Winter Meeting Program

AOFAS Winter Meeting 2026

January 22-24, 2026
The Meritage Resort and Spa
Napa, California

Program Chairs:
M. Truitt Cooper, MD, and Joseph S. Park, MD

The American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society (AOFAS) is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians. AOFAS designates this live activity for a maximum of 10.25 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ for the AOFAS Winter Meeting and 5.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ for the Foot & Ankle Arthritis Think Tank. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Successful completion of this CME activity, which includes participation in the evaluation component, enables the learner to earn credit toward the CME requirements of the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery's Maintenance of Certification program. It is the CME activity provider's responsibility to submit learner completion information to ACCME for the purpose of granting ABOS credit.

For more information on AOFAS accreditation and educational policies, visit the Program Overview page.

Program

Click the date below to view that day's schedule. Schedule and program subject to change.

Thursday, January 22   |  Friday, January 23   |  Saturday, January 24

THURSDAY, JANUARY 22

9:00 am – 6:30 pm
Registration/Badge Pickup

Foot & Ankle Arthritis Think Tank 
* additional fee required

10:00 – 10:10 am
Welcome and Introduction
Jonathon D. Backus, MD

10:10 – 11:00 am
Symposium 1: Pathogenesis
Moderator: Donald D. Anderson, PhD

Inflammatory Mediators in Ankle Arthritis
Lew C. Schon, MD

Biomechanics of the Ankle Joint
William R. Ledoux, PhD

Ankle Cartilage: Is Understanding It the Answer to Arthritis in Other Joints?
Mitchell Coleman, PhD

Adipose Tissue and Its Role in Arthritis
Kelsey H. Collins, PhD

Discussion/Question Generation

11:00 – 11:10 am
Break

11:10 am – 12:30 pm
Symposium 2: Diagnostic Challenges

Are We Treating Ankle Sprains and Fractures Adequately?
Scott J. Ellis, MD

Weightbearing CT and Treatment of Ankle Arthritis
Amy L. Lenz, PhD

Epidemiology of Ankle Arthritis
Cesar de Cesar Netto, MD, PhD

Advancements of MRI in Ankle Arthritis
Constantine A. Demetracopoulos, MD

Discussion/Question Generation

12:30 – 1:00 pm
Lunch

1:00 – 2:00 pm
Symposium 3: Treatment of Ankle Arthritis

Are New Biologic Medications the Answer?
Nancy E. Lane, MD

Non-Pharmacological Treatment and Prevention of Ankle Arthritis
Jason M. Wilken, PT, PhD

Advancements in Joint Preserving Surgery
Annunziato Amendola, MD

Challenges and Controversies of Ankle Replacement versus Ankle Fusion
Anish R. Kadakia, MD

Preventative Care of Ankle Arthritis
Erik Wikstrom, PhD, ATC

Discussion/Question Generation

2:00 – 2:10 pm
Break

2:10 – 2:50 pm
Symposium 4: How Do We Research Ankle Arthritis?

Basic Science/Preclinical Research
Kenneth J. Hunt, MD

Biomechanical Investigations
Bopha Chrea, MD

From Questions to Evidence: Designing Better Clinical Trials for Ankle Arthritis
Judith F. Baumhauer, MD, MS, MPH

RCT/Multicenter Trials
Todd O. McKinley, MD

Discussion/Question Generation

2:50 – 3:00 pm
Break

3:00 – 4:00 pm
Closing Discussion/Summary

Winter Meeting Scientific Session

4:25 – 4:30 pm
Welcome and Introduction
M. Truitt Cooper, MD, and Joseph S. Park, MD, Program Chairs

4:30 – 6:30 pm
Symposium 1: Advanced Ankle Arthroplasty
Moderators: Constantine A. Demetracopoulos, MD, and Elizabeth A. Cody, MD

Staging Deformity Correction: How and When
Brian M. Weatherford, MD

Choosing Your Tibial Components: Low Profile versus Stemmed Implants
James R. Lachman, MD

Making Sense of Talar Options: Chamfers Are a Pain, but Worth It?
Karl M. Schweitzer Jr., MD

Custom Arthroplasty Components: How Do They Really Do?
Samuel E. Ford, MD

Case Presentations

6:30 – 8:00 pm
Welcome Reception in Exhibit Hall

* Spouses/partners and children who purchased Guest Tickets may attend

FRIDAY, JANUARY 23

6:00 – 6:45 am
Breakfast/Networking

6:40 – 7:00 am
Debate: Artelon versus Internal Brace
Jesse F. Doty, MD; Anish R. Kadakia, MD

