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.
Governance
[Title]AO TCEB
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.
| Chair | Daniel Buchbinder, US (Chair AO TC CMF) |
| Members | Michael G Fehlings, CA (Chair AO Clinical Research Review Commission) Michael J Raschke, DE (Chair AO TC Trauma) Maarten Spruit, NL (Chair AO TC Spine) |
[Title]AO TC Trauma
The AO Technical Commission Trauma defines and prioritizes the projects of its Global Expert Committees (GECs), Expert Groups (EGs), Task Forces (TFs) and Project Teams (PTs). 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:
| Chair | Michael J Raschke, DE | |
| Members | Keith A Mayo, US Carlos F Sancineto, AR Andrew K Sands, US Wa'el Taha, ZA (Chair AO Trauma EC) Merng K Wong, SG |
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| Member without vote | Michael P Kowaleski, US (Chair VEGEC) |
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Lower Extremity GEC (LEGEC)
Chair Christoph Sommer, CH Members Christopher G Finkemeier, US
Martin H Hessmann, DE
Christina A Kabbash, US
Cong-Feng Luo, CN
Unni G Narayanan, CA
Jong-Keon Oh, KR
Matías F Sepúlveda Oviedo, CL
Karl K Stoffel, CH
Michael P Swords, USFoot and Ankle EG (FAEG)
Chair Michael P Swords, US Members Christina A Kabbash, US
Tim Schepers, NL
Matthew Tomlinson, NZIntramedullary Nailing EG (INEG)
Chair Christopher G Finkemeier, US Members Martin H Hessmann, DE
Mark Lee, US
Andrew JR Oppy, AUNext Generation Plating Task Force (NPTF)
Chair Christoph Sommer, CH Members Jonathan Dwyer, GB
Thomas J Fischer, US
Harry Hoyen, US
Mauricio Kfuri, US
Mark Lee, US
Cong-Feng Luo, CN
Takeshi Sawaguchi, JP
Ulrich Stoeckle, DE
Michael P Swords, US
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Pelvic and Joint Preservation GEC (PJPGEC)
Chair Michael D Stover, US Members Ye S Huang, CN
Mauricio Kfuri, US
Philipp Lobenhoffer, DE
Rodrigo F Pesantez, CO
J Spence Reid, US
Takeshi Sawaguchi, JP
Steffen Schroeter, DE
Elvire Servien, FR
Theodor F Slongo, CHPelvic EG (PEEG)
Chair Michael D Stover, US Members Jorge D Barla, AR
Robin E Peter, CH
Ramesh K Sen, IN
David Stephen, CAMAXFRAME TF (MFTF)
Chair Theodor F Slongo, CH Member J Spence Reid, US Next Tomofix Task Force (NTTF)
Chair Kenichi Goshima, JP Member Ye S Huang, CN
Kang-Il Kim, KR
Hidetomo Saito, JP
Hui Zhang, CNHectec Project Team (HTPT)*
Chair Steffen Schroeter, DE Member Julian Fuermetz, DE
Joerg Harrer, DE
*Collaboration with mediCAD Hectec GmbH, Germany -
Upper Extremity GEC (UEGEC)
Chair Simon M Lambert, GB Members Jonathan Dwyer, GB
Thomas J Fischer, US
Mario Gasparri, US
Harry Hoyen, US
Martin Jaeger, DE
Chunyan Jiang, CN
John Mukhopadhaya, IN
Stefaan Nijs, BE
Stefan Schulz-Drost, DEHand EG (HAEG)
Chair Thomas J Fischer, US Members Martin Langer, DE
Alejandro Lluch Bergada, ES
Stephen Tham, AU
Sudhir S Warrier, INThoracic Expert Group (THEG)
Chair Mario Gasparri, US Member Michael Bemelman, NL
Silvana Marasco, AU
Stefan Schulz-Drost, DE -
Veterinary GEC (VEGEC)
Chair Michael P Kowaleski, US Members Erik Asimus, FR
Loïc M Déjardin, US
Janik C Gasiorowski, US
Fabrice Rossignol, FR
W Brian Saunders, US
Jeffrey Watkins, USConsultant Randy J Boudrieau, US Large Animal EG (LAEG)
Chair Jeffrey Watkins, US Members Janik C Gasiorowski, US
Fabrice Rossignol, FRSmall Animal EG (SAEG)
Chair Michael P Kowaleski, US Members Erik Asimus, FR
Loïc M Déjardin, US
W Brian Saunders, US
Consultant Randy J Boudrieau, US -
Additional EGs
Asia Pacific EG (ASEG)
Chair Jong-Keon Oh, KR Members Ashok S Gavaskar Kumaresan, IN
Ye S Huang, CN
Chunyan Jiang, CN
Cong-Feng Luo, CN
John Mukhopadhaya, CN
Andrew JR Oppy, AU
Takeshi Sawaguchi, JP
Ramesh K Sen, IN
Etsuo Shoda, JP
Stephen Tham, AU
Matthew Tomlinson, NZ
Sudhir S Warrier, IN
Fang Zhou, CNPediatric EG (PAEG)
Chair Jonathan Dwyer, GB Members John Mukhopadhaya, IN
Unni G Narayanan, CA
Matías F Sepúlveda Oviedo, CL
Theodor F Slongo, CH
[Title]AO TC Spine
The AO Technical Commission Spine defines and prioritizes the projects of its Expert Groups (EGs) and Project Team (PT) (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.
