Lessons in Orthopaedic Leadership: An AOA Podcast

The next wave in orthopaedic surgery isn’t just surgical technique it’s how care gets organized, measured, and paid for. We sit down with Dr. Aaron Chamberlain, senior medical director for Intermountain’s musculoskeletal clinical program, to unpack why vertically integrated healthcare systems can be a powerful engine for value-based care and what that means for surgeons who want to lead, not just react.

We talk candidly about “risk” and why taking on financial accountability can actually unlock better medicine: clearer incentives, tighter alignment with payers, and a sharper focus on outcomes across the full episode of care. Aaron shares how Intermountain uses deep data infrastructure, enterprise dashboards, and careful patient cohorting to reduce unwarranted variation and make cost and quality visible to clinicians. If you’ve ever wondered how an Epic-era analytics platform can change real-world practice patterns, you’ll hear the nuts and bolts.

You’ll also get a concrete care redesign example: shifting appropriate hand procedures from the hospital or surgery center into the clinic, then using shared savings to reward the extra work required to make the change safe and scalable. We connect that playbook to broader trends like bundled payments and the CMS TEAM model, and we close with leadership lessons that translate anywhere: keep physicians involved, stay close to the bedside, and “fall in love with the problem” before you pitch a solution.

If you found this useful, subscribe to the AOA Lessons in Leadership Podcast series, share the episode with a colleague, and leave a review with the value-based care question you’re wrestling with right now.

We sit down with Dr. Paul Anderson, a nationally recognized orthopaedic spine surgeon and longtime leader in bone health, to explain how bone fragility quietly drives pseudoarthrosis, hardware failure, periprosthetic fracture, and revision surgery across orthopaedics, including spine fusion, total hip and knee arthroplasty, shoulder procedures, and sports medicine repairs. Our goal is simple: help you make bone health optimization a normal part of elective surgical planning, not an extra task that never fits the schedule. 

We start by clearing up a common trap: relying on a DEXA T-score alone. Dr. Anderson walks us through a more operational definition of clinical osteoporosis that combines bone mineral density, fragility fracture history, and the FRAX 10-year fracture risk calculator. That broader view catches the patients who “do not look osteoporotic” on paper but still have fragile bone and higher risk of poor outcomes after surgery. 

From there, we lay out a step-by-step workflow you can actually run in clinic: who to screen, when to order DEXA, how to use imaging clues like CT Hounsfield units, and why orthopaedic surgeons should feel confident interpreting DEXA quality and results. We also cover how to build referral pathways using fracture liaison services, how to think about antiresorptive vs anabolic medications, and what timing looks like when you decide to delay surgery to improve bone strength. 

If you want fewer failures, fewer fractures, and more predictable fixation, bone health has to be part of the plan. Subscribe and share this with a colleague.

Great leaders aren’t born in a boardroom—they’re forged in moments where stakes are high, information is messy, and people need clarity. That’s the lens we bring to a wide-ranging conversation with Dr. Mike Archdeacon, trauma surgeon and long-serving chair at the University of Cincinnati, on how to navigate leadership without losing the joy of clinical work.

We dig into the real mechanics of leading a modern orthopaedic department: building an executive committee that actually decides, giving vice chairs ownership, and using a predictable cadence to turn hot-button issues into shared choices. Mike breaks down a major communication miss during vendor consolidation and how he’d do it differently—define decision rights early, share constraints, and close the loop with a clear rationale. From AOA’s Chair Forum to intentional mentorship, we explore why peer spaces matter and how to spot and grow emerging leaders with targeted skill building in finance, conflict, philanthropy, and strategy.

If you care about orthopaedic leadership, succession planning, and the balance between the scalpel and the C-suite, this conversation offers a practical, human roadmap. Subscribe, share with a colleague who’s eyeing a leadership role, and leave a review telling us the one leadership habit you’re working on next.

Ready to Rethink How Orthopaedic Leaders are Made? We sit down with Rex C. Haydon, MD, PhD, FAOA, archaeologist turned musculoskeletal oncologist and Second President‑Elect of the American Orthopaedic Association—to trace the ABC Traveling Fellowship from its post‑war roots to its modern role as a launchpad for mid‑career transformation. Across five to six weeks and multiple continents, the fellowship pairs deep academic exchange with the kind of shared experience that forges lifelong mentors, collaborators, and friends. From resourceful solutions in international settings to the power of hosting fellows and paying forward the mentorship you received, this episode makes a compelling case for leaving your comfort zone to grow your career, your community, and your impact.

Fracture fixed, problem solved? Not even close. Dr. Andrea Spiker sits down with two orthopedic leaders, Dr. Marc Swiontkowski and Dr. Kyle Jeray, who helped turn a quiet crisis—osteoporosis-related fractures—into a national movement that’s changing how surgeons practice, teach, and lead.

You’ll hear the untold origin story of Own the Bone and why it succeeded where earlier efforts stalled: simple, reliable interventions, clear follow-up, and a registry that reveals what works. There’s a proven playbook, real people at the AOA ready to help, and shared best practices that make programs sustainable.

Owning bone health is an act of professionalism and empathy—treating the person behind the fracture and preventing the next one. If you’ve wondered how to move from “bone broke, me fix” to truly comprehensive care, this conversation gives you the history, the tools, and the push to start today.

Visit the JBJS Orthopaedic Forum to read Dr. Jeray’s presidential address: https://journals.lww.com/jbjsjournal/abstract/2025/11050/out_of_left_field__leadership_lessons_i_didn_t_see.18.aspx.