Meet the elected officers of the AO Spine Latin America Board

With a renewed commitment to education, collaboration, and community, AO Spine Latin America welcomes its newly elected Regional Board officers. The visionary leaders Luiz Gustavo Dal Oglio Rocha (Chairperson), Alfredo Gotfryd (Education Officer), and Fernando Nin Vilaro (Community Development Officer) share a passion for elevating spine care across the region. From expanding access to world-class educational programs to empowering the next generation of surgeons, they aim to position AO Spine Latin America as a global reference in excellence, innovation, and engagement.

Read the quick summary:
The AO Spine Latin America Board announces its new Chairperson, Education Officer, and Community Development Officer

Chairperson Luiz Gustavo Dal Oglio Rocha's goal is to grow AO Spine as the leading community in the LATAM region

Education Officer Alfredo Gotfryd aims to address some of the region's unique educational challenges

Community Development Officer Fernando Nin Vilaro plans to encourage collaboration and knowledge exchange

Following the elections held in January 2025, the AO Spine Latin America Board is pleased to announce the newly elected members for the positions of Chairperson, Education Officer, and Community Development Officer.

The candidacies were carefully reviewed by the Nomination Committee, formed by Nestor Taboada, Juan Emmerich and Alfredo Guiroy. The entire election process was ratified by the committee and was carried out according to the criteria and requirements of the AO Spine Terms of Reference and approved by the AO Spine International Board.

In the coming years, the elected officers will serve in their respective roles to further AO Spine’s mission as the premier provider of knowledge and to promote excellence in patient care and outcomes related to trauma and musculoskeletal disorders.

Please join us in congratulating the newly elected officers of the AO Spine Latin America Board.

The officers and their vision:

Luiz Gustavo Dal Oglio Rocha

"My main goal is to grow AO Spine as the leading community in our region. The main focuses will be on promoting educational activities for members in a standard way and involving as many of our faculty as possible. Junior and senior surgeons will be encouraged to participate in our educational portfolio. Research must continue to grow in our region through well-established knowledge and interaction programs. All current programs will not only be stimulated but revisited so that the update is as productive as possible. We will reach educational and faculty development proposals in all possible areas of our region. The AO Spine Latam programs will, once again, be a source of inspiration for other regions and the Latin American commitment within the global AO Spine will definitely be established as a high standard."

Luiz Gustavo Dal Oglio Rocha, from Brazil, has been elected as Chairperson. He will serve as Chair-elect from July 2025 to June 2026, and then as Chairperson from July 2026 to June 2029. Dr. Dal Oglio Rocha is a Senior Spine Surgeon at Cajuru Hospital in Curitiba, Brazil. He brings a strong track record of leadership within AO Spine, having served as Education Officer for the AO Spine Latin America Board from 2019 to 2023, and as Education Officer for AO Spine Brazil from 2015 to 2018. He has held various roles as national, regional, and international faculty, and contributed to several global task forces and committees including the Spine Trauma Curriculum-Based Courses Taskforce, the Global Spine Diploma Program Committee, and the Latin America Hospital-Based Seminar Task Force. He is a past member of the AO Spine Education Commission and has completed trainings including FEP, CEP, LEP, and RETT. Additionally, he serves as a reviewer for journals such as the Global Spine Journal, European Spine Journal, and Columna Journal. He is an active council member of the Brazilian Spine Society and has completed fellowships at UCLA Hospital in Santa Monica, Instituto Galeazzi, and Weill Cornell Presbyterian in New York.

Alfredo Gotfryd

"My goal is to build on the strong foundation established by AO Spine while addressing the unique challenges faced by our region. Latin America is home to many skilled spinal surgeons, but there are significant gaps in access to high-quality, consistent education, particularly in underserved areas. I am committed to ensuring that every surgeon, regardless of location, has access to the world-class educational opportunities AO Spine offers."

Alfredo Gotfryd, from Brazil, will serve as the Education Officer. He will take on the role of Officer-elect from July 2025 to June 2026 and will serve as Education Officer from July 2026 to June 2029. Dr. Gotfryd is currently an Assistant Physician and Professor at Santa Casa São Paulo and Hospital Albert Einstein, and a member of the Professional Training Committee of the Brazilian Spine Society. His leadership roles in AO Spine include serving as Chairperson of AO Spine Brazil from 2023 to 2026 and Community Development Officer from 2012 to 2015. He is the coordinator of the MISS Study Group (2022–2025) and has been actively involved in national and international faculty activities. He has completed FEP and CEP trainings and contributes to several editorial boards, including International Orthopaedics Columna, Annals of Trauma and Acute Care Journal, and Current Updates in Orthopedics. He is also a member of the Scoliosis Research Society (SRS).

Fernando Nin Vilaro

"AO Spine has been a key reference in my training and practice, and I am convinced that, as CDO, I can significantly contribute to strengthening the ties between its members in the LATAM region. I firmly believe in the importance of promoting the active participation of all members, encouraging collaboration, the exchange of knowledge and the inclusion of young talents who represent the future of spine surgery.

I am committed to working to ensure that LATAM continues to be a vibrant and relevant region within the global AO Spine community."

Fernando Nin Vilaro, from Uruguay, has been elected as Community Development Officer and will serve from July 2025 to June 2028. He is the Head of the Spine Division at Médica Uruguaya Hospital in Montevideo, Uruguay. Dr. Nin Vilaro has been an AO Spine Uruguay delegate since 2022 and has contributed to regional and national activities as faculty and chairperson. He is a member of the AO Spine Latin America Diploma Task Force and is actively involved in the continuous training programs across Latin America and the global diploma initiatives. He is currently engaging with the AO College Global program. He has completed FEP and CEP trainings and is a member of the Uruguayan Spine Society (SUCVE), the Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery Society (SMISS), and its Young Surgeon Committee.