AO Technical Commission

The AO Technical Commission sits at the heart of the AO Innovation Translation Center (AO ITC) covering Innovation Clearing and Clinical Expertise for our four specialties: trauma, spine, craniomaxillofacial, and veterinary surgery.

Medical-technical committees are responsible for the development and clinical testing of new devices and for supporting their educational concepts. Around 120 outstanding surgeons across the world work together with engineers to solve the most pressing clinical problems.

How we work

The AO Technical Commission consists of three specialty AO technical commissions (Trauma, Spine, and CMF), various Global Expert Committees, Expert Groups, and Task Forces which are convened to provide expert opinion in their respective specialist areas. In a collaborative approach, these committees include representation from the AO's trusted partner DePuy Synthes, a Johnson&Johnson Group Company, or other industrial partners, and may involve colleagues from other AO institutes when needed. The AO Technical Commission plays a crucial role in quality control and product development, forming an essential link between the AO's clinical divisions, clinical units, other institutes, initiatives, and the AO's global network.
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Governance

Prev
  • AO TCEB
  • AO TC Trauma
  • AO TC Spine
  • AO TC CMF
  • Interdisciplinary groups
Next

The AO Technical Commission Executive Board (AO TCEB) supervises and steers activities within the AO Technical Commission and ensures that the priorities are in line with the AO’s mission.



Chairperson Maarten Spruit, NL (Chairperson AO TC Spine) 
Members Nils-Claudius Gellrich, DE (Chairperson AO TC CMF) 
Theodore Miclau, US (Chairperson AO ITC Clinical Scientific Advisory Commission)  
Michael J Raschke, DE (Chairperson AO TC Trauma) 

The AO Technical Commission Trauma defines and prioritizes the projects of its Global Expert Committees (GECs), Expert Groups (EGs) and Task Forces (TFs). Furthermore, it supervises the work of its groups, appoints or dissolves groups, and is the body empowered to approve a device or method indicated for the area of Trauma. It comprises the following GECs which themselves oversee the listed EGs, TFs and/or PTs within their anatomical region or specialty:


Chairperson Michael J Raschke, DE 
Members Keith A Mayo, US 
Carlos F Sancineto, AR 
Andrew K Sands, US 
Merng K Wong, SG 
Mark Reilly, US (Chair AO Trauma EC)  
Member without vote Michael P Kowaleski, US (Chair VEGEC) 
  • Lower Extremity GEC (LEGEC)
    Chairperson Christoph Sommer, CH 
    Members Christopher G Finkemeier, US 
    Martin H Hessmann, DE 
    Cong-Feng Luo, CN 
    Unni G Narayanan, CA 
    Matías F Sepúlveda Oviedo, CL 
    John Shank, US
    Karl K Stoffel, CH 
    Michael P Swords, US 

     

    Foot and Ankle EG (FAEG)


    Chairperson Michael P Swords, US 
    Members Matthieu Assal, CH
    Tim Schepers, NL 
    John Shank, US
    Matthew Tomlinson, NZ
     

     

    Intramedullary Nailing EG (INEG)


    Chairperson Christopher G Finkemeier, US 
    Members

    Martin H Hessmann, DE 
    Mark Lee, US 
    Andrew JR Oppy, AU
    Matías F Sepúlveda Oviedo, CL 

     

    Pelvic EG (PEEG)


    Chairperson David Stephen, CA 
    Members Jorge D Barla, AR 
    Robin E Peter, CH 
    Ramesh K Sen, IN 
    Michael Stover, US 

     

    Distal Femur Plating TF (DFPTF)


    Chairperson Karl K Stoffel, CH 
    Members Theerachai Apivatthakakul, TH 
    Eben Carroll, US 
    Mark Lee, US 
    Andrew JR Oppy, AU 
    Klaus-Dieter Schaser, DE 

     

    Next Tomofix TF (NTTF)


