Committees

Committees play a vital role in the Society’s work to build a strong specialty and meet the evolving needs of our members. The AOFAS relies upon its membership to carry out the valuable work of its committees and appreciates the service of its committee volunteers.

Who May Serve

• Active, Candidate, and Associate Members: Eligible to serve on all committees

• International and Allied Health/Associate-Basic Science Members: Eligible to serve on select committees (see list below)
  

• Surgeon in Training Members: May serve as an ex-officio committee member on one committee.

Each term of service is two years. Committee Chairs are appointed to a two-year term and may serve up to two terms. Committee Vice Chairs are appointed to a one-year term and may serve up to two terms.

For the Young Physicians Committee only, Committee Chairs are appointed to a one-year term. Vice Chairs are appointed to a one-year term and then may elevate to Committee Chair. The past Committee Chair will remain on the committee for one year as an ex-officio member.

How to Apply

The application period for 2026-27 committee positions is now closed. Applications for 2027-28 positions will open in February 2027.

AOFAS General Committees

• Committee on Health Outcomes, Registries, and Data (CHORD)*
  Facilitates collection of patient-reported outcomes among members for collaborative research

• Education*^
  Provides oversight for educational meetings, courses, and webinars

• Evidence-Based Medicine*
  Develops evidence-based statements and responses to inquiries from members and external organizations

• Fellowship Match & Accreditation
  Oversees the AOFAS-sponsored Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Fellowship Match Program, Fellowship Scholarship Program, and AOFAS Fellowship Accreditation Program

• Health Education, Access, and Leadership (HEAL)
  Plans outreach programs and education programs on health disparities to foster a welcoming environment for individuals of all backgrounds in the profession and in patient care

• Health Policy
  Serves as a resource for members and organized medicine on health policy issues; partners with AAOS, AMA, ACS, and other organizations on advocacy issues

• International Outreach*
  Identifies opportunities for outreach to expand AOFAS interactions with international societies and surgeons; manages the AOFAS Traveling Fellowship Program and EFAS/AOFAS Exchange Program

• Medical Student Outreach
  Plans activities to introduce medical students to orthopaedic foot and ankle surgery.

• Membership*^
  Reviews membership applications and oversees member recruitment and retention initiatives.

• OnDemand Education*
  Develops and oversees online foot and ankle educational content and its delivery through the OnDemand Education Center

• Postgraduate Education
  Develops resources to increase foot and ankle exposure and education during residency training, including Resident Skills Courses and the Resident Scholarship Program

• Practice Management
  Represents AOFAS at CPT and RUC meetings, reviews and develops coding proposals and relative value recommendations, and educates membership on practice management topics

• Program*^
  Develops program objectives and content for the Winter Meeting, Annual Meeting, and Pre-Meeting Course

• Public Education*^
  Develops patient education information for distribution through FootCareMD and other communication channels

• Research*^
  Evaluates research grant applications, organizes the Research Forum at Annual Meeting, and oversees programs for collaborative research and research career development

• Women's Leadership*
  Identifies and oversees initiatives to support and encourage women in foot and ankle orthopaedic surgery, including the Women's Leadership Awards

• Young Physicians* - limited to members in the first 10 years of practice
  Develops and supports activities that promote involvement in the Society among residents, fellows, and early-career surgeons

AOFAS Oversight Committees (special eligibility criteria)

• Committee on Outside Interests
  Creates conflict of interest policies and procedures for Board approval; reviews submitted conflicts and recommends plan for management

• FAI/FAO Managerial Board
  Provides oversight for financial and operational management of the Society's print and open access journals

• Finance
  Manages and supervises financial management of the AOFAS and the Foundation; advises the Board of Directors on financial affairs and policies

• Governance
  Reviews applications to committees and selects new members, chairs, and vice chairs

Foundation Committees

• Humanitarian Services*^
  Identifies members to join humanitarian mission trips; evaluates and advises AOFAS and the Foundation on service opportunities

* International Members may apply

^ Allied Health Members may apply