Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Everyone has a story. AOFAS celebrates member diversity through storytelling. Read stories from your colleagues or share your own.

The AOFAS Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) Initiative was established in 2021 to:

• conduct an assessment of the current AOFAS environment

• identify ways to address DEI issues in the workplace and in patient care

• work toward increased representation of under-represented minorities (URM) in foot and ankle orthopaedics as a profession as well as in AOFAS leadership roles.

The DEI Committee reports directly to the AOFAS Board of Directors with representation from the Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Foundation Board of Directors as well.

AOFAS Members, please help the DEI Committee by participating in the Member Census. Go to your Member Profile and update the information in "My Demographics" (under My Account Links).

Current Programs

AOFAS On the Same Page

These discussions address books and journal articles on healthcare inequities along with diversity and inclusion issues for the profession.

Watch this page for updates on our next event!

Medical Student BioSkills Workshops

AOFAS orthopaedic skills workshops offer opportunities for medical students to gain hands-on experience with orthopaedic instruments and techniques. The half-day workshop includes a series of "challenges" using orthopaedic power tools, followed by a Sawbones lab where AOFAS faculty will guide attendees through orthopaedic foot and ankle procedures in interactive small groups.

Medical Student BioSkills Workshops are FREE for medical students, but you must register in advance.

Register now for our next BioSkills Workshop!

Saturday, October 4, 2025
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Hosted by the AOFAS Postgraduate Education Committee

Register Now

In collaboration with Nth Dimensions, AOFAS holds half-day skills workshops to introduce first- and second-year medical students to orthopaedic surgery, specifically foot and ankle surgery.

Save the date for our next AOFAS/Nth Dimensions BioSkills Workshop!

Saturday, October 25, 2025
St. Joseph Medical Center
Houston, Texas
Hosted by the AOFAS Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee

See our Instagram page for highlights from past workshops:

• October 5, 2024 at Meharry Medical College (Nashville, TN)

• October 28, 2023 at Morehouse University (Atlanta, GA)

• August 26, 2023 at the University of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, PA)

• October 22, 2022 at Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science (Los Angeles, CA)

• July 16, 2022 at Emory University (Atlanta, GA)