AO Foundation

The AO is a medically-guided, not-for-profit organization, a global network of surgeons, and the premier education, innovation, and research organization for the surgical treatment of trauma and musculoskeletal disorders. 

The AO began with a problem: how to improve patient outcomes in the treatment of trauma and musculoskeletal disorders. This remains the priority for everyone at and involved with the AO. The AO covers different specialist areas, brought together into one global community, one network, one powerhouse of excellence focused on improving patient care.

Today, the AO has a global community of over 500,000 health-care professionals. Each year the AO offers approximately 900 educational events around the world, supported by more than 8,000 faculty and attended by over 65,000 participants. The AO has almost 20,000 surgeon members working in the fields of trauma, spine, craniomaxillofacial, veterinary, reconstructive, and sports surgery.