Head Custom Snippet 1 goes here

AO CMF education

In 2021, AO CMF—a global community of clinicians with different backgrounds and areas of expertise across the craniomaxillofacial (CMF) specialties—continued to fortify its educational offering with a new initiative targeting young surgeons in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), the launch of an e-learning program to improve the quality of residents' interpretation of computed tomography (CT) scans and identification of facial fractures, and successful deployment of the CMF world's first 24-hour, nonstop educational event.

Bringing a vision to life

The clinical division's achievements in 2021 are in line with the vision outlined by AO CMF International Board Chairperson Gregorio “Goyo” Sánchez Aniceto, who began his second term in July. Key to his vision is a commitment to keeping AO CMF's momentum going across the specialties by retaining both young and mid-career surgeons, providing them with what they need, and being there for them throughout their whole careers.


CTRead software pilot

Facial trauma can lead to many functional, cosmetic, and emotional consequences, and proper diagnosis is imperative to improve patient outcomes and avoid unnecessary complications. In 2021, AO CMF successfully integrated CTRead, a revolutionary approach to training residents in computed tomography (CT) facial bone interpretation, into the AO learning management system. By the end of 2021, 20 pilot participants were able to access the formal, ten-module training course, which includes videos, quizzes, and unique CT scans. The CTRead software was developed by McGill University oral and maxillofacial surgery resident Wendall Mascarenhas with support from an AO CMF Start-up Grant.

Events

9,671 participants/88 events

  • International

    975 participants/11 events

  • North America

    2,384​ participants/18 events

  • Latin America

    971​ participants/13 events

  • Europe and Southern Africa

    1,372​​ participants/22 events

  • Middle East and Northern Africa

    174​ participants/3 events

  • Asia Pacific

    3,741​ participants/21 events

Faculty involvement

834 faculties/11,611 faculty days

  • International

    84 faculties/68 faculty days

  • North America

    82​ faculties/148 faculty days

  • Latin America

    139​ faculties/383 faculty days

  • Europe and Southern Africa

    211​ faculties/461​ faculty days

  • Middle East and Northern Africa

    33 faculties/54​ faculty days

  • Asia Pacific

    285​ faculties/497​ faculty days

AO College graduates its first class

Young surgeons in LMICs in the Middle East and Northern Africa (MENA) are going back to college—AO College—thanks to a cross-divisional initiative launched in 2021. Open to highly motivated and enthusiastic young trauma, spine, and CMF surgeons who have graduated from medical or dental school and are within two to five years of their residency/training program, AO College is an intensive, six-month program focusing on helping them develop globally recognized excellence in surgical, research, teaching, and leadership skills. Seventy-two people—24 each from AO Trauma, AO CMF, and AO Spine—participated in 2021.


Traveling Mandible: around the world in 24 hours

Post-event numbers told the story: The CMF world's first-ever nonstop, 24-hour-educational event—the Traveling Mandible on May 29, 2021—was a global success. Responding to regional needs and covering all aspects of the mandible, the AO CMF event attracted 348 participants from 75 countries. Featuring 45 international faculty, 20 presentations, and more than 50 cases in a single day, the Traveling Mandible addressed a wide range of mandibular topics and successfully rotated through eight hubs: Palo Alto, United States; Hong Kong; New Delhi, India; Cairo, Egypt; Zurich, Switzerland; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Bogotá, Colombia; and Buenos Aires, Argentina.