1. Candidates for Slated Positions

Nominees for elected AOA positions should provide full disclosure of 3rd party relationships and financial amounts (in defined category ranges) received from 3rd parties that may represent a conflict of interest if the Nominee serves the AOA. This information shall be considered confidential and should be submitted to the Nominating Committee for consideration in formation of the slate. The information would be made available to the Executive Committee if requested when the board considers approval of the slate each year.

2. Candidate(s) for Office of Second President-Elect, Secretary-Elect, Secretary, Treasurer, or Treasurer-Elect

The Chair of the Nominating Committee must assure that the candidate(s) for these positions should agree in writing that, if elected, he/she will terminate existing employment or paid or unpaid consulting arrangements with any commercial orthopaedic or medical companies and agree not to enter into any new employment or paid or unpaid consulting, or speaker bureau agreements with any commercial orrthopaedic or medical companies while he/she serves on or with the Executive Committee. He/she may maintain and enter into new intellectual property or royalty arrangements based on a verifiable transfer of intellectual property (e.g. patents, copyrights, and licensing agreements) with any commercial orthopaedic or medical companies. Such arrangements will be disclosed and managed per the organizational policies. Failure to obtain such assurance requires that the Nominating Committee may no longer consider such candidate for this position for the slate.

3. Development Committee Chair

The Chair of the Development Committee may not enter into new royalty, consulting or speaker bureau relationships with any commercial orthopaedic or medical companies during the term(s) of his/her service as Chair of this Committee.

4.  Standing Committees and Executive Committee

For all standing committees and the Executive Committee of the AOA, the following policy and procedure is adopted:

  • Officers: Members of the presidential line (Second President-Elect, First President-Elect, President, First Past President, and Second Past President), Secretary, Secretary-Elect, Treasurer, and Treasurer-Elect must maintain the status described in #2 above for the duration of their terms in these positions on the Executive Committee.
  • Full oral disclosure of all conflicts will continue to be made at committee meetings, and updates to prior disclosures shall be made at subsequent meetings, as appropriate
  • An AOA member who is identified as a potential committee chair should disclose in a written document to the appointing officer(s) all actual or potential conflicts before the appointment decision is made.
  • Each committee member will provide a full, written disclosure of third party relationships and financial amounts (in defined category ranges) received from third parties to the chair, who will maintain confidentiality of these financial disclosures but manage committee meetings as follows:
    1. Committee members who are potentially conflicted should identify the conflict up front at the committee meeting if an issue involving a potential or actual conflicts arises and discuss it at the meeting to provide any clarification. A Committee member who makes such a disclosure should refrain from any voting or decision making regarding the relevant issue.
    2. During the meeting(s), the Chair may ask the committee member to appropriately manage any real or perceived conflict during committee discussions that may invoke the conflict.
    3. The Chair may ask the committee member to abstain from participation or recuse him/herself during a relevant discussion.
  • Disclosures without financial information will be included in each standing committee agenda book for reference.
  • Regarding the period of reporting for financial disclosures, the financial reporting period should be defined as the immediately preceding calendar year period and should be due upon a designated date consistent with committee appointment cycles. This period will be between April and June of each year.
  • Financial reporting information will be destroyed at the end of the calendar year following the relevant June to June committee year cycle.
5. Management of Executive Committee Real-Time Conflicts

The First Past President, Second Past President, and current President, with assistance from the Executive Director, are charged to manage real-time conflicts that present during Executive Committee meetings. Each of these individuals will review agendas in advance to help identify potential conflicts prior to meetings in an attempt to manage/resolve the conflict. The First Past President serves as lead for this group and task.

An AOA employee, officer, director, or professional service provider may not commit or direct AOA resources of personnel, time, money, or property for personal or professional use to external organizations or programs wherein he/she stands to derive a direct or indirect financial or other benefit, has a financial interest, has personal control of the resources, or has the appearance of a conflict of interest or commitment. Direct financial benefits also extend to spouses, children, parents, siblings, or partners of AOA employees, officers, and directors.

Where such a relationship exists, the directors, staff and service providers agree that each of the following activities, without limitation, is expressly prohibited under this policy:

  • Participate in, or influence the selection process for a subcontract for which the external organization would be considered
  • Prepare an evaluation of the technical capabilities or performance of the outside technical organization
  • Prepare an evaluation of the technical capabilities or performance of a competitor of the outside organization
  • Participate in any contract activity, such as determination or award fee evaluation involving the outside organization or its competitors
  • Receive information regarding work that could be performed by the AOA and direct that work to the outside organization
  • Direct AOA resources to an outside organization in which he/she has direct control of the resources

Revised 11/09; Effective 1/1/10
Revised 3/21/13
Revised 6/27/18