- Welcome from CDC Chair
- Recap: Case-Based Dinner Series
- Event Spotlight: OneAO® 2026
- Course Spotlight: The Future of Maxillofacial Reconstruction
- AO CMF NA Resource Hub
View the Winter 2026 newsletter email
Welcome from Dr. Michael Grant, AO CMF NA CDC Chair
Dear AO CMF NA Community,
I am happy to share the first newsletter issue of 2026 with AO CMF North America members.
Since the last issue, the 2025 calendar year ended with a slate of Case-Based Dinners across the U.S. Thank you to the AO CMF Faculty who made these events successful and enjoyable. Read on for more details about these events.
It was a pleasure to gather with AO colleagues and friends in December in Davos for very productive meetings and discussions. The 2026 course and events schedule is now available and registration is open.
Other 2026 events on the horizon include The Future of Maxillofacial Reconstruction: Augmented Reality, Artificial Intelligence, and Computer Aided Solutions course, taking place in Tampa, FL just before the OneAO® 2026 program. Both not-to-be-missed offerings are highlighted below.
In other news, myAO 2.0 has launched. This revitalized platform is a place for interaction, networking, and collaboration with members from around the world as easily as with those in your local area. Sign up today to gain access to professional development opportunities, research resources, and educational programs.
I hope you enjoy learning more about the efforts and contributions of our dedicated members and faculty below. Reach out at anytime via [email protected] to share your feedback and ideas about what to feature in future newsletters.
Sincerely,
Michael Grant, MD, PhD, FACS
AO CMF NA – Community Development Committee Chair
Director of Craniofacial Surgery
Milton T. Edgerton Endowed Professor in Plastic Surgery
Professor of Plastic Surgery and Ophthalmology
University of Virginia School of Medicine
Recap: Case-Based Dinner Series
In late 2025, AO CMF North America Case-Based Dinners were held in San Diego, CA, Durham, NC, and Kansas City, MO. The format of these events provided on an opportunity for residents to engage with AO NA leaders in a close setting. Together, these three events attracted over 40 participating residents.
Each evening event featured AO CMF North America faculty hosts moderating interactive clinical case presentations. With topics including “Digital Workflow in CMF Reconstruction” and “Focus on Nasal Reconstruction,” participants gained a deeper understanding of recent advances, tips, tricks and techniques in fracture care as well as approaches for handling difficult fracture problems.
Many AO CMF NA faculty contributed to making these events a success, including Dr. Michael Grant, Dr. Daniel Hammer, Dr. Alan Herford, Dr. Clint Humphrey, Dr. Omar Karadaghy, Dr. David Kriet, Dr. Kerry Lathamand Dr. David Powers. Dr. Humphrey, who co-hosted dinners in both Durham and Kansas City, remarked that the experience was a clear gateway to AO involvement for those in attendance. He expects that going forward, these surgeons will be eager to engage in AO CMF NA courses and to pursue faculty roles.
Sharing other takeaways from the event held in Kansas City, Dr. Humphrey said, “We thoroughly enjoyed sitting down by a warm fire, dining on barbeque, and tackling complex mandibular trauma and reconstruction cases together on a cold December night. This was my first opportunity to get to know several OMFS and plastic surgeons that work at other hospitals in my own metropolitan area whom I had previously only shared patients with or spoken to over the phone.” He continued, “I have had these newly familiar faces approach and comment to me for weeks about how thoroughly they enjoyed the exchange of ideas and the opportunity to connect with colleagues from other specialties at this event.”
These events attest to AO NA’s commitment to engaging surgeons at every stage of their career and exemplify pathways for learning and collaboration beyond traditional course offerings. Dr. Humphrey echoed this by sharing that the Case-Based Dinners “gave every attendee that had not previously interacted with AO CMF NA a true sampling of what our organization is all about: bringing surgeons together to learn from one another.”
Plans are underway to offer more Case-Based Dinners across the region in 2026.
Interested in hosting an AO CMF NA Case-Based dinner? Contact Kaitlynd O’Doherty, Project Manager: Engagement at [email protected] for more information.
Are you registered for for OneAO® 2026?
OneAO® 2026 is gearing up to be another transformative opportunity for surgeon leaders across specialties. