American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons President

Wednesday 14 October 2026

Plenary

Ned Amendola, MD, is currently the Virginia Flowers Baker Distinguished Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery, Chief of the Sports Medicine Division, and Executive Director of the James R. Urbaniak Sports Sciences Institute at Duke University. In addition, he is the Head Team physician and Chief Medical Officer for Duke Athletics. 

Dr Amendola earned his medical degree and completed his orthopedic residency at the Western University in London, Ontario. He completed post-graduate fellowships in Orthopaedic Sports Medicine, Foot and Ankle, and Hand Surgery. Dr Amendola is a Diplomate of the American Board of Orthopedic Surgery and the Royal College of Surgeons of Canada.  He began his career on faculty where he trained at Western University in London Canada, where he became Chief of Orthopaedic Surgery at the University Hospital, moved to the University of Iowa in 2001 as Director of Sports Medicine, and was a tenured Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery until 2015. While at Iowa, Dr. Amendola received the Kim and John Callaghan Endowed Chair in Sports Medicine in 2009.  He has been a tenured Professor of Orthopaedic surgery at Duke University since 2015. 

Dr. Amendola has been involved as a member and a leader in many orthopedic and sports medicine organizations, currently President of the American Academy of Orthopedic surgeons (AAOS). He is Past President for the American Orthopedic Society for Sports Medicine.  He has been a member of the Board of Directors of OREF, AAOS, ABOS, AOSSM, AANA, ISAKOS, and Past President of the Canadian Academy of Sport Medicine. 

Throughout his career, Dr Amendola has focused on improving the quality of orthopedic care through clinical practice, education, and research. He has always appreciated teaching and learning from  many students, residents, and fellows over his career.  He has received numerous peer-reviewed grants, and published over 400 peer-reviewed articles, as well as authored an extensive number of book chapters and editor of 8 textbooks in sports medicine, foot and ankle, and arthroscopy. Dr. Amendola has earned numerous research related awards including Kappa Delta Award from the AAOS in 2012 and 2019 and Excellence in Research Award, Cabaud and O’Donohue awards from the AOSSM. He was inducted into the AOSSM Sports Medicine Hall of Fame in 2025, and Honorary member of ESSKA, SIAGASCOT and SIOT. 

Australian Orthopaedic Trauma Society Guest Speaker

Trauma Sessions

Dr. Michael Blankstein, MSc, MD, FRCSC, FAAOS, is an Associate Professor of Orthopaedics at the University of Vermont Medical Center, specializing in adult trauma and lower limb reconstructive surgery. His clinical expertise includes complex hip and knee arthroplasty, periprosthetic fractures, Traumaplasty, robotic-assisted surgery, and post-traumatic joint reconstruction. A nationally recognized educator and researcher, he is actively involved with AO, OTA, AAHKS, AHF, and AAOS, contributing to resident education, clinical guidelines, symposia and peer-reviewed publications. In leadership roles, Dr. Blankstein serves as Chair of the OTA Podcast Committee, Program Chair for the New England Orthopaedic Society, and Champion of UVM’s Total Joint Health Program

Canadian Orthopaedic Association President

Wednesday 14 October 2026

Plenary

Dr. Sukhdeep K. Dulai, MD, MHSc, FRCSC, is a Full Professor within the Department of Surgery at the University of Alberta. She practices as a Paediatric Orthopaedic Surgeon at the Stollery Children’s Hospital and Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Dr. Dulai is a founding member and past president of the Canadian Paediatric Orthopaedic Society. She previously served as Director of the Canadian Orthopaedic Foundation and was a 2019 ABC travelling fellow. Her leadership extends to being an executive member of the RCPSC Orthopaedic Surgery Examinations Committee and serving as President (2025-2026) of the Canadian Orthopaedic Association.