    Chairperson Takeshi Sawaguchi, JP
    Members Kenichi Goshima, JP
    Ye Huang, CN 
    Kang-Il Kim, KR
    Hidetomo Saito, JP
    Michael Schütz, AU
    Hui Zhang, CN 

     

    Proximal Tibia Plating TF (PTPTF)


    Chairperson Christoph Sommer, CH 
    Members Adam P Breceda, US 
    Elmar Herbst, DE 
    Matthias Krause, DE 
    Cong-Feng Luo, CN 
    Jong-Keon Oh, KR 
  • Upper Extremity GEC (UEGEC)
    Chairperson Simon M Lambert, GB 
    Members Thomas J Fischer, US 
    Harry Hoyen, US 
    Martin Jaeger, DE 
    Chunyan Jiang, CN 
    Stefaan Nijs, BE 
    Stefan Schulz-Drost, DE 

     

    Hand EG (HAEG)


    Chairperson Thomas J Fischer, US 
    Members Martin Langer, DE 
    Alejandro Lluch Bergada, ES 
    Stephen Tham, AU 
    Sudhir S Warrier, IN 

     

    Thoracic EG (THEG)


    Chairperson Stefan Schulz-Drost, DE 
    Members Michael Bemelman, NL 
    Peter Cole, US
    Ledford Powell, US 

     

    Elbow TF (EBTF)


    Chairperson Harry A Hoyen, US 
    Members Frank Beeres, CH 
    Michael Plecko, AT 
    Joideep Phadnis, UK 

     

    Shoulder TF (SHTF)


    Chairperson Simon M Lambert, GB 
    Members Frank Beeres, CH 
    Harry A Hoyen, US 
    Martin Jaeger, DE 
    Chunyan Jiang, CN 
    Joyce S B Koh, SG 
    Stefaan Nijs, NL 
  • Veterinary GEC (VEGEC)
    Chairperson Michael P Kowaleski, US 
    Members Lucas Beierer, AUS 
    Alexis Bilmont,UK 
    Janik C Gasiorowski, US 
    Kati Glass, US 
    Fabrice Rossignol, FR 
    W Brian Saunders, US 

     

    Large Animal EG (LAEG)


    Chairperson Fabrice Rossignol, FR 
    Members Janik C Gasiorowski, US 
    Kati Glass, US 

     

    Small Animal EG (SAEG)


    Chairperson Michael P Kowaleski, US 
    Members Lucas Beierer, AUS 
    Alexis Bilmont, UK 
    W Brian Saunders, US 
  • Additional EGs and TFs

    Growth Modulation TF (GMTF)


    Chairperson Chang-Wug Oh, KR 
    Members Mitchell Bernstein, CA
    Unni Narayanan, CA 
    J Spence Reid, US 
    Steffen Rosslenbroich, DE 
    Kevin Tetsworth, AU 
    Stephen Quinnan, US 

     

    Deformity Correction Planning TF (DCPTF)*


    Chairperson Steffen Schröter, DE 
    Members Julian Fürmetz, DE 
    Jörg Harrer, DE 
    Shuntaro Nejima, JP 

    *Collaboration with mediCAD Hectec GmbH, Germany

     

    Next Generation Plating TF (NGPTF)


    Chairperson Christoph Sommer, CH 
    Members Jonathan Dwyer, GB 
    Thomas J Fischer, US 
    Harry Hoyen, US 
    Mauricio Kfuri, US 
    Mark Lee, US 
    Cong-Feng Luo, CN 
    W Brian Saunders, US 
    Takeshi Sawaguchi, JP 
    Ulrich Stoeckle, DE 
    Karl Stoffel, CH 
    Michael P Swords, US 

The AO Technical Commission Spine defines and prioritizes the projects of its Expert Groups (EGs) and Task Forces (TFs) (see below). Furthermore, it supervises the work of its groups, appoints or dissolves groups, and is the body empowered to approve a device or method indicated for the area of Spine.


