CORD Conferences

Winter CORD Conference Theme: Bridging the Gap: Preparing Tomorrow’s Residents Today

Learning Objectives:

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

• Understand the basics of common program requirements and assessment
• Compare the values of competence and autonomy in residency education end-goals
• Explore solutions for unmatched residents
• Assess preparation for acting internships

AGENDA

DAY ONE – Thursday, February 18, 2027

12:00pm LUNCH – Sponsored by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC)
**New Program Directors and new Program Coordinators are encouraged to come for lunch! Seasoned CORD members will be there to greet and welcome you.

1:00pm OPENING REMARKS – S. Trent Guthrie, MD, FAOA, Henry Ford Health, CORD/Academics Committee Chair;
Paul Dougherty, MD, FAOA, 2027 Winter CORD Conference Program Chair

1:05pm SYMPOSIUM I: Knowledge in Practice – Common Program Requirements and ABOS Alignment- Moderator: Alicia Harrison, MD, FAOA, University of Minnesota

• Mandate or Benefit: How to engage residents and faculty in KSB completion-Kristopher Matullo, MD, FAOA, St. Lukes University Hospital
• Measuring Competence: Training faculty to evaluate performance and provide feedback-Jessica Downes, MD, FAOA, Hennepin
• Powerful Data: Can the KSB dashboard inform your CCC -Ray Hsu, MD, Rhode Island Hospital/Brown University Health
• ABOS Updates -David Martin, MD, FAOA, American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery

2:15pm COORDINATOR OF THE YEAR AWARD – Christina Hardesty, MD, Case Western Reserve University/University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center; Chad Hanson, DO, Oklahoma State University

2:25pm Panel Discussion: Program Directors and Program Coordinators: Moderators: Robert Decker, MD, FAOA, University of Florida; Maia Knox, C-TAGME, ARCOS President

This session will explore real-world scenarios and collaborative strategies used to navigate complex challenges in residency program management.

2:50pm BREAK

3:00pm UPDATES

• Association of Residency Coordinators in Orthopaedic Surgery (ARCOS) -Courtney Matlach, C-TAGME, ARCOS President
• Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery (JBJS) -Aiden Smith, MS, MBA, JBJS Business Development Manager
• American Osteopathic Board of Orthopaedic Surgery (AOBOS) -M. Sean O’Brien, DO, AOBOS Chair
• Collaborative Orthopaedic Educational Research Group -Tessa Balach, MD, FAOA, University of Chicago
• Away Rotations Offer Day -Nick Alfonso, MD, FAOA, University of Colorado
• Accreditation Council of Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) Review Committee -Daniel E. Krenk, DO, ACGME Orthopaedic Review Committee

4:00pm Q&A/ADJOURN

4:30pm COCKTAIL RECEPTION

DAY TWO – Friday, February 19, 2027

7:00am COFFEE & CONVERSATIONS – Sponsored by AO North America

8:00am OPENING REMARKS

8:05am ANN E. VAN HEEST CORD LECTURE  Feedback & Reflection in Medical Education-Aditee Ambardekar, MD, MSEd,  Assistant Designated Institution Official University of Texas-Southwestern

9:00am SYMPOSIUM II: Competent or Autonomous? Defining the True Endpoint of Orthopaedic Residency – Moderator: Samir Mehta, MD, FAOA, University of Pennsylvania Health System

• Competency vs. Autonomy: What is the true endpoint of orthopaedic residency? – Samir Mehta, MD, FAOA, University of Pennsylvania Health System
• Why autonomy matters and whether KSBs can help us get there – Scott E. Porter, MD, FAOA; Steven L. Frick, MD, FAOA
• Why case minimums and KSBs are insufficient—and why the patient remains central – Jonathan D. Barlow, MD; Paul Tornetta III, MD, FAOA

10:00am BREAK

10:30am SYMPOSIUM III: Out of Limbo: Bridging the Gap for Unmatched Orthopaedic Applicants – Moderator: Melvyn A. Harrington, Jr., MD, FAOA, Baylor College of Medicine

• Lost in Limbo: The Unmatched Orthopaedic Applicant Experience
• Rebuilding and Rebranding: Honest Feedback After Going Unmatched
• Out of Limbo: A Structured Solution for Reapplicants

11:30am SYMPOSIUM IV: SYMPOSIUM 4: From Interest to Intern: Building a Comprehensive Pathway to Starting Orthopaedic Surgery Residency
Moderator: Nicholas Anthony Alfonso, MD, FAOA, University of Colorado (Denver)

• Impact of Orthopaedic “Boot Camp” on Medical Student Preparedness and Match Rates – Robert Rowe, PGY 3, University of Colorado
• Alternatives to Medical Student “Boot Camp”: What if I Don’t Have the Resources? -Deb Bohn, MD, FAOA, University of Minnesota
• More than Acting Internships: Preparing Orthopedic Medical Students Before and After Their Third Year – Jack Schutz, PGY 3, University of Colorado
• Open Door Policy: Student Mentorship and Learning Outside of Formal Curriculum –Brandi Hartley, MD, FAOA, University of Michigan

12:30pm Q&A

1:00pm ADJOURN

Registration is open for the 2027 Winter CORD Conference at the Westin Galleria.