Before launching her surgical practice at the University of Alberta in 2006, Dr. Dulai completed her medical degree and residency in Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Alberta. She pursued further specialization through fellowships in Paediatric Orthopaedic Surgery at the Children’s Hospital at Westmead in Sydney, Australia, and BC Children’s Hospital in Vancouver, British Columbia. In addition, she earned a Master of Health Science in clinical epidemiology from the University of British Columbia.

Dr. Dulai is the Pediatric Orthopaedic Surgery fellowship director at the University of Alberta. Her clinical expertise includes limb deformities, hip dysplasia, and neuromuscular disorders. She is actively involved in research and collaboration as co-chair of the Paediatric Orthopaedic and Rehabilitation Medicine Research Team of Alberta (PORRTAL), orthopaedic lead of the University of Alberta Paediatric Developmental Hip Dysplasia study group, and as a member of the Women and Children’s Health Research Institute (WCHRI).

Dr. Dulai is committed to improving paediatric orthopaedic care for underserved populations and for children with complex conditions, such as cerebral palsy. She is dedicated to developing and advocating for initiatives that promote healthier and more sustainable surgical practices and health systems, with the ultimate goal of enhancing overall patient care.

AOA PRESIDENTIAL GUEST SPEAKER

Consultant Paediatric Orthopaedic Surgeon 
Great Ormond St Hospital for Children & the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital 
Assoc Professor University College London
Deputy Chair of the RCS England Workforce and Training Committee
RCSE Council Member  

As a medical student, growth and function fascinated me and so I became a paediatric orthopaedic surgeon. 

I enjoy clinical work, research and teaching and I am a committed trainer despite the current challenges. I am a past president of both EPOS and the BOA and current present of IODA (International Orthopaedic Diversity Alliance). I am a member of the Council of the Royal College of Surgeons of England. 

I enjoy writing and have contributed to numerous book chapters and authored many scientific papers. 

As BOA President 2023 I was at the forefront of developing and maintaining innovative and sustainable solutions for training, research and clinical care with diversity, inclusion and equity at the forefront of our plans: and all these require engagement! I continue to pursue these interests and try to ‘make a difference’! 

In my spare time … I enjoy London Life 

AOA GUEST SPEAKER & AUSTRALIAN HAND SURGERY SOCIETY
MONDAY 12 OCTOBER 2026

OPENING CEREMONY & HAND SCIENTIFIC SESSIONS

Dr. Margaret Fok is currently a consultant of the Division of General Orthopaedics and Traumatology, Queen Mary Hospital. She is also an Honorary Clinical Associate Professor of The University of Hong Kong.

Dr. Margaret Fok had her undergraduate medical training in University of Otago, New Zealand. After her graduation in 2000, she came back to Hong Kong and embarked into her orthopaedic career in Queen Mary Hospital. During her training, she had the opportunities to work with esteemed hand and wrist surgeons including Professor SP chow, Dr Boris Fung and Dr PC Ho. As a result, she has developed special interests in hand and wrist surgeries and microsurgeries. Upon the completion of her orthopaedic specialist training, she seek further training in these areas by taking overseas fellowships, to work under

• Professor Diego Fernandez, Bern, Switzerland for the management of complex wrist problems
• Professor Fu-Chen Wei for soft tissue coverage in limbs
• Professor David Chuong for nerve reconstruction in brachial plexus injuries
• Professor Yuen- Kuen Tu for the management of complex hand conditions and brachial plexus injuries

For the past years, she has extended her interest into soft tissue injuries of the elbows and has learned from some of the elbow masters, including Dr Shawn O Driscal, Mayo clinic, Rochester, USA, Professor Roger Van Riet, Antwerp, Belgium,  Professor Greg Bain, Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia and Professor In-Ho Jeon, Asan Medical Centre, Seoul, South Korea.  She is also leading the musculoskeletal infection multidisciplinary team within the Department of Orthopaedic and Traumatology, Queen Mary Hospital.

