Bureau of Osteopathic Specialists approved by the American Osteopathic Association (AOA), and was originally a subdivision of the American Osteopathic Board of Surgery until it became an independent board in 1978. As of December 2011, 1,082 osteopathic orthopedic surgeons held active certification with the AOBOS. Additionally, diplomates of the American Osteopathic Board of Orthopedic Surgery are eligible for membership in the American Society for Surgery of the Hand and the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.
Dr. Alvin John Ingram was a leader in orthopaedic surgery, pioneer in combatting polio, and one of the first doctors in history to administer penicillin. Dr. Ingram also was selected as the only orthopaedist in a group of physicians to tour military field hospitals in Vietnam at the request of President Lyndon B. Johnson. Dr. Ingram served as president of numerous orthopaedic associations, including the American Orthopaedic Association (AOA), Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America (POSNA), the Orthopaedic Society, American Orthopaedic Association, and the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery.
Sharad Moreshwar Hardikar is an Indian orthopedic surgeon and the founder of Hardikar Hospital, Pune. He also heads the hospital's charitable trust, the Sushrut Medical Care and Research Society. Hardikar, an honorary fellow of the British Orthopaedic Association, was awarded the fourth highest civilian honour of the Padma Shri, in 2014, by the Government of India.
The Australian Orthopaedic Association (AOA) is a not for profit organisation that represents over 1600 Australian orthopaedic surgeons.
Rick Wayne Wright is an American orthopedic surgeon and sports medicine specialist. He was the Jerome J. Gilden Distinguished Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at Washington University School of Medicine before becoming the Dan Spengler, M.D., Chair in Orthopaedics at Vanderbilt University.