American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons

What American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons does

The American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES) is a nonprofit professional medical society founded in 1982 and headquartered in Schaumburg, Illinois, that serves practicing orthopaedic surgeons, residents, fellows, and a small international Corresponding Member base with a focus on shoulder and elbow surgery. Its mission is to advance shoulder and elbow care by supporting ~1,000 members across seven membership categories (Active, Associate, Candidate, Fellow, Corresponding, Affiliate, Senior), of which roughly 35% are Candidate or Fellow Members representing the next-generation pipeline. The society runs the Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery (JSES) family of journals as its official publication, alongside the Neer Award, Codman Lecture, and Neer Circle consensus process, which together position ASES as the authoritative body for the subspecialty in North America with growing international reach through ICSES and exchange fellowships.

ASES's product surface is centered on member services rather than a single technology product. Core offerings include the members-only ASES Annual Meeting (regular registration $1,100), Specialty Day, Winter Summit, Mentor/Mentee Meeting, and Resident/Fellow courses; the ASES LINK learning platform (powered by Path LMS); the ASES365 mobile app; the ASES Online Community (powered by DocMatter); the Virtual Journal Club; and a Radiographic Photo Library. Research and training infrastructure spans 25 ASES-recognized fellowship programs, multicenter study groups covering 15+ topics, research grants of up to $20,000, and the ASES Foundation Fellowship Education Grant Program funded by Platinum-level industry sponsors. Partnerships include the JSES family (shared with 10 specialty organizations), the San Diego Shoulder Institute (Fellows Symposium), AANA (Advanced Shoulder Course), AAOS (Specialty Day, Shoulder & Elbow Registry), ASSH (Comprehensive Elbow Course), Japan Shoulder Society, USBJI, ORS, and a VR partnership with Precision OS.

The revenue model combines recurring member dues, one-time event registration, journal subscriptions, advertising (the society explicitly does not rent its member list), and a formalized tiered industry sponsorship program ranging from Topaz ($15k-$49,999) to Double Diamond ($300,000+), with fellowship education grants funded separately by Stryker, Zimmer Biomet, DePuy Synthes, Enovis, and Pacira. Customer concentration on the demand side is low (1,000+ distributed individual members), while industry sponsorship is more concentrated among the top five orthopaedic device companies. The organization is governed by an elected Presidential Line and Executive Board and runs with a small 1-10 staff plus society-management services.

Name

American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons

Legal name

American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons

Website

https://ases-assn.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES) is a nonprofit professional medical society serving approximately 1,000 shoulder and elbow orthopaedic surgeons worldwide through membership, the JSES journal family, fellowship recognition, research grants, and the members-only Annual Meeting and ICSES congress.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Medical Society Services

NAICS

Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (541)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Shoulder & Elbow (HLAKALAI)

Keywords

• Orthopaedic surgery society
• Continuing medical education
• Surgical fellowship programs
• Medical journal publishing
• Physician professional membership

Headquarters

HQ city

Schaumburg

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: ASES generates revenue through membership fees across multiple categories (Active, Associate, Candidate, Fellow, Corresponding, Affiliate, Senior). The 2026 membership application cycle opens mid-November 2026.
2. Annual Meeting and Event Registration: Registration fees for the ASES Annual Meeting (members-only), Specialty Day, and other educational courses. Regular registration rate $1,100, Fellow Member $450-$550, Senior Member $250-$300, ICLs $75 each.
3. Journal Subscriptions: Discounted annual subscription to Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery and Seminars in Arthroplasty for members.
4. Industry Partnerships and Sponsorship: Industry engagement program with tiered sponsorship levels (Double Diamond $300k+, Diamond, Emerald, Ruby, Sapphire, Topaz) providing corporate partners with webinar slots, social media promotion, email access, exhibit booth, and recognition benefits.
5. Advertising: ASES sells advertising on its website and in its monthly newsletter. Contact person is Steve Mlodoch. ASES does not rent its member mailing list or electronic mailing list.
6. Fellowship Education Grants from Industry: Industry partners (DePuy Synthes, Enovis, Pacira, Stryker, Zimmer Biomet) provide funds to the ASES Foundation to support fellowship education grants, funding fellows' salaries and benefits.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels14 records

Core offering

American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES) is a nonprofit professional medical society that serves shoulder and elbow orthopaedic surgeons through tiered membership (Active, Associate, Candidate, Fellow, Corresponding, Affiliate, Senior), continuing education programs (ASES LINK learning platform, webinars, virtual journal club), scientific meetings (annual meeting, specialty day, winter summit, mentor/mentee meeting), accredited fellowship recognition, the JSES family of peer-reviewed journals, research grants and awards administered through the ASES Foundation, and advocacy representation before regulatory bodies.

Product overview

American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES) is a professional medical society, not a technology product company. ASES offers a portfolio of member services centered on education, research, and professional development for shoulder and elbow surgeons. The core offerings include the ASES LINK learning platform and Virtual Journal Club for continuing education; ASES-Recognized Fellowship Programs for training; research grant programs including the ASES Foundation Fellowship Education Grant, Candidate Research Grant, and Research Grant; the Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery (JSES) Family of Journals as its official publication; the ASES Podcast for audio-based education; and the ASES Annual Meeting, Winter Summit, and Mentor/Mentee Meeting as key events. The ASES Wellness Program provides professional fulfillment resources, while the ASES Leadership Development Program builds career skills. Additional services include the ASES365 mobile app, ASES Online Community (powered by DocMatter), the Radiographic Photo Library, and exchange fellowship programs. The ASES Foundation supports fundraising for education and research initiatives.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery (JSES): Official publication for ASES and 10 leading specialty organizations, focusing exclusively on medical, surgical, and physical techniques for treating injury/disease of the upper extremity.
• ASES Foundation
• ASES365
• ASES LINK

Products and services

• ASES Membership
• ASES LINK – Learning Information Network
• ASES Annual Meeting
• ASES Winter Summit
• ASES Mentor/Mentee Meeting
• Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery (JSES) Family of Journals
• ASES Podcast
• ASES365 Mobile App
• ASES Online Community (Powered by DocMatter)
• ASES-Recognized Shoulder and Elbow Fellowship Programs
• ASES Foundation Fellowship Education Grant
• ASES Research Grants and Awards
• Virtual Journal Club
• ASES Leadership Development Program
• ASES Practice Management Webinar Series
• ASES Research Webinar Series
• ASES Virtual Reality Webinar Series
• Radiographic Photo Library
• ICSES 2026 (16th International Congress on Shoulder and Elbow Surgery)
• ASES Foundation Patient Resources
• ASES Industry Sponsorship Program

Quantifiable outcome

• Membership reached 1,000 in 2019, with 35% being Candidate/Fellow Members representing the next generation of the field.
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.

• San Diego Shoulder Institute (SDSI)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerASES partners with the San Diego Shoulder Institute on the annual ASES Fellows Symposium, held during the SDSI conference. The symposium features fellow presentations and the Robert H. Cofield, MD and Richard J. Hawkins, MD awards.
• AANA (Arthroscopy Association of North America)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerASES co-directs courses with AANA including the Advanced Shoulder Course and joint-sponsored courses. AANA and ASES jointly sponsor educational programs at the Orthopaedic Learning Center in Chicago.
• Japan Shoulder Society (JSS)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJapan Shoulder Society was Guest Nation at the 2019 ASES Annual Meeting, featuring two combined symposia on rotator cuff treatment and baseball shoulder/elbow topics. This guest nation relationship dates back several years.
• AAOS (American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerASES collaborates with AAOS on Specialty Day meetings held during the AAOS Annual Meeting, AAOS Shoulder & Elbow Registry participation, ABOS exam preparation (ABOS SAE exams), and various clinical practice guidelines.
• ASSH (American Society for Surgery of the Hand)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerASES and ASSH are developing a Comprehensive Elbow Course under the direction of co-directors Frank Alberta, MD and Joaquin Sanchez-Sotelo, MD (ASES) and Michael Hausman, MD (ASSH).
• Orthopaedic Learning Center (OLC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerASES conducts resident courses, cadaver labs, and educational programs at the Orthopaedic Learning Center in Rosemont, Illinois.
• USBJI (United States Bone and Joint Initiative)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerASES partners with USBJI on the Young Investigator Initiative Grant Mentoring and Career Development Program, helping early-career orthopaedic researchers secure funding. ASES members have participated in this program.
• Orthopaedic Research Society (ORS)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerASES partners with ORS on the Clinician Scholar Career Development Program (CSCDP), an annual two-day training workshop for orthopaedic residents, fellows, and junior faculty. ASES sponsors 2 member applicants.
• AOSSM (American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerASES partnered with AOSSM on the STOP (Sports Trauma and Overuse Prevention) Sports Injuries program, which aims to prevent traumatic and overuse injuries in young athletes.
• 25 ASES-Recognized Fellowship Programs (2025-2026 Recipients)coreOthers25 fellowship programs are recognized by ASES and eligible to receive ASES Foundation Fellowship Education Grants. Programs include Beaumont Health, Cleveland Clinic, Columbia University, Hospital for Special Surgery, Johns Hopkins, MGH, Mayo Clinic, NYU Langone, Rush, University of Colorado, University of Pittsburgh, University of Utah, University of Washington, and Washington University in STL among others.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS): Broad orthopaedic society whose members include shoulder/elbow surgeons. ASES runs Specialty Day at AAOS and partners on ABOS prep and registries. AAOS is the much larger parent discipline society.
• International Society of Arthroscopy, Knee Surgery and Orthopaedic Sports Medicine (ISAKOS): Global orthopaedic sports medicine and arthroscopy society with significant overlap in shoulder content. Competes for international member engagement and CME dollars.

Direct peers

• American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine (AOSSM): Adjacent subspecialty society that competes for sports medicine-trained surgeons' attention and dues. AOSSM and ASES co-developed the STOP Sports Injuries program and share members treating shoulder pathology.
• Arthroscopy Association of North America (AANA): Co-directs the Advanced Shoulder Course with ASES at the Orthopaedic Learning Center. Overlapping membership and overlapping scope on arthroscopic shoulder procedures.
• American Society for Surgery of the Hand (ASSH): Co-developing the Comprehensive Elbow Course with ASES. Overlapping upper-extremity scope and member base, particularly for elbow-focused surgeons.

Regional players

• European Society for Surgery of the Shoulder and the Elbow (SECEC/ESSSE): Direct European counterpart society covering the same shoulder/elbow subspecialty. Linked from ASES website as a sister society serving a different geography.
• Japan Shoulder Society (JSS): National Japanese shoulder society featured as Guest Nation at the 2019 ASES Annual Meeting. Direct counterpart in Asia; comparable subspecialty scope but different geography.
• British Elbow and Shoulder Society (BESS): UK-based direct counterpart for elbow and shoulder surgeons. Comparable subspecialty society structure with members-only meetings, fellowships, and journals.

Others

• Orthopaedic Research Society (ORS): Research-focused partner society that co-runs the Clinician Scholar Career Development Program with ASES. Adjacent enabling organization rather than direct competitor.
• United States Bone and Joint Initiative (USBJI): Partner organization through which ASES members have secured over $486M in grants via the Young Investigator Initiative. Enabling organization rather than competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ASESmembers
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@ASESassn
• Facebookfacebook.com/Americanshoulderandelbow
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/american-shoulder-and-elbow-surgeons

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons