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Academy of Clinical Excellence in Orthopaedics (ACE)


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ACE Steering Committee
Co-Chair Michael Schuetz

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 ACE Steering Committee
Co-Chair Richard Page

About the AOA Academy

The Academy is currently in the early stages of inception however the overarching aims are:

  • to give research more relevance for all AOA members through patient focused quality improvement in clinical care.
  • to streamline AOA research resources.
  • to build up a pathway combining AOA structures with external partners to achieve implementation of quality improvement programs. 

With the support of the AOA Board, an Academy Steering Committee was established in 2024. This group meets monthly to progress the strategic priorities of the Academy. This committee is co-chaired by AOA Members Michael Schuetz and Richard Page. 

In 2025, the AOA Academy Steering Committee and AOA Board approved the formation of six key subcommittees of the Steering Committee with specific areas of focus including policy and engagement, governance and budgeting, grants and opportunities, trainee/early researcher, Registry and partnerships, and consumer engagement.  


Mission statement

To harmonise and leverage existing AOA research infrastructure, resources, and partners to drive improvements in patient care with musculoskeletal disorders or injuries.


ACE Launch and Education Forum: 19-20 March 2026

Co-chairs of the AOA ACE Steering Committee professors Michael Schuetz and Richard Page, would like to invite you to register to attend the 2026 AOA ACE Dinner, Launch and Education Forum. 


The dinner and launch will be followed by the Education Forum, featuring discussions led by experts, researchers, health executives, and leaders from the broader health and academic sectors. Topics will include the background to ACE development and how orthopaedic research benefits the greater health community. 

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ACE Dinner

  • When: 6.30–9.30pm Thursday 19 March 2026
  • Where: The Paddington Room, The Star Brisbane
  • Three course dinner and drinks, $180/pp

Guest speaker: Matthew Ames 

Matthew Ames is an experienced executive with a background in health, safety and sustainability. After contracting streptococcal resulting in toxic shock, Matthew had all four limbs amputated at age 39.

Defying the odds, Matthew recovered and is a voice for health consumers and people with a disability. He has been in integral part of improving healthcare delivery as part of a range of roles, including with the Sepsis Australia, Queensland Health’s Sepsis Program, the Australian Commission for Patient Safety and Quality in Healthcare, and the Australian Digital Health Agency.



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The Paddington Room, The Star

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ACE Dinner guest speaker Matthew Ames

ACE Launch and Education Forum

  • When: sessions from 9.30am–4.30pm, Friday 20 March 2026
  • Where: Room Three-Sixty, Gardens Point Campus, Queensland University of Technology Brisbane

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Thanks to our sponsors

Dinner sponsor and event support sponsor

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Forum trade exhibition sponsor and AOA National Alliance Partner



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Forum trade exhibition sponsors:

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Event support sponsors:

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Interested in sponsorship? 

Please refer the 2026 AOA ACE Education Forum Prospectus for full details.

To book or talk through options, contact Chief Member Experience Officer Michelle White at michelle.white@aoa.org.au or 0400 337 515.

Need more information? 

Please contact research@aoa.org.au for further information.