Dr. Margaret Fok is active in the international academic world. She has been an invited speaker in many international symposium, including International Society of Orthopaedic Surgery and Traumatology (SICOT), International Society of Arthroscopy, Knee surgery and Orthopaedic Sports Medicine (ISAKOS), Asia Pacific Orthopaedic Association (APOA), and European Federation of Societies for Microsurgery (EFSM). She currently holds positions in many international as well as regional and local orthopaedic societies:

• International Society of Orthopaedic Surgery and Traumatology (SICOT)
  • Executive Committee
  • Education Academy Chair
• International Societies of Arthroscopy, Knees Surgery and Orthopaedic Sports Medicine (ISAKOS) 
  • Godmother
  • Co-Chair, Education Committee
  • Deputy Chair, Young Professional Task Force
  • Member, Elbow, Wrist and Hand Committee
  • Member, Programme Committee
• American Society for Surgeries of the Hand (ASSH)
  • Member, International  Visiting Professor Committee
  • Member, International Guest Hand Society Committee
• Asia Pacific Orthopaedic Association (APOA)
  • President, Hand and Upper Limb Society
• Asia Pacific Wrist Association (APWA)
  • Member, Education Committee
  • Member, IT committee
• The Hong Kong Society for Surgery of the Hand (HKSSH)
  • Honorary Treasurer

She has published book chapters and articles on hand, wrist and compressive neuropathies in esteemed orthopaedic journals. She is a reviewer in many indexed journals and is the Section Editor of Hand and wrist in Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery (American).

Dr. Margaret Fok enjoys teaching. Beside teaching the undergraduate medical students of the University of Hong Kong, she is the course convenor of the IRCAD- Taiwan elbow and wrist course and has been an instructor in many international and regional wrist arthroscopic workshops, including Strasbourg, Singapore and China and AO courses. She set up the Anatomy of Basic Science courses of the FRCSEd(Ortho)/FHKCOS exit exam, of which it is considered  as one of the “must-attended” course prior to the fellowship exam and has been the convener of that course for the past 14 years.

Being the 10th female orthopaedic specialist in Hong Kong, Dr Margaret Fok is committed in promoting diversity, inclusion and equality in the Orthopaedic Field. She is the Asia Pacific Representative in International Orthopaedic Diversity Alliance (IODA) and has been given talks on diversity, inclusion and equality in numerous international symposium

• Wrist degenerative and traumatic pathology
• Wrist arthroscopy
• Hand fractures
• Microsurgery – soft tissue reconstruction
• Elbow degenerative pathology and elbow arthroscopy
• Complex musculoskeletal infection
• Brachial plexus injury and Peripheral nerve surgery
• Negative pressure treatment in hand injuries
• Rotational deformity of the finger
• Rheumatoid hand surgery
• Arthroplasty in the hand and wrist
• Congenital hand abnormalities
• Diversity, Equality and Inclusion

• Endoscopic cubital tunnel release – Review of the literature
• The medium term outcomes of an all arthroscopic triangular fibrocartilage complex foveal reconstruction using tendon graft.
• Endoscopic cubital tunnel release – State of the art.
• A Study of Radiological wrist anatomy in a southern Chinese population.
• Patient expectations predict outcomes following distal radius fracture: a prospective cohort study using the TERTOM questionnaire.
• Diversity in orthopaedics and traumatology: a global perspective.
• Chronic scapholunate instability treated with temporary screw fixation.
• Current management of hand enchondroma: a review
• Less invasive distal radius osteotomy for extra-articular dorsally displaced mal-united fractures
• A new building block: costo-osteochondral graft for intra-articular incongruity after distal radius fractures
• Volar Plate Fixation of Intra-articular distal radius fractures: a retrospective study. New Technologies in Hand Fracture Management
• Ten year results using a dynamic treatment for proximal phalangeal fractures of the hands
• The Beauty of stability: distal radioulnar joint stability in arthroscopic triangular fibrocartilage complex repair
• Autologous osteochondral graft for treatment of traumatic defect of finger joints
• The versatile reverse flow sural artery neurocutaneous flap: a case series and review of literature
• Osteoporosis: public awareness, commitment and perspectivesMWM Fok, HB Leung; Unresolved lytic lesions following parathyroidectomy in a patient with chronic renal failure
• Evaluation of a Hong Kong Chinese version of a self administered questionnaire for assessing symptom severity and function status of carpal tunnel syndrome, cross-cultural adaptation and reliability

