Health Education, Access, and Leadership (HEAL)

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

The AOFAS Health Education, Access, and Leadership (HEAL) Initiative was established to:

• conduct an assessment of the current AOFAS environment
• identify ways to address inclusivity and access issues in the workplace and patient care
• foster a welcoming environment for individuals of all backgrounds in foot and ankle orthopaedics as a profession as well as in AOFAS leadership roles.

Current Programs

Medical Student BioSkills Workshops

AOFAS BioSkills 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.

Register now for our upcoming BioSkills Workshop!

Saturday, November 7
Rush University Medical Center
Chicago, Illinois

See our Instagram page for highlights from past workshops:

• May 2, 2026 at Campbell Clinic (Memphis, TN)

• April 11, 2026 at Brown University (Providence, RI)

• October 25, 2025 at St. Joseph Medical Center (Houston, TX)

• October 4, 2025 at University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (Pittsburgh, PA)

• May 31, 2025 at Hospital for Special Surgery (New York, NY)

• May 3, 2025 at Northwestern Memorial Hospital (Chicago, IL)

• 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)