*NOTE: This session does not offer CME credit

7:00 – 7:30 am
Blood Flow Restriction
Johnny Owens, MPT

*NOTE: This session does not offer CME credit

7:30 – 8:00 am
Break in Exhibit Hall

8:00 – 9:00 am
Symposium 2: Surgery Went Well, What's Next?
Moderator: Nicholas L. Strasser, MD

Accelerated versus Cautious (Achilles)
Eric I. Ferkel, MD

Wearable Sensors/Performance
Norman E. Waldrop III, MD

AI Assisted Rehab and Recovery
Judith F. Baumhauer, MD, MS, MPH

When Do I Let My Patient Weight Bear?
Kelly K. Hynes, MD

Cases/Discussion

9:00 – 10:30 am
Symposium 3: I Followed the Recipe, Why Does the Foot Still Look So Flat?
Moderators: Scott J. Ellis, MD, and Lauren E. Geaney, MD

Mastering the Triple Arthrodesis
Jeffrey E. Johnson, MD

Deltoid/Spring Ligament
Naveen Pattisapu, MD

Unstable First Ray/Terrible Tripod
J. Benjamin Jackson III, MD

Debate Your Mentor: LCL
Scott J. Ellis, MD; Matthew S. Conti, MD

Cases/Discussion

10:30 – 11:00 am
Break in Exhibit Hall

11:00 am – noon
Paper Session 1
Moderators: Jeannie Huh, MD, and Aaron J. Guyer, MD

A Novel Clinical Classification of Peroneal Tendon Disease Correlates with Tissue Pathology and Postoperative Outcomes
Julia Matthias, MD; Nicholas Austin, AS; Sara Buckley, DO; Samuel Stark, BS; Michael David, PhD; Michael Zuscik, PhD; Helena Jonsson, MD, PhD; Kenneth Hunt, MD

Assessing the Impact of SGLT2i on Outcomes Following Hindfoot Arthrodesis: A TriNetX Analysis
Abhiram Dawar, BA; Gnaneswar Chundi, BS; Michael Greenberg, BS; Roman Duchnycz, MBS; Zachary Fuller, MD; Tuckerman Jones, MD; Kush Mody, MD; Sheldon Lin, MD

Radiographic Outcomes and Complication Rates Following First Tarsometatarsal Joint Arthrodesis with a Multiplanar Correction System for Hallux Valgus Correction
Thelma Jimenez Mosquea, MD; Yasamin Daneshvar, DPM; Uzaam Syed, DPM; Hugo Ubillus, MD; Jeffrey Lucido, DPM; Paul Greenberg, DPM; Rick Delmonte, DPM; Raymond J. Walls, MD

Ten-Year Subsequent Hindfoot Fusion Rates Do Not Differ Following Total Ankle Arthroplasty or Ankle Arthrodesis in a Large-Scale Database with Verified Continued Patient Enrollment
Jean Louka, MD; Gregory Guyton, MD; Eslam Alkaramany, MD

Radiation Exposure and Safety in Minimally Invasive Foot and Ankle Surgery: A Comparative Analysis Between Minimally Invasive Distal First Metatarsal Transverse Osteotomy and Akin Osteotomy vs. Open Modified Lapidus Procedure
Preston Harrison, BS; Sarah Kiriluk, MD; Kevin Lee; Moawiah Mustafa, MD; Shawn Guirau, MA; John O'Keefe, MD; Ettore Vulcano, MD; A. Holly Johnson, MD; Jonathan Kaplan, MD; Oliver Schipper, MD; J. Benjamin Jackson III, MD, MBA; Tyler Gonzalez, MD, MBA

Comparing Patient Reported Outcomes and Complications Following Open versus Minimally Invasive Double and Triple Arthrodesis for Rigid Flatfoot Deformity: A Retrospective Analysis
Paoloivan Fiore, MD; Sarah Kiriluk, MD; Preston Harrison, BS; Lance Schacht, BS; Alice Montagna, MD; Tyler Gonzalez, MD, MBA; Ettore Vulcano, MD

The Ponseti Method for Clubfoot in Adolescents and Adults
Nany Lemus Ruiz, MD; Martha Caicedo-Gutierrez, MD; Diego Ortiz, MD; Jaime Schuster, MD; Diana Montoya, MD; Brandon Zaldivar, MD; Adriana Cogua Rodriguez, MD

Discussion

Noon – 12:45 pm
Lunch in Exhibit Hall

1:15 – 2:15 pm
Vineyard Walk

1:30 – 3:30 pm
Bioventus Industry Session
Rolling the Tide on Nonunion: How I Use EXOGEN in My Practice
Faculty: Nicholas L. Strasser, MD