Invited Guest Speaker
Australian and New Zealand Sarcoma Association (ANZSA)

Monday 12 October 2026
Tumour Session

Dr. B. Ashleigh Guadagnolo received her Medical Doctorate from Harvard Medical School and her Master of Public Health from Harvard School of Public Health. Dr. Guadagnolo completed her residency and chief residency at Harvard’s Joint Center for Radiation Therapy. In 2006, Dr. Guadagnolo joined the faculty at MD Anderson Cancer Center in the Department of Radiation Oncology. She is now Professor and Section Chief of the Sarcoma/Melanoma Radiation Oncology Section and Deputy Department Chair for Radiation Oncology. She specializes in rare tumors including bone and soft tissue sarcomas, melanoma and non-melanoma skin malignancies.  Dr. Guadagnolo participates actively in ongoing research efforts to improve outcomes for patients with these malignancies, and she has authored clinical studies that guide clinical practice for patients with sarcomas and melanoma. 

British Orthopaedic Association Past President

Bob Handley FRCS (Ed) 2026

As Robert Christopher Handley I was brought up in London, an undergraduate in Sheffield and then wandered. My first job was in  Shetland and then I spent three years with the British Antarctic Survey; in the South Orkneys and the Falklands. I was subsequently domesticated and have 4 children and 4 grandchildren. My Trauma & Orthopaedic training was in the North East of England followed by a Trauma fellowship at Harborview in Seattle. I have been a Consultant on the Trauma Service at the John Radcliffe Hospital Oxford with a trauma only practice since 1994. I am also the National Clinical Lead in Adult Orthopaedic Trauma for the GIRFT (Getting it Right First Time) programme in England.

I was President of the British Orthopaedic Association (BOA) in 2020/21. My time as President overlapped with Covid; I went to no meetings and indeed saw none of my BOA colleagues in person until 3 days before I handed over office. I had previously been president of the Orthopaedic Trauma Society and AOUK&I. I chaired groups involved in the development of national  guidelines related to orthopaedic trauma with both NICE and the BOA. 

My hobbies like my work relate to breaking and mending things. I was recently asked “What is your favourite tool?” Whilst I thought it would seem more grown up to say it was a pen, I concluded it was actually a hammer. 

South Africa Orthopaedic Association President
Wednesday 14 October 2026

Plenary

I am an orthopaedic surgeon who qualified at the University of Pretoria in 2006 with my MMed (Ort), having completed my undergraduate studies at the same institution in 1996. 
After qualifying, I began my full-time private practice in 2008, following more than two years as a consultant in the upper limb unit of 1 Military Hospital. During this formative period, I had the privilege of training under and being mentored by Prof Theo le Roux. 

Throughout my 18 years in private practice, I have always had a special interest in shoulder reconstructive surgery. Until 2 years ago, I also performed trauma calls. 

I have actively pursued continuing education through attendance at numerous international congresses, visitations, and workshops on shoulder-related problems. I am committed to advancing the field through my active involvement in training newly qualified orthopaedic surgeons in arthroscopic surgery techniques. 

My surgical training includes extensive experience in joint replacement procedures, having assisted and trained under Prof BGP Lindeque (now practicing in Denver, Colorado) and Prof TLB le Roux in shoulder, knee, hip and hand surgeries. 

