CORD Conferences

Program Education, Accreditation, and Leadership (PEAL) Forum Theme: Skills

The PEAL Forum is designed specifically for new/aspiring residency and fellowship program directors, assistant program directors, residency and fellowship program coordinators, and anyone interested in orthopaedic surgery graduate medical education.

PEAL Forum Agenda 
Thursday, February 12, 2026
1:00pm – 1:05pm Opening Remarks for PEAL Forum – S. Trent Guthrie, MD, FAOA, CORD/Academics Committee Chair (Henry Ford Health/Henry Ford Hospital); Afshin Razi, FAOA, CORD Education Subcommittee Chair (Maimonides Medical Center); Paul Dougherty, MD, FAOA, PEAL Forum Program Chair (University of Florida College of Medicine Jacksonville)

1:05pm – 1:25pm Skills upon graduation-which ones are needed?

The CORD Conference will explore all facets of pivoting when unexpected changes occur, including both didactic and interactive sessions.

CORD Conference Agenda
Thursday, February 12 – Day One
1:00pm – 2:15pm Program Education, Accreditation, and Leadership (PEAL) Forum

2:15pm – 2:30pm Break

2:30pm – 2:35pm  Opening Remarks for CORD Conference S. Trent Guthrie, MD, FAOA, (Henry Ford Health), CORD/Academics Committee Chair; J. Milo Sewards, MD, FAOA, (Temple University Hospital), 2026 CORD Conference Program Chair

2:35pm –3:00pm Updates

•   American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery (ABOS)
•   American Osteopathic Board of Orthopaedic Surgery (AOBOS)
•   Accreditation Council of Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) Review Committee
•   Association of Residency Coordinators in Orthopaedic Surgery (ARCOS) – Maia Knox, C-TAGME, ARCOS President
•   Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery (JBJS)

3:00pm – 3:10pm Coordinator of the Year Award

3:10pm – 4:00pm Panel Discussion: Program Directors and Program Coordinators

4:00pm – 4:15pm  Q&A/Adjourn

4:15pm – 5:15pm Cocktail Reception – Networking with drinks and light hors d’oeuvres – Sponsored by University of Florida College of Medicine

CORD Conference Agenda
Friday, February 13 – Day Two
7:00am Coffee & Conversations with a Breakfast Buffet – Sponsored by AO North America

8:00am – 8:05am Opening Remarks

8:05am – 9:00am Ann E. Van Heest CORD Lecture – Professionalism in Graduate Medical Education: What Is It and Can We Teach It?
Elisa A. Zenni, MD, Designated Institutional Official, University of Florida-Jacksonville

9:00am – 10:00am SYMPOSIUM 1: An Adjustment in the Resident Roster

•   Contending with the Departure of a Resident
•   When Remediation Doesn’t Do the Trick
•   Integrating a Newcomer to the Program
•   Adjusting Schedules and Accommodating Maternity/Paternity/Sick Leave

10:00am – 10:15am Break – Visit exhibitors and enjoy drinks & snack

10:15am – 11:30am SYMPOSIUM 2: Contending with the Problem Child – Sponsored by Prisma Health Upstate – University of South Carolina SOM Greenville

•   Issues with Onboarding – PD and Coordinator
•   Lapses in Professionalism in Senior Residents
•   Bad Behavior in Faculty

11:30am – 12:30pm Lunch

12:30pm – 1:45pm SYMPOSIUM 3: Maintaining High Standards and Excellence in Inclusive Programs

• Supporting Trainees in Unique Populations
• Quick to Judge? Resident Dismissals and Program Response
• Still Work to Do? – Navigating Inclusivity

1:45pm – 2:00pm Q&A

2:00pm Adjourn

Program Coordinators: you can now register yourself and your program directors and other faculty at the same time. Log into the AOA/CORD database, select the “Group Registration” button, and use the dropdown menu under the “Add Group Registrant” button to find/select the names of the people in your program to add them to your group registration. Once your group registration list is complete, you can pay for everyone in one invoice for ease in departmental reimbursement.

