The Australian Orthopaedic Association (AOA) is a

not for profit A not-for-profit or non-for-profit organization (NFPO) is a legal entity that does not distribute surplus funds to its members and is formed to fulfill specific objectives. While not-for-profit organizations and non-profit organizations (NP ...

organisation that represents over 1800 Australian orthopaedic surgeons.

History

The association was formed over several meetings in 1936. At the first, 6 October 1936, a subcommittee was created to draft a constitution. At a meeting on 27 April 1937, foundation members were officially declared and Edmund Vance was elected president. The draft constitution was amended and adopted. On 10 November 2021 at the conclusion of AOA's 81st Annual General Meeting, Annette Holian was made the association's first female president in its 85-year history.

Structure and Governance

AOA's Board of Directors, which governs the Association, is elected by its Fellows. The Board appoints a Chief Executive Officer, who implements strategy and manages the operations of the organisation. One current focus of the efforts of the administration (represented by CEO Adrian Cosenza) and leadership (represented by AOA President Annette Holian) is a deep commitment to "encouraging ethical practices and driving cultural change" with regard to interactions between surgical professionals and medical industry bodies, as recognised by their invitation to attend consecutive

Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC ) is an inter-governmental forum for 21 member economy , economies in the Pacific Rim that promotes free trade throughout the Asia-Pacific region. Following the success of Association of Southeast Asia ...

(APEC) summits.

Activities

AOA provides orthopaedic surgeons and trainees with specialist education, training and

continuing professional development Professional development, also known as professional education, is learning that leads to or emphasizes education in a specific professional career field or builds practical job applicable skills emphasizing praxis in addition to the transferab ...

(CPD). They provide information and advice to the public relating to

musculoskeletal The human musculoskeletal system (also known as the human locomotor system, and previously the activity system) is an organ system that gives humans the ability to move using their muscular and skeletal systems. The musculoskeletal system provid ...

conditions and treatment, and support scientific research relating to orthopaedic surgery. They also participate and organise humanitarian programs in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

and internationally.

AOA National Joint Replacement Registry

The Australian Orthopaedic Association National Joint Replacement Registry (AOANJRR) monitors the performance of

joint replacement Joint replacement is a procedure of orthopedic surgery known also as arthroplasty, in which an arthritic or dysfunctional joint surface is replaced with an orthopedic prosthesis. Joint replacement is considered as a treatment when severe joint pai ...

operations across Australia. The Registry began collecting data in limited states in September 1999, and a state-by-state introduction saw national coverage achieved in 2002. All public and private hospitals at which

arthroplasty Arthroplasty (literally " e-orming of joint") is an orthopedic surgical procedure where the articular surface of a musculoskeletal joint is replaced, remodeled, or realigned by osteotomy or some other procedure. It is an elective procedure that ...

is performed voluntarily submit data concerning operations, and verification processes have established that information is submitted to the Registry on more than 99% of such operations. One of the aims of the Registry is to enable the identification of

medical device A medical device is any device intended to be used for medical purposes. Significant potential for hazards are inherent when using a device for medical purposes and thus medical devices must be proved safe and effective with reasonable assura ...

s and implants requiring higher-than-anticipated rates of revision. Such identification through Registry data can lead to

prostheses In medicine, a prosthesis (: prostheses; from ), or a prosthetic implant, is an artificial device that replaces a missing body part, which may be lost through physical trauma, disease, or a condition present at birth (congenital disorder). Prosthe ...

being withdrawn from the market. When investigations by the

Therapeutic Goods Administration The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) is the medicine and therapeutic regulatory agency of the Australian Government. As part of the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, the TGA regulates the safety, quality, efficacy and advertisi ...

(TGA) results in regulatory action, surgeons who use the implants in question are notified of outcomes.

Orthopaedic Outreach

AOA has strong ties with, and provides significant support to
Orthopaedic Outreach
a

charitable organisation A charitable organization or charity is an organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being (e.g. educational, Religion, religious or other activities serving the public interest or common good). The legal definitio ...

through which Australian orthopaedic surgeons travel to poor regions of the

Asia Pacific Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...

to provide free operations and care to impoverished members of societies in which appropriate surgical care is either unattainable or non-existent. Orthopaedic Outreach has been identified as the "volunteer service arm of the Australian Orthopaedic Association" by Associate Professor Graham Gumley, Orthopaedic Outreach Chair, and the vast majority of the surgeons who

volunteer Volunteering is an elective and freely chosen act of an individual or group giving their time and labor, often for community service. Many volunteers are specifically trained in the areas they work, such as medicine, education, or emergency ...

through the service are AOA members.

References

External links

AOA official website

AOANJRR official website

Orthopaedic Outreach official website
{{authority control Medical associations based in Australia Organizations established in 1936 1936 establishments in Australia