ORS Partners in Advocacy and Outreach

American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering Council of Societies (AIMBE)

AIBME is a non-profit organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., representing 50,000 individuals and the top 2% of medical and biological engineers. ORS is a member of the AIMBE Council of Societies.

AIMBE’s Council of Societies: A Collective Voice for Action

As AIMBE’s mechanism to coordinate and enhance interaction among 16 scientific organizations in medical and biological engineering, the Council of Societies:

  • Provides a collaborative forum for the establishment of society member positions on issues affecting the field of medical and biological engineering;
  • Fosters intersociety dialogue and cooperation, providing a cohesive public representation for medical and biological engineering, and;
  • Provides a way to coordinate activities of member societies with the activities of academia, government, the health care sector, industry and the public and private biomedical communities.

The challenges facing medical and biological engineering grow more complex each year. The Council of Societies meets these challenges by assuring that resources from throughout the field – particularly the scientific and management talents of key individuals – are brought together most efficiently in pursuit of critical common goals. The Council, in fact, helps to set those goals by identifying and assessing important issues from within their own membership.

Over the past year, Council of Societies members have represented AIMBE in policy-oriented discussions key with officials of:

  • National Science Foundation;
  • National Institutes of Health/National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering;
  • Food and Drug Administration;
  • Medical Technology Leadership Caucus;
  • House of Representatives Appropriations Committee; and
  • Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee

Significantly, since its formation in 1991 the Council of Societies has limited itself to holding forums and conferences on policy matters. The Council of Societies is not involved in any technical conferences, production of journals or other activities that could be viewed as competition with the member organizations.

Membership representation and dues for Council members are based on the size of the individual member society.

American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS)

ORS was founded in 1954 by AAOS members who had a strong interest in research and recognized the importance of research to the profession, and to the future of patient care. ORS partners with the AAOS throughout the year on several advocacy programs dedicated to ensuring musculoskeletal research funding.

  • AAOS/OTA/SOMOS/ORS Extremity War Injuries Symposium Beginning in 2006, the AAOS, along with the Orthopaedic Trauma Association (OTA), the Society of Military Orthopaedic Surgeons (SOMOS), and the Orthopaedic Research Society (ORS) has sponsored annual symposia and subsequent publications
  • AAOS Research Capitol Hill Days ORS has participated in Research Capitol Hill Days for more than 20 years. The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons’ Research Capitol Hill Days, an annual event promoting federal funding for musculoskeletal research, gives physicians, researchers, and patients the opportunity to meet with targeted Senators and Representatives to personally advocate for the future of musculoskeletal care, specifically increased research funding for the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

NIAMS Coalition

The NIAMS Coalition is an independent consortium of professional and voluntary organizations that are national in scope. These organizations raise awareness about NIAMS research into the basic understanding, causes, incidence, treatment, and prevention of diseases of the bones, joints, muscles, and skin. They are key partners of the NIAMS, and serve as the voices of the patients and professionals for whom NIAMS works.

The NIAMS interacts with the Coalition in a variety of ways. The Institute involves Coalition members in NIAMS-sponsored scientific meetings and retreats, roundtable discussions, and listening sessions, where research needs across the spectrum of diseases within the NIAMS portfolio are addressed. Regular interactions with the NIAMS Coalition, including meetings and teleconferences with senior NIAMS staff, and multicultural outreach efforts, are designed to foster and facilitate information sharing. Major Coalition-related events include:

Research!America

ORS is a member affiliate of Research!America, and participates in their advocacy efforts.

Starting a Movement in Health Research. In 1989, Research!America’s founders came together with the realization that there was a vast deficiency in medical research funding – and that such a gap would be detrimental to Americans for years to come. Through their mutual belief in the fundamental importance of medical research, these visionaries formed the Research!America alliance.