American Osteopathic Academy of Orthopedics

What American Osteopathic Academy of Orthopedics does

The American Osteopathic Academy of Orthopedics (AOAO), founded in 1941 and headquartered in Richmond, Virginia, is a private professional membership organization representing osteopathic orthopedic surgeons in the United States. The organization serves over 3,000 members across Active, Life, Military, Retired, Honorary, Allied Health, and Associate tiers, including 1,200+ board-certified osteopathic orthopedic surgeons, and provides representation to the American Osteopathic Association (AOA) on legislative, regulatory, and educational matters. AOAO is accredited by the AOA to designate AOA Category 1-A continuing medical education credits and is the sole political voice for osteopathic orthopedic surgeons within the AOA structure.

AOAO's service portfolio is built around four pillars: continuing medical education, peer-reviewed publications, member resources, and an annual event cadence. Educational programs include two flagship conferences (a Spring Meeting of approximately 700 attendees and a Fall Meeting of approximately 800 attendees) offering up to 42 AOA Category 1-A credits per cycle, supported by a member-only Virtual Resource Center, a CME Tracker, and the JAOAO journal alongside The Orthopod monthly newsletter. Community engagement is structured through nine specialty sections (ARAS, Hand Surgery, Foot and Ankle, Pediatrics, Shoulder and Elbow, Spinal Surgery, Sports Medicine, Trauma, and Women's Orthopedic Section), a resident subdivision (RAOAO), and a student group (SAOAO). Foundation activities are housed in the AOAO Foundation, a 501c3 entity that funds research grants up to $10,000 and scholarships.

Revenue is generated primarily through annual membership dues ($350 for Active members, $200 for Associate/Military, $175 for Allied Health, with Candidate residents free), conference and registration fees, tiered exhibitor and sponsorship packages ranging from $4,500 to $15,000, non-member job posting fees ($250 per posting), and donations to the AOAO Foundation. Distribution is conducted through the aoao.org website, the Doctor Locator public directory, and dedicated resident and student portals. AOAO is governed by an elected Board of Directors, is not backed by private equity or venture capital, and reports no parent company or external ownership.

Name

American Osteopathic Academy of Orthopedics

Legal name

American Osteopathic Academy of Orthopedics

Website

https://aoao.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1941

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

The American Osteopathic Academy of Orthopedics is a 1941-founded professional membership organization serving over 3,000 osteopathic orthopedic surgeons in the United States, providing AOA-accredited continuing medical education, two annual conferences, specialty sections, peer-reviewed publications, and political advocacy within the American Osteopathic Association.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Richmond

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership dues provide recurring revenue. Active members pay $350/year, Associate members $200/year, Military members $200/year (reduced from private practice rates), Allied Health professionals $175/year. Candidate (resident) members pay no dues.
2. Annual Meetings and Exhibits: Revenue from exhibitor booth fees (Gold $12,000, Silver $8,500, Bronze $6,500, Exhibitor $4,500), sponsorship packages (Dinner Symposium $15,000, Lunch $15,000, Breakfast $10,000, Cocktail Reception $10,000, Coffee Break $5,000), program advertisements, and attendee registration fees. Expected attendance 800+ orthopedic surgeons at Fall meeting, 700+ at Spring meeting.
3. Job Postings: Job postings run for 180 days and are free for AOAO members. Non-member fee is $250 per job posting.
4. AOAO Foundation Donations: The AOAO Foundation (501c3) accepts donations to support osteopathic orthopedic research and education. Corporate partnerships are welcomed for companies embracing osteopathic philosophy.
5. CME Accreditation: AOAO is accredited by the American Osteopathic Association to provide osteopathic CME for physicians. AOA Category 1-A credits designated for educational programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The American Osteopathic Academy of Orthopedics (AOAO) is a professional membership association serving osteopathic orthopedic surgeons, providing continuing medical education (CME) programming, annual scientific meetings, peer-reviewed publications including the Journal of the AOAO (JAOAO) and the Orthopod newsletter, a Virtual Resource Center, and grants and scholarships distributed through the AOAO Foundation. Founded in 1941 and headquartered in Richmond, Virginia, the organization serves more than 3,000 members across the United States.

Product overview

The American Osteopathic Academy of Orthopedics (AOAO) operates as a professional medical membership organization rather than a technology product company. Its offerings consist of member services, educational programs, publications, and events. The core offerings include: the JAOAO academic journal and The Orthopod monthly newsletter for publications; AOAO CME Programs providing Category 1-A credits; the Virtual Resource Center for on-demand educational content; and Annual Spring/Fall Meetings as premier educational conferences. Supporting programs include RAOAO for residents, the AOAO Foundation providing grants and scholarships, fellowship and job search resources, and the Doctor Locator for patient referrals. The organization also offers specialty sections (ARAS, Hand Surgery, Foot and Ankle, Pediatrics, Shoulder and Elbow, Spinal Surgery, Sports Medicine, Trauma, Women's Orthopedic Section) that provide focused sub-specialty education and networking.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• AOAO Membership Tiered professional membership offered to practicing osteopathic orthopedic surgeons, residents, fellows, and medical students, providing access to specialty benefits, CME, publications, and the annual meeting.
• Continuing Medical Education (CME) Programs Specialty-specific CME courses and credit offerings designed for osteopathic orthopedic surgeons to maintain licensure and board certification requirements.
• Annual Scientific Meeting Annual in-person scientific conference featuring clinical education, research presentations, networking, and an industry exhibit hall for osteopathic orthopedic surgeons, residents, and fellows.
• Journal of the AOAO (JAOAO) Peer-reviewed scientific journal publishing clinical research and review articles relevant to osteopathic orthopedic surgery for the membership and broader orthopedic community.
• Orthopod Newsletter Periodic member newsletter delivering society news, clinical updates, and member-relevant announcements to the AOAO membership.
• Virtual Resource Center Online digital resource hub providing members with on-demand educational content, clinical references, and member resources in an online learning format.
• AOAO Foundation Grants and Scholarships Charitable research grants and scholarships distributed through the AOAO Foundation to support residents, fellows, and medical students pursuing research and education in osteopathic orthopedic surgery.

Quantifiable outcome

• Up to 42 AOA Category 1-A CME credits available per annual cycle
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• American Osteopathic Foundation (AOF)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019The ORE-O Grant was established in 2019 through collaboration between the American Osteopathic Foundation (AOF) and the AOAO Foundation to provide $10,000 financial support for osteopathic orthopedic research and education. Grant supports residents or fellows in training who demonstrate contribution to the science and knowledge of osteopathic orthopedic surgery through research and publication.
• Amedco LLCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAmedco LLC is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) to provide continuing education for the healthcare team. Provides joint accreditation for AOAO's continuing medical education activities.
• American Osteopathic Association (AOA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAOAO is accredited by the American Osteopathic Association to provide osteopathic continuing medical education for physicians. AOA Category 1-A credits are designated for educational programs.
• American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAAPA recognizes AOA Category 1 CME credits, allowing Physician Assistants to claim CME credits from AOAO educational programs.
• FreemanminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerFreeman is the official general service contractor for the AOAO exhibit hall, providing exhibitor services and logistics for annual meetings.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America: Subspecialty society for pediatric orthopedics with CME, research grants, and annual meeting. Comparable on AOAO's Pediatrics specialty section, though POSNA operates as an independent (non-osteopathic-specific) organization.
• Arthroscopy Association of North America: Subspecialty society for arthroscopic surgeons with CME programming and annual meeting. Comparable on the sports medicine/ARAS sub-sections within AOAO, but AANA is procedure- rather than profession-specific.
• North American Spine Society: Specialty society focused on spine care with CME, annual meeting, and advocacy. Comparable on the spinal surgery subspecialty section that AOAO maintains, though NASS operates at a much larger scale and broader (allopathic-inclusive) membership.
• American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine: Major subspecialty society for sports medicine orthopedics with research grants and annual meeting. Comparable to AOAO's Sports Medicine section and shares the same exhibitor/sponsor universe (medical device companies).

Broad incumbents

• American Osteopathic Association: The umbrella professional association for all DOs, of which AOAO is an affiliated specialty society. Comparable governance, advocacy, and CME accreditation infrastructure, but operates at the full osteopathic profession level rather than the orthopedic subspecialty.

Direct peers

• American College of Osteopathic Surgeons: The osteopathic counterpart for general surgeons, with parallel structure: CME accreditation, annual meetings, resident organization (ACOS-RES), and advocacy within AOA. Operates on the same membership/sponsorship model as AOAO but across surgical specialties.
• Society of Military Orthopaedic Surgeons: Serves military orthopedic surgeons with comparable membership model, CME offerings, and annual meeting. Overlaps with AOAO's Military membership category ($200/year) and shares educational content focus.
• American Osteopathic Academy of Sports Medicine: Fellow osteopathic specialty academy within the AOA structure, serving sports medicine physicians with comparable CME programming, membership tiers, and annual meetings. Directly comparable as a peer osteopathic specialty society.
• American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons: The dominant U.S. orthopedic surgeon professional society with ~39,000 members, comparable CME programming, advocacy, and annual meeting franchise. Directly comparable on member services, meetings, and political representation, but serves the broader (predominantly allopathic) orthopedic workforce.

Others

• Orthopaedic Research Society: Research-focused society supporting orthopedic science through grants, journals, and annual meeting. Adjacent to AOAO's Foundation research grants and JAOAO journal but distinct in mission and member profile.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/aoaodocs
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/american-osteopathic-academy-of-orthopedics
• Instagraminstagram.com/aoaodocs
• Xx.com/aoaodocs

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about American Osteopathic Academy of Orthopedics