*Individual Registration is also still available.

Paying by Check: If you wish to pay by check, please contact the AOA office to complete your individual or group registration. AOA staff will process your registration and provide an invoice via email with payment instructions. Please note: Registrations entered into the online cart are not retained if payment is not submitted online by credit card or ACH. If you are paying by check AOA staff must complete your registration on your behalf. For payment by check, changes, or questions, email info@aoassn.org or call 847-318-7330.

2026 Winter CORD Registration Rates:

Program Coordinator:

• Through December 1: $300
• December 2-January 26, 2026: $350
• On or after January 27, 2026: $400

CORD Affiliate: 

• Through December 1: $575
• December 2-January 26, 2026: $625
• On or after January 27, 2026: $675

CORD Non-Affiliate:

• Through December 1: $775
• December 2-January 26, 2026: $825
• On or after January 27, 2026: $875

Cancellation Policy: 
• 20% cancellation fee between registration open date and 6 weeks in advance of event
• 50% cancellation fee 3-6 weeks out
• Less than 3 weeks no refund

*NOTE: All cancellations and refund requests must be in writing. This policy applies to all forms of payment.

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CME information will be provided shortly.

The AOA thanks AO North America for their Coffee & Conversations sponsorship and for exhibiting at the 2026 Winter CORD Conference.

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Summer CORD Conference Theme: Shaping Tomorrow’s Orthopaedic Workforce

Learning Objectives 

By the end of the 2026 Summer CORD Conference, attendees will be able to: 

• Explain readiness characteristics of future Orthopaedic applicants 
• Describe the impact of Orthopaedic academics on rural American care 
• Identify resiliency in Orthopaedic residents 
• Analyze private practice responses to residency training 

AGENDA  

*Residents from the Resident Leadership Forum will join the CORD Conference 8:30am – 10:40am 

 8:30am OPENING REMARKS 

8:35am MICHAEL A. SIMON CORD LECTURER  

9:20am Q&A 

9:30am SYMPOSIUM I: Building Resilient Surgeons: Addressing Occupational Hazards to Shape 

Tomorrow’s Orthopaedic Workforce 

• Radiation Safety Education for Residents  
• Career Planning and Family Considerations for Residents  
• Ergonomic Training and Injury Prevention  
• The Mental Health Emergency  

10:30am Q&A 

10:40am BREAK 

10:50am SYMPOSIUM II: Improving Orthopaedic Care in Rural America: The Role of Academic Programs 

11:45am Q&A 

12:00pm Lunch Break 

1:00pm REPORTING FROM THE RLF/CORD COLLABORATION

1:15pm OPEN PAPER PODIUM PRESENTATIONS

• Effect of a Sub-internship Preparation Course on Medical Student Preparedness of Sub-internship Rotations 
• Musculoskeletal Curriculum Duration in Medical Schools with an Orthopaedic Surgery Residency Program 
• Objective Productivity and Match Success: A PubMed Analysis of Research Output Among 2025 Orthopaedic Surgery Interns,  
• Inaccuracies in Orthopaedic Research Fellowship Applications: A Study on Authorship Misrepresentations 
• Utilization of Artificial Intelligence Within the Residency Selection Process

1:45pm Q&A

2:00pm SYMPOSIUM III: Research, Readiness, and the Orthopaedic Applicant of the Future 

• What sets applicants apart in a competitive match landscape  
• Role of research in training successful orthopaedic surgeons 
• Departmental strategy in the new match landscape   

3:00pm Q&A

3:15pm OPEN MIC DISCUSSION 

3:30pm  ADJOURN CORD CONFERENCE/COCKTAIL RECEPTION TO FOLLOW 

Register now for the 2026 Summer CORD Conference at the Albuquerque Convention Center.

Book your hotel reservation for the 2026 Summer CORD Conference, held at the Albuquerque Convention Center, The Clyde Hotel, Albuquerque, NM.

CME information will be provided shortly.