As a MAKO robotic-trained shoulder replacement surgeon, I completed advanced training in the United States in 2025, building upon over three years of experience in MAKO robotic knee replacements. I currently practice at Pretoria East Hospital, which has been established as a training center for MAKO shoulder replacements and augmented reality (ARVIS) procedures. 
Currently, I am the President of the South African Orthopaedic Association having served on the EXCO for 8 years, contributing to the development of orthopaedic services and standards of care in the region. 

AOA GUEST SPEAKER
MONDAY 12 OCTOBER 2026
OPENING CEREMONY

Vaigalo Eddie McCaig, MBBS, MMED (Surgery), is an orthopedic surgeon from the Fiji Islands. He completed a Hip and Knee Arthroplasty Fellowship in Dunedin, New Zealand, and has professional affiliations with several sports organisations, including the Fiji Association of Sports and National Olympic Committee (FASANOC), the Fiji Rugby Union, and World Rugby.

Dr Javad Parvizi MD, MS, FRCS is an American board-certified orthopedic surgeon with extensive experience in joint reconstruction. He has performed over 10,000 joint replacements and 2000 joint preservation procedures during his tenure at Rothman Institute, Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia.

He completed medical school training in the UK, orthopedic surgery residency at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, and a fellowship in pelvic surgery in Switzerland. He is one of the most recognized names in orthopedic surgery with honorary membership of over 100 international societies. He has published over 1,000 peer-reviewed papers (H Index of 148) related to joint reconstruction and was ranked as number 1 orthopedic surgeon in the US for numerous years.

He is a member of numerous societies including the Hip and the Knee Society (in the US), an honorary closed society that invites up to 100 top surgeons in the US to join. He has served as the president of the American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons (AAHKS), the Eastern Orthopedic Society (EOA), and the Musculoskeletal Infection Society (MSIS). He travels globally to teach other surgeons and present the findings of his groundbreaking research.

Dr. Parvizi is a trusted authority in the management of complex hip and knee conditions, specializing in young patients with hip disorders. Renowned worldwide for his expertise in periprosthetic joint infection, joint preservation and joint reconstruction.

Dr. Parvizi is currently Professor of Orthopedic Surgery at Acibadem University, Istanbul and performs surgery at the International Joint Center in Istanbul. He is dedicated to providing the highest level of care to his patients.

AOA GUEST SPEAKER
Wednesday 14 October 2026

Plenary

Dr Brett Robinson is the Chief Executive Officer of RetireAustralia, one of the largest privately owned retirement village operators in Australia.  With 29 villages nationally, over 5,000 people choose to call a RetireAustralia community home.  

With over a decade of CEO and executive leadership experience, Brett has led a range of high-profile organisations spanning the healthcare, insurance and sports sectors.

After completing a medical degree at the University of Queensland, Brett worked as a surgical trainee before completing a Doctorate of Philosophy in Clinical Orthopaedics at Oxford.

Brett’s rugby career saw him play 16 test matches for the Wallabies and take on the role of the inaugural captain of the ACT Brumbies.  Off the field, Brett made a significant contribution to his sport as the General Manager of the Australian Rugby Union’s High-Performance Unit and as Deputy Chairman of Rugby Australia. Brett has been a member of Council and member of the Executive Board of World Rugby since 2016.

In November 2024, Brett was the first person from the Southern Hemisphere to be elected as the World Rugby Chair for a four (4) year term.

Brett has since forged a successful career in the private sector, leading organisations where care and wellbeing is at the heart of all they do, including Mondial Assistance, Icon Cancer Care, and Bank of Queensland Specialist.

Brett’s experience working in human services has nurtured a deep appreciation of community and the delivery of high-quality care across a growing network.  As CEO of RetireAustralia, Brett is committed to making a positive impact on the lives of older Australians and their families by building beautiful home environments, delivering exceptional care and creating vibrant retirement communities.

Brett also has held a number of non-executive directorships.  He has served as the President of Council, King’s College, University of Queensland, and represented Australia on the World Rugby Executive Committee and Council. 

Brett still assists when able, orthopaedic colleagues in complex hip and knee arthroplasty.