CORD Program - American Orthopaedic Association

Council of Orthopaedic Residency Directors

To facilitate excellence in musculoskeletal graduate medical education, the AOA’s Council of Orthopaedic Residency Directors (CORD) leads the advancement of best practices by providing a forum for the exchange of ideas and the search for solutions to major challenges.

CORD Resources

AOA/SOMOS Faculty Development Lecture Series

In collaboration with the Society of Military Orthopaedic Surgeons, AOA produced these downloadable lectures to offer a robust, on-demand, and current resource for education skill development of orthopaedic faculty.

Transition to Practice Lecture Series

Developed by the AOA Fellowship Education Coalition, these downloadable lectures aid Fellowship and Residency Program Directors in educating fellows and senior level residents in all subspecialties, focused on critical topics for transition to independent practice.

Event List

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Top Content

Coordinator of the Year Award

Awarded during the 2021 Virtual Spring CORD Conference
New in 2021, the Coordinator of the Year Award celebrates outstanding orthopaedic residency program coordinators.

AOA Critical Issues in Education

JBJS Open Access Channel
Content focused on major issues in orthopaedic education.

Electronic Standardized Letter of Recommendation

Resource for Applicants and Letter Authors
The eSLOR provides orthopaedic residency programs a concise perspective on a candidate. It replaces a separate narrative letter of recommendation.

CORD offers program membership, providing benefits to multiple educational leaders within one program such as the residency program director, department chair, program manager/coordinator, fellowship director, and other educational leaders affiliated with the program. With nearly all US ACGME-accredited residency programs as members of CORD and including several Canadian programs, the community is all-encompassing – small, large, residency, fellowship, osteopathic, allopathic, transition from medical school and to practice – all vital representation within the diverse CORD community.

CORD Membership

CORD Exchange

This forum facilitates member-to-member discussions of issues related to resident/fellow education and programs. The community is for CORD member institutions only.

Access the CORD Exchange

CORD Education

CORD conferences are held twice per year. A spring conference is held during the AAOS Annual Meeting and a longer conference at the AOA Annual Meeting. Additional Town Halls and Webinars are held throughout the year to discuss critical issues in education.