5:30 – 6:30 pm
Fireside Chats
Sheldon S. Lin, MD; Judith F. Baumhauer, MD, MS, MPH; Jeremy J. McCormick, MD; Kenneth J. Hunt, MD; Bryan D. Den Hartog, MD

6:30 – 8:00 pm
Evening Reception

* Spouses/partners and children who purchased Guest Tickets may attend

SATURDAY, JANUARY 24

6:00 – 7:00 am
Breakfast/Networking

7:00 – 8:30 am
Symposium 4: I Thought Sports Medicine Was Supposed to Be Fun!
Moderators: Monika Volesky, MD, and Jonathon D. Backus, MD

Flexible Fixation for Lisfranc
Christopher D. Kreulen, MD

Can I Return to Sport After...
Paul G. Talusan, MD

Large OCD of Talus
Manfred G. Thomas, MD

Open versus Arthroscopic Lateral Ligament Reconstruction
Peter G. Mangone, MD

Debate: The Dreaded Navicular
Joseph S. Park, MD; M. Truitt Cooper, MD

Cases/Discussion

8:30 – 9:15 am
Break in Exhibit Hall

9:15 – 10:15 am
Paper Session 2
Moderators: James J. Sferra, MD, and Steve B. Behrens, MD

Distinct Morphological Phenotypes Influence Stability After Syndesmotic Injury: A Cadaveric Weight-Bearing CT Study
Kareem Omran, MD; Cesar de Cesar Netto, MD, PhD; Nacime Salomao Barbachan Mansur, MD, PhD; Grayson Talaski, BSE; Kepler Carvalho, MD; Kevin Dibbern, PhD

Return to Sport After Excision of Os Trigonum in Athletes
Alexis Watson, BS; Gokul Kalyanasundaram, MD; Alexander Wahl, MD; Wen Chao, MD

Long-Term Solid AFO Bracing for Failed Conservative Management of Achilles Tendinosis
Nicolas Zingas, MD; Christopher Zingas, MD; Louis Zingas, MSc

Patient-Reported Outcomes After Minimally Invasive versus Open Achilles Tendon Debridement and Haglund’s Resection
Elinor Stern, MD; Sanidhya Singh, BS; John Tabb, MD; Barrie Sugarman, MD; Ian Torchia, MSc; David Walton, MD; James Holmes, MD; Paul Talusan, MD

Assessing Reliability of Online Star Ratings in Orthopaedic Surgery: A Multi-Institutional Analysis of Solicited versus Unsolicited Patient Reviews
Christopher Chiodo, MD; Paul Fine-Lease, BA; Luke Bornstein; Giovanna Kalin

Single-Shot Liposomal Bupivacaine Is a Safe and Effective Alternative to Continuous Catheter-Based Analgesia for Postoperative Pain Management of Foot and Ankle Surgery
Paoloivan Fiore, MD; Sarah Kiriluk, MD; Sebastian Baquero; Tyler Gonzalez, MD, MBA; Ettore Vulcano, MD

Subtalar Arthrodesis for Post-Traumatic Arthritis After Calcaneus Fracture Is Associated with a Higher Nonunion Risk
James Padley, MD; Ryan Leduc, MD; Kerri Bell, MD; George Graham, MD; Kayla Hietpas, MPH; Robert Anderson, MD; Bruce Cohen, MD; J. Kent Ellington, MD; Todd Irwin, MD; Carroll Jones, MD; Scott Shawen, MD; Samuel Ford, MD

Discussion

10:15 – 11:15 am
Symposium 5: It's a Marathon, Not a Sprint...
Moderators: Daniel Guss, MD, MBA, and Bryan D. Den Hartog, MD

Life Messages from My Mentors and Family
Lew C. Schon, MD

Ergonomics/Overcoming Injury
Bopha Chrea, MD

Social Media
Arianna Gianakos, DO

Mentorship
Christopher W. DiGiovanni, MD

Cases/Discussion

11:15 am – 12:30 pm
Symposium 6: Incorporation of New Technology: Is New and Shiny Always Better?
Moderator: J. Kent Ellington, MD, and Alan Y. Yan, MD

Innovation Over a Career
Michael J. Coughlin, MD

Tibial Transverse Transport
Amgad M. Haleem Amin, MD, PhD

Nerve Modulation/Stimulator
Brent R. DeGeorge Jr., MD, PhD

MIS for Insertional Achilles Tendinopathy
Vinod K. Panchbhavi, MD

Cases/Discussion

12:30 pm
Adjourn