| Chair | Maarten Spruit, NL |
| Members | Emre Acaroğlu, TR (Chair AO Spine EC) Frank Kandziora, DE Christian Mazel, FR Jean A Ouellet, CA Bangping Qian, CN Kota Watanabe, JP Jack Zigler, US |
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Cervical Spine EG (CEEG)
Chair Frank Kandziora, DE Members Richard Bransford, US
Osmar JS Moraes, BR
Chung Chek Wong, MY -
Fracture, Tumor and Deformity EG (FTDEG)
Chair Christian Mazel, FR Members Philip Horsting, NL
Naresh Kumar, SG
Firoz Miyanji, CA
Emiliano Vialle, BR -
Lumbar Degenerative EG (LDEG)
Chair Jack Zigler, US Members Andreas Korge, DE
Avelino Parajon, ES
Alexandre Sadao Iutaka, BR
Matti Scholz, DE
Matthew Scott-Young, AU
Seang-Beng Tan, SG -
Osteoporotic Spine Surgery TF (OSSTF)
Members Richard Bransford, US
Isador H Lieberman, US
Christian Mazel, FR
Osmar JS Moraes, BR
Jean A Ouellet, CA
Bangping Qian, CN
Maarten Spruit, NL
Kota Watanabe, JP -
icotec PT (ICOPT) *
Chair Christian Mazel, FR Members Lorin Benneker, CH
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
[Title]AO TC CMF
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.
| Chair | Daniel Buchbinder, US |
| Members | Gregorio Sánchez Aniceto, ES (Chair AO CMF IB) Nils-Claudius Gellrich, DE Gerson Mast, DE Damir Matic, CA Alf L Nastri, AU |
| Member without vote | Eppo Wolvius, NL (Chair AO CMF R&D C) |
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CMF Distraction TF (CDTF)
Chair Alberto A Rocha Pereira, PT Members Stephen Dover, GB
Maarten J Koudstaal, NL
Gerhard S Mundinger, US
Adi Rachmiel, IL -
Patient Specific Solutions TF (PSSTF)
Chair Michael P Grant, US Members Thomas Kofod, DK
Majeed Rana, DE
Patricia M Stoor, FI
Jesse A Taylor, US
[Title]Interdisciplinary groups
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.
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Anti-Infection GEC (AIGEC)
Chair Michiel Verhofstad, NL Members Kirsten Kortram, NL
Willem-Jan Metsemakers, BE
William T Obremskey, US
Gregory Schroeder, US
Andrej Trampuz, DE
Peter Vajkoczy, DE
Zhao Xie, CN -
Computer Assisted and Image Guided Surgery GEC (CIGEC)
Chair Paul A Gruetzner, DE Members Andrew T Bucknill, AU
Meir Liebergall, IL
Amir Matityahu, US
Marc Metzger, DE
Greg M Osgood, US
Avelino Parajon, ES
Alexander Schramm, DE
Edward B Strong, US
Seth R Yarboro, USSmart Digital Solutions TF (SDSTF)
Chair Benedikt J Braun, DE Members Bernd Grimm, LU
Meir Marmor, US
Peter Richter, DE
Sureshan Sivananthan, MY -
Internal Distraction TF (IDTF)
Chair Chang-Wug Oh, KR Members Scott P Bartlett, US
Philip Horsting, NL
Steffen Rosslenbroich, DE
AO Technical Commission structure as of November 1, 2020 
Experts Symposia
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Meet the Experts
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AO Approved Solutions
Offering detailed descriptions of AO Technical Commission Approved Solutions, including videos and clinical cases.
Latest innovations
Learn about the newest AO Technical Commission approved products in Trauma, Spine, CMF, and Vet.
Innovation awards
Recognizing and fostering excellence in surgical innovation
Innovation Translation
Innovation translation at the AO involves developing disruptive technologies to address unmet clinical needs.
“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, AO Technical Commission Executive Board Chair