AAOS 2025: Annunziato (Ned) Amendola Assumes Presidency

The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) installed Annunziato (Ned) Amendola, M.D., as its new president at the organization’s annual meeting this week in San Diego. His presidency marks the third in a four-year term of volunteer service, after serving as AAOS vice president for the previous two years.

“It is a great honor to serve as the 93rd president of the AAOS and represent our members during this exciting time of growth and innovation. I am committed to providing the tools, resources and support our members need to deliver exceptional musculoskeletal care to their patients,” Dr. Amendola said in his acceptance speech. “By fostering collaboration within the musculoskeletal community, specialty societies and orthopedic organizations, we will continue to drive progress and strengthen the future of orthopedic surgery.”

Dr. Amendola leads Duke’s sports medicine program, a position he has held since 2015, while serving as executive director of the James R. Urbaniak, M.D., Sports Sciences Institute in Durham, N.C. As the Virginia Flowers Baker Distinguished Professor, he also maintains his role as head team physician and chief medical officer for Duke Athletics.

Advancing Orthopedic Excellence Through Collaborative Leadership

Dr. Amendola brings nearly three decades of leadership experience in orthopedic medicine to his new role as AAOS president. His dedication to the AAOS continues to make a lasting impact:

• He has been instrumental in shaping AAOS educational programming. He chaired the AAOS 2011 Annual Meeting Program Committee, chaired the AAOS Central Program Committee, and was a member of the ORS-AAOS Co-Programming Committee.
• Dr. Amendola was elected as a member-at-large to the AAOS Board of Directors in 2012. During this tenure, he served on several Board Project Teams, including the Strategic Plan team.
• Following his Board service, he was elected to the AAOS Nominating Committee and also represented the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine on the AAOS Fellowship Accreditation Project Team.
•  In addition to his committee service, Dr. Amendola was appointed deputy editor of the Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.

Beyond the AAOS, Dr. Amendola’s career has been defined by a commitment to advancing patient care through strategic collaboration across major orthopedic organizations:

• He served on the Board of Trustees of the Orthopedic Research and Education Foundation.
• Dr. Amendola also previously served as president of the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine (AOSSM) and the Herodicus Orthopaedic Society.
• He previously served on the Board of Directors of the International Society of Arthroscopy, Knee Surgery and Orthopaedic Sports Medicine (ISAKOS), and the Arthroscopy Association of North America.

Pioneering Innovation in Sports Medicine and Patient Care

Throughout his career, Dr. Amendola has consistently pushed the boundaries of orthopedic medicine through groundbreaking research and clinical innovation. His contributions to arthroscopic and biologic repair techniques for cartilage replacement and repair have transformed treatment approaches for ankle and knee injuries. His work has not only advanced surgical techniques but has also helped shape the development of new medical devices and technologies in the field.

A respected researcher and mentor, Dr. Amendola has secured numerous peer-reviewed grants and authored more than 300 peer-reviewed publications. His contributions have been honored with the Excellence in Research Award, the Cabaud Memorial Award, and the O’Donoghue Award. He has also received the Achilles Award from ISAKOS, the Roger Mann Award and Leonard Goldner Award from the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society, and the Kappa Delta Ann Doner Vaughn Award from the AAOS.

Dr. Amendola began his career in Canada and is a past president of the Canadian Academy of Sports Medicine and a Diplomate of the Royal College of Surgeons of Canada. He earned his medical degree and completed his orthopedic residency at the University of Western Ontario in London, Ontario, Canada. He completed post-graduate fellowships in orthopedic sports medicine, foot and ankle surgery, and hand surgery. He was on faculty at Western Ontario until 2001, when he was recruited to be the director of sports medicine at the University of Iowa until 2015. While there, he held the Kim and John Callaghan Endowed Chair in Sports Medicine before leaving for Duke University.

With more than 39,000 members, the AAOS is the world’s largest medical association of musculoskeletal specialists. The AAOS advances musculoskeletal health, providing comprehensive education to help orthopedic surgeons and allied health professionals best treat patients. The AAOS is the source of information on bone and joint conditions, treatments, and related musculoskeletal healthcare issues; and it leads the healthcare discussion on advancing quality.