Hotel reservations are open for the 2027 Winter CORD Conference, held at the Westin Galleria, Dallas, TX.

CME information will be provided shortly.

The American Orthopaedic Association gratefully acknowledges the following sponsors for their support of the 2027 Winter CORD Conference.

Summer CORD Conference Theme: Shaping Tomorrow’s Orthopaedic Workforce

Download the Conference Agenda

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

AGENDA  

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

 8:30am OPENING REMARKS – J. Milo Sewards, MD, FAOA, Temple University Hospital, Philadelphia, PA, 2026 CORD Conference Program Chair

8:35am MICHAEL A. SIMON CORD LECTURER – “It Takes a Village to Redesign Residencies”
Warren P. Newton, MD, MPH, President and CEO of the American Board of Family Medicine 

9:20am Q&A 

9:30am SYMPOSIUM I: Building Resilient Surgeons: Addressing Occupational Hazards to Shape Tomorrow’s Orthopaedic Workforce- Moderator: Lisa K. Cannada, MD, FAOA, University of North Carolina Hospitals

• Radiation Safety Education for Residents- Lisa K. Cannada, MD, FAOA
• Career Planning and Family Considerations for Residents-  Sara Van Nortwick, MD, FAOA, Medical University of South Carolina
• Ergonomic Training and Injury Prevention- Erin Stockwell, MD, Yale University School of Medicine 
• The Mental Health Emergency- Randy M. Cohn, MD, FAOA, Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell

10:30am Q&A 

10:40am BREAK 

10:50am SYMPOSIUM II: Improving Orthopaedic Care in Rural America: The Role of Academic Programs- Moderator: James William Barber, MD, FAOA, Southeastern Orthopaedics

• Current status of orthopaedic care in rural America – James William Barber, MD, FAOA
• Perceived barriers to rural practice – Isaiah Roepe, MD, University of Kansas
• Opportunities to increase exposure to rural practice for residents – Laney McDougal, ACGME; Ann E. Van Heest, MD, FAOA, ACGME RRC Workgroup

11:45am Q&A 

12:00pm REPORTING FROM THE RLF/CORD COLLABORATION

12:30pm SPONSORED LUNCH AND LEARN PRESENTED BY PRECISIONOS
“Removing Uncertainty: Personalizing Objective Skills Assessment Through Smart, Virtual Competency Evaluation”
Dr. Danny Goel and Dr. Sandra Jarvis-Selinger

1:30pm OPEN PAPER PODIUM PRESENTATIONS

• Effect of a Sub-internship Preparation Course on Medical Student Preparedness of Sub-internship Rotations- Ellen Lutnick, MD, University at Buffalo
• Musculoskeletal Curriculum Duration in Medical Schools with an Orthopaedic Surgery Residency Program- Erica Olfson, MS, Texas Hip and Knee Center
• Objective Productivity and Match Success: A PubMed Analysis of Research Output Among 2025 Orthopaedic Surgery Interns- Adrian Bozocea, Medical College of Georgia
• Inaccuracies in Orthopaedic Research Fellowship Applications: A Study on Authorship Misrepresentations- Natalia Cruz Ossa, MD, University of Miami Health System
• Utilization of Artificial Intelligence Within the Residency Selection Process- Alan T. Blank, MD, MS, Rush University
• Collaborative Orthopaedic Educational Research Group (COERG) Spotlight Study

2:00pm Q&A

2:10pm SYMPOSIUM III: Research, Readiness, and the Orthopaedic Applicant of the Future - Moderator: Charles S. Day, MD, MBA, FAOA, Henry Ford Health/Henry Ford Hospital Program

• What sets applicants apart in a competitive match landscape- Dawn LaPorte, MD, FAOA, Johns Hopkins University
• Role of research in training successful orthopaedic surgeons- Brent Ponce, MD, FAOA, Medical University of South Carolina
• Departmental strategy in the new match landscape- C. Benjamin Ma, MD, FAOA, University of California, San Francisco

3:10pm Q&A

3:20pm OPEN MIC DISCUSSION 

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

Registration is closed for the 2026 Summer CORD Conference at the Albuquerque Convention Center.

Hotel reservations are closed for the 2026 Summer CORD Conference, held at the Albuquerque Convention Center, The Clyde Hotel, Albuquerque, NM.

CME information will be provided shortly.