The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons is proud to welcome you to the 2010 Annual Meeting at the Morial Convention Center in New Orleans from March 9 to 13, 2010.

Whether or not you are attending the New Orleans meeting as a member of the media, you will surely find something for your audience in this press kit.  AAOS Media Relations staff are available to set-up interviews with any presenter or study author.  Our contact information is listed below. Contact us by cell at anytime with questions or interview requests. 

Eight media briefings will be held in the Media Briefing Room (Room 206).  There also will be hundreds of lectures on a wide array of orthopaedic subjects, reports of results from cutting-edge research on medical breakthroughs, and consumer-focused health-related topics of relevance to your readers, listeners and viewers.  Looking for Hot Topics?  AAOS media relations staff created a snapshot PDF to make crafting your stories a breeze. 

Annual Meeting Programs                                  Study Abstracts

Press Room
Location
Room 203 through 205—Registered media are free to use this space to write stories, do research and relax throughout the meeting.

Hours
Tuesday, March 9 ..................................7 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Wednesday, March 10…........................7 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Thursday, March 11…............................7 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Friday, March 12……..............................7 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Saturday, March 13….............................7 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Amenities
AAOS will provide registered media with complimentary breakfast, lunch, snacks and refreshments on Wednesday, March 10 through Saturday, March 13.  Wireless access is available inside both the Press and Media Briefing Rooms.

Private Interview Room
The AAOS will provide a private room (Room 211) designated for one-to-one interviews with any of our orthopaedic surgeons. Please see the Media Relations staff if you would like to reserve this room.

Special Events: Live Shot and Photo Opportunities
Constructing a Family Fitness and Fun Park all in One Day’s Work
The AAOS and its volunteers in just one day will construct a Family Fitness and Fun Park at Jefferson Playground (4100 South Drive) in Jefferson Parish on Tuesday, March 9, 2010. The day begins at 8:30 a.m. and ends at approximately 3:30 p.m. Buses will run between the Morial Convention Center and the build site from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., and AAOS will provide lunch at the location.  Media are encouraged to volunteer or just stop by the build for photos, live-shots or interviews.   

Honoring Wounded Warriors through Art
Wounded in Action: An Art Exhibition of Orthopaedic Advancements will be on display March 9–13, at the Morial Convention Center, outside the La Nouvelle Ballroom. Organized as a tribute to injured troops, their families, and the civilians, medical staff and orthopaedic surgeons who cared for them, the exhibition thoughtfully considers the sacrifices made in war. The show includes artwork created by 27 orthopaedic surgeons, as well as 75 other artists, in response to the painful, personal and inspiring stories of those injured in combat. AAOS has on-site spokespeople for interviews, and high-resolution artwork available. 

Related events include:
Woundedin Action Artist Talk
Join the artists from this exhibit as they discuss their work and the exhibition.
Thursday, March 11
4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Morial Convention Center, Room 208

Woundedin Action Reception
Thursday, March 11
6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Morial Convention Center, outside of the La Nouvelle Ballroom

The Haitian Earthquake:  What We Saw, Did and Learned
Join orthopaedic surgeons as they discuss their experiences in Haiti and what obstacles still remain.  This symposium will be on March 11th from 10:30 am to 12:30 pm in Room 217.  All panelists are available to the media for one-on-one interviews.  Contact AAOS media relations staff for more information. 

Healthcare Reform:  Where are we Now?
Symposium focused on the realities of healthcare reform and implications for the orthopaedic community. Members of the AAOS Presidential Line, and Advocacy chair will discuss this on Wednesday, March 10th in the La Nouvelle Ballroom, from 10:30 am to 12:30 pm.

American Joint Replacement Registry (AJRR) Update
The AJRR was founded in 2009 and is a national, independent, not-for-profit organization with the goal of optimizing patient outcomes through the collection of ‘core’ data on all primary and revision total joint (hip and knee) replacement procedures, while saving hundreds of millions of dollars annually.  This session is on Wednesday, March 10th from 9:00 am to 11:00 am in Room 210. 

The Orthopaedic Surgeon-Industry Relationship:  Evolution or Revolution
Relationships with industry are constantly evolving.  This symposium, held on Friday, March 12th from 8:00 am to  10:00 am will address this landscape with both orthopaedic surgeons and law health experts.  Members of the media are welcome to attend this session, but also invited to a separate question and answer session – beginning at 10:15 am – in the Media Briefing room with all symposium speakers, including Kirk Ogrosky, JD, who leads the Department of Justice (DOJ) Criminal Division’s health care fraud enforcement activities. 
Mr. Ogrosky’s bio

STOP Sports Injuries Campaign
There are alarming trends in “professional-level” injuries among youth sports participants. Orthopaedic surgeons see two trends: the number of youth injuries is reaching epidemic proportions and youth are experiencing overuse injuries at a younger and younger age. The high rate of youth sports injuries is fueled by an increase in overuse and trauma injuries and a lack of attention paid to proper injury prevention. 

To address these issues, the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine (AOSSM), the AAOS and other collaborators created the STOP Sports Injuries Campaign. The Campaign is designed to help parents, coaches, healthcare providers and athletes learn more about the prevention, treatment and long-term consequences of overuse and trauma injury. Armed with the correct information and tools, today’s youth athletes can remain healthy, play safe and stay in the game for life.

Social Media
Anyone can follow the AAOS 2010 Annual Meeting conversation on Twitter – use #aaos2010 to connect with fellow Tweet-ers’ throughout the meeting!