THANK YOU
TO THE 63 UNIVERSITIES AND THEIR LEADERSHIP TEAMS!
Our 2025 AOC Business & Leadership Symposium brought together 63 university-based musculoskeletal enterprises and their leadership teams for our highest-rated meeting to date. The authenticity and vulnerability of our speakers inspired deep connection, reflection, and action—reminding us that even the most accomplished leaders face real challenges, and that shared wisdom drives progress. Across three powerful days, excellence and engagement defined every session as we continued shaping the future of academic orthopaedics together.
Watch Our Quick Recap Video Below!
Thank you to our amazing Speakers
- Michael Ast, MD, Chief Medical Innovation Officer and Director of Ambulatory Surgery Center Strategy, Hospital for Special Surgery
- Scott Boden, MD, Chair-Emeritus, Emory
- John Bonini, Director of Clinical Operations, Duke University
- K. Keely Boyle, MD, Chief of Joint Replacement & Reconstruction, University of Texas, Southwestern
- Amy Chauffe, MS, Chief Administrative Officer, Ochsner Health
- Antonia Chen, MD, MBA, Chair, University of Texas, Southwestern
- Matthew Dietz, MD, Chair, West Virginia
- Grant Garrigues, MD, Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery, Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush
- Farshid Guilak, PhD, Professor of Orthopedic Surgery and Director of Research, Washington University
- Nady Hamid, MD, Shoulder & Elbow Surgeon, OrthoCarolina
- William Horton, MBA, MHSA, Chief Administrative Officer, University of Alabama, Birmingham
- Catherine Humphrey, MD , MBA, Associate Chief Medical Officer, University of Rochester Health System
- Joshua J. Jacobs, MD, Chair-Emeritus, Midwest Rush
- Alek Johnson, MHA, Director of Cast Room & Durable Medical Equipment (DME), Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush
- Bryanna Kaiser, MBA, Department Administrator – Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation at Oregon Health & Science University
- Sang D. Kim, MD, Spine Surgeon, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
- Thomas Krupko, MD, Medical Operations Director, University of Florida
- Claudette Lajam, MD, System Chief of Orthopedic Quality and Safety, New York University
- Albert Lin, MD, Vice Chair, Pittsburgh
- Paul Marini, MHA, Chief Administrative Officer, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
- R. Lor Randall, MD, Chair, UC Davis
- Kelly Rosenfeld, MHA, FACHE, Associate Vice President – Musculoskeletal Service Line at Atrium Wake Forest, Department of Orthopaedic & Rehabilitation at Wake Forest University School of Medicine
- Mara Schenker, MD, MBA, Chief, Emory University
- Andrew K. Simpson, MD, Chief of Spine Surgery Director – UT Southwestern Spine Center
- Michael Stauff, MD, Chair, UMASS
- R. James Toussaint, MD, Chief, University of Florida
2025 Symposium Presentations
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- Aligning Ortho Department Innovation with System Quality Mandates
- An AI Powered Approach to Patient Experience Safety and Growth
- AOC MedTech Advisory: Improving University & Industry Collaboration to Foster a More Efficient, Trust-Based, and Scalable Process for Evaluating, Validating, Educating, and Adopting New Technologies Across Key Stakeholders
- Building a Clinical Team Across Your Markets
- DME Optimization Strategies for Patient Care and Margin Management
- Effective Leadership Organization of Your Department-What’s Your Structure
- Faculty Compensation and RVU Pressures in a Hybrid Academic Model
- Mitigating the Opioid Footprint
- Navigating NIH Caps and Protecting the Future of Orthopaedic Research
- Practice Transformation Through Digital Front Desk
- Successes/Lessons Learned for Optimizing APP
- Successes/Lessons Learned for Utilizing Athletic Trainers and Negotiating from the Hospital
- Two Decade Journey to an Orthopaedic Specialty Hospital
Deep Appreciation
- This year, we witnessed some truly Herculean efforts — contributions that went far beyond expectations and delivered exceptional value to all of us who share the academic orthopaedic space. The scope, quality, and sheer volume of work from this group have advanced our collective mission in profound ways. Their leadership, collaboration, and commitment to excellence continue to elevate the Academic Orthopaedic Consortium and the broader community it serves.
- A heartfelt thank you to: Grant Garrigues, MD • Joshua Jacobs, MD • Scott Boden, MD • Rafael Sierra, MD • Leslie Storms, MBA • Stuart Simpson • John Bonini • Eoghan Hurley, MD, PhD • Daniel Goltz, MD, MBA • Angie Scala • Jonathan Gustafson, PhD
- Our all-star line-up of Distinguished Presenters for their game-changing insights.
- And to the Departments that came as a full TEAM— Vanderbilt, Utah, West Virginia, Wake Forest, Atrium Health, your participation took our 2025 Symposium to the next level!
- All that we do is made possible by the great support of our Corporate Partners whose expertise and financial support allow us to scale AOC value to 5,400+ members spanning 180 Universities and another 120 Health Systems. Thank you Breg, Pacira, Johnson & Johnson MedTech, Heron Therapeutics, SocialClimb, Think Surgical, Vertex, Smith & Nephew, Stryker, Epic, and Healio!
Attendee Ratings
This year was our BIGGEST and our BEST with 100% indicating “I am happy I attended” and 98% giving the Symposium an overall final grade of “A” or “A-”!
- 100% indicate “I am HAPPY I attended the AOC Business & Leadership Symposium
- 96% rate the Agenda Topics “A” or “A-“
- 95% rate the Speakers “A” or “A-“
- 93% rate the Networking and Engagement Opportunities “A” or “A-“
- 98% rate the OVERALL MEETING “A” or “A-“
SAVE THE DATE!
The 2026 AOC Connect Business and Leadership Symposium will be held once again in Nashville at the Loews Nashville Hotel at Vanderbilt Plaza from Thursday, Oct 1 through Saturday, Oct 3, 2026.
Do you want to be a speaker or do you have a topic to suggest for 2026? Contact Michael@aoc-ortho.com.
2025 Symposium Gallery