Chairperson Maarten Spruit, NL 
Members Richard Bransford, US (Chair AO Spine EC) 
Peter Derman, US 
Christian Mazel, FR 
Jean A Ouellet, CA 
Kota Watanabe, JP 
Chung Check Wong, MY 
Jack Zigler, US 
  • Cervical Spine EG (CEEG)
    Chairperson Chung Chek Wong, MY 
    Members

    Richard Bransford, US
    Nicolas Bronsard, FR
    Kazu Kitamura, JP
    Timothy Moore, US
    Juan Zamorano, CL 
  • Fracture, Tumor and Deformity EG (FTDEG)
    Chairperson Christian Mazel, FR 
    Members Brandon Carlson, US 
    Naresh Kumar, SG 
    Firoz Miyanji, CA 
    Yu-Mi Ryang, DE 
    Kevin Seex, AU 
  • Lumbar Degenerative EG (LDEG)
    Chairperson Peter Derman, US 
    Members

    Ali Baaj, US
    Robert Jan Kroeze, NL
    Matti Scholz, DE
    So Kato, JP 
  • Cervico-Thoracic Instrumentation TF (CTITF) *
    Chairperson Christian Mazel, FR 
    Members Lorin Benneker, CH 
    Richard Bransford, US
    Michelle Clarke, US 
    Naresh Kumar, SG 
    Firoz Miyanji, CA 
    Yu-Mi Ryang, DE 
    Maarten Spruit, NL 
    Jean-Paul Wolinsky, US 

    * Collaboration with icotec AG, Switzerland

  • Osteoporotic Spine Instrumentation TF (OSITF) *
    Chairperson Maarten Spruit, NL 
    Members

    Lorin M Benneker, CH 
    Richard Bransford, US 
    Naresh Kumar, SG 
    Christian Mazel, FR 
    Yu-Mi Ryang, DE 
    Kota Watanabe, JP
    Jean-Paul Wolinsky, US 

    * Collaboration with icotec AG, Switzerland


The AO Technical Commission CMF defines and prioritizes the projects of its Task Forces (TFs) (see below). Furthermore, it supervises the work of its groups, appoints or dissolves groups, and is the body empowered to approve a device or method indicated for the area of CMF.


Chairperson Nils-Claudius Gellrich, DE 
Members

Michael P Grant, US 
Alberto Rocha Pereira, PT 
Gregorio Sanchez Aniceto, ES (Chair AO CMF IB) 
Morio Tonogi, JP
Alexander Schramm, DE
  • Patient Specific Solutions Expert Group (PSSEG)
    Chairperson Majeed Rana, DE 
    Members Thomas Kofod, DK 
    Philippe Korn, DE 
    Gerhard Mundinger, US 
    Edward Strong, US 
    Patricia Stoor, FI 
  • Total Mandibular Joint Replacement Task Force (TMJTF)
    Chairperson Sergio Olate, CL 
    Members Ricky Kumar, AUS 
    Zachary Peacock, US 
    Wenko Smolka, DE 
    Rüdiger Zimmerer, DE 

Some topics require attention across the specialties. The AO TC Executive Board appoints or dissolves Global Expert Committees (GECs), Expert Groups (EGs) or Task Forces (TFs) working on such topics and the groups may include medical members from different specialties. The groups are either supervised by the AO TC Executive Board or a dedicated specialty AO TC.


  • Anti-Infection GEC (AIGEC)
    Chairperson Michiel Verhofstad, NL 
    Members Volker Alt, DE 
    Willem-Jan Metsemakers, BE 
    William T Obremskey, US 
    Andrej Trampuz, DE 
    Peter Vajkoczy, DE 
    Zhao Xie, CN 
    Charalampos Zalavras, US 
March 2024
AO Technical Commission structure as of March, 2024

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2019-2023

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“The AO Technical Commission is unique because it is a place where you have very innovative people coming together and trying to come up with solutions to very complex problems.”

Daniel Buchbinder, former AO Technical Commission Executive Board Chair