Description 
The following is the first installment of the Business of DEI podcast series, a collaboration between AOFAS's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and Practice Management committees. This three-part series brings together voices from the medical field, including physicians and administrative leaders, to discuss the practical significance of DEI issues in the business aspect of medicine. 

In this episode, Dr. Robert Gorman, an orthopaedic foot and ankle specialist and a member of the AOFAS DEI Committee, engages in a candid conversation with Bill Manns. Mr. Manns serves as the President and CEO of Bronson Healthcare, a nonprofit healthcare system operating across Southwest Michigan. Listen along as they discuss the relevance of DEI issues to the business of medicine, helping to better understand how awareness of and attention to DEI issues may help AOFAS members and others form more robust practices and improve overall patient care.

Commercial Support
2023 CME Podcasts are provided free to AOFAS members and orthopaedic residents/fellows with funding from the Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Foundation, supported by grants from Stryker.

• Understand how DEI initiatives can have positive financial impacts on medical practices.
• Recognize the link between DEI initiatives, patient base expansion, improved access, and enhanced patient outcomes.
• Recognize the multifaceted influence of unconscious bias and the significance of cultural competence in healthcare.
• Discuss the role of equitable and inclusive recruitment in workforce diversity.
• Draw connections between a diverse healthcare workforce, improved patient trust, and new patient bases.

A need for this educational activity has been determined based on previous course evaluations and the AOFAS educational curriculum. The content of this course was based on current issues and topics provided by AOFAS membership and leadership. For more information on the AOFAS CME mission, visit aofas.org/education.

AOFAS requires all instructors, planners, and other individuals in a position to control or influence the content of an educational activity to disclose all relevant financial relationships or affiliations during the past 12 months with any commercial interest (any entity producing, marketing, re-selling, or distributing healthcare goods and services consumed by, or used on patients). All identified conflicts of interest must be resolved and the education content vetted by AOFAS for fair balance, scientific objectivity, and appropriateness. AOFAS also requires faculty to disclose when off-label/unapproved uses of a product are discussed in a CME activity. AOFAS attests that the persons responsible for the development of this educational activity did so independently and were not influenced by commercial supporters. All financial disclosures will be provided to meeting attendees in the final program materials.

The material presented in this continuing medical education activity has been made available by the American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society (AOFAS) for educational purposes only. This material is not intended to represent the only, nor necessarily the best, methods or procedures appropriate for the medical situation discussed, but rather is intended to present an approach, view, statement, or opinion of the authors or presenters, which may be helpful or of interest to other practitioners. Methods, techniques, and procedures demonstrated and views and opinions expressed by speakers, presenters, and faculty are their own, and do not necessarily represent those of AOFAS, nor does presentation on the program represent or constitute endorsement or promotion by AOFAS. AOFAS expressly disclaims any warranties or guarantees, expressed or implied, and shall not be liable for damages of any kind in connection with the material, methods, information, techniques, opinions, or procedures expressed, presented, or demonstrated.

Disclosure Statement

AOFAS mandates all instructors, planners, and other individuals in a position to control or influence the content of an educational activity to disclose all financial relationships that you have had in the past 24 months with ineligible companies. An “ineligible company” are those whose primary business is producing, marketing, selling, re-selling, or distributing healthcare products used by or on patients

All identified conflicts must be mitigated, and the education content vetted by the AOFAS for fair balance, scientific objectivity, and appropriateness. All disclosures will be provided in this final program distributed at the meeting to all program participants.

FDA Statement

Some drugs or medical devices demonstrated at this meeting have not been cleared by the FDA or have been cleared by the FDA for specific purposes only. The FDA has stated that it is the responsibility of the physician to determine the FDA clearance status of each drug or medical devices he or she wishes to use in clinical practice. AOFAS policy provides that “off label” uses of a drug or medical device may be described in its CME activities so long as the “off label” use of the drug or medical device is also specifically disclosed (i.e., it must be disclosed that the FDA has not cleared the drug or device for the described purpose). Any drug or medical device is being used “off label” if the described use is not set forth on the products approval label.

Faculty/Planner Disclosure Declaration

As an Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) provider, AOFAS has the obligation to ensure the delivery of education that is balanced and free of commercial bias. To achieve this, it is the policy of the AOFAS that all CME-related board members, committee members (“planners”), faculty, and appropriate staff disclose in writing to the learners’ all financial relationships that you have had in the past 24 months with ineligible companies. An “ineligible company” are those whose primary business is producing, marketing, selling, re-selling, or distributing healthcare products used by or on patients.

In addition to faculty members, commentators from the floor are charged with verbally disclosing any interests immediately prior to speaking. All disclosures are provided in this final program distributed at the meeting to all program participants.

In accordance with AOFAS policy:

Faculty participation in this educational activity will be predicated upon timely submission and review of AOFAS disclosure. An individual who refuses to disclose all financial relationships will be disqualified from being a planning committee member, a teacher, or an author of CME, and cannot have control of, or responsibility for, the development, management, presentation, or evaluation of the CME activity. Non-compliance will result in a faculty member being stricken from the program.

An indication of the participant’s disclosure appears after his or her name as well as the ineligible company that provided the support. AOFAS does not view the existence of these disclosed interests or commitments as necessarily implying bias or decreasing the value of the author’s participation in this activity. In addition to ensuring that presentations be free of bias, faculty members are required to ensure that all material presented and discussed will be based on best- available evidence.

Podcast Faculty Disclosures

Robert R. Gorman, MD
Nothing to Disclose 

Bill Manns
Nothing to Disclose

OnDemand Education Committee Disclosures (Planners)

Nasef Mohamed N Abdelatif PhD, MD
Arthrex Inc.: Paid Consultant 

Timothy Charlton MD
Extremity Medical: Royalties

Matthew S. Conti MD
Nothing to Disclose

M. Truitt Cooper MD
GLW: Stock-privately held company 
In2Bones: Paid Consultant, Royalties 
Smith & Nephew: Grant/Research Support 
Stryker: Educational Grant 

Cesar de Cesar Netto MD, PhD
AAOS: Board member/Committee Member 
AOFAS: Board member/Committee Member 
Artelon: Paid Consultant, Royalties 
CurveBeam: Paid Consultant, Stock or stock options 
Foot & Ankle International: Editorial/Governing board - Publications 
Foot and Ankle Clinics: Editorial/Governing board - Publications 
International WBCT Society: Board member/Committee Member 
Medartis: Paid Consultant, Royalties 
Paragon 28: Grant/Research Support, Paid Consultant, Royalties 
Stryker: Paid Consultant 
Tayco Brace: Stock-privately held company 
Zimmer-Biomet: Paid Consultant, Royalties 

Tyler Gonzalez MD, MBA
DJO: Paid Consultant 
Exactech: Paid Consultant 
Stryker: Paid Consultant 
Treace Medical Concepts Inc: Paid Consultant 

Adam T. Groth MD
Nothing to Disclose

Mark Hagy MD
Nothing to Disclose

Kurt Hofmann MD
AOFAS: Board member/Committee Member 
Centric Medical: Paid Consultant 
Globus Medical: Paid Consultant 
Isto: Grant/Research Support

Anny Hsu MD
Nothing to Disclose

J. Benjamin Jackson MD, MBA
Nothing to Disclose

Anish R. Kadakia MD
Acumed: Royalties 
Arthrex Inc.: Paid Consultant, Royalties, Speakers' Bureau 
elsevier: Royalties - Publisher 
Johnson & Johnson: Royalties 

Kristin L. Kress MD
Nothing to Disclose

Wonyong Lee MD
Nothing to Disclose

Christopher P. Miller MD
Arthrex, Inc: Grant/Research Support, Paid Consultant, Speakers' Bureau 

Pradeep Moonot FRCS, MRCS, MS
Nothing to Disclose

Joseph Park MD
American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society: Board member/Committee Member 
DePuy  A Johnson & Johnson Company: Grant/Research Support, Paid Consultant, Speakers' Bureau 
Integra LifeSciences: Grant/Research Support, Royalties - Publisher 
LifeNet Health: Paid Consultant 
Saunders/Mosby-Elsevier: Royalties - Publisher 

Rachel Shakked MD
Arthrex Inc.: Speakers' Bureau 

W. Bret Smith DO
Nothing to Disclose

Nicholas L. Strasser MD
Wright/Stryker medical: Grant/Research Support 

Eric W. Tan MD
Arthrex Inc.: Paid Consultant, Speakers' Bureau 
Red Point Medical: Paid Consultant, Stock-privately held company 
Stryker: Paid Consultant, Speakers' Bureau 

All of the relevant financial relationships listed for these individuals have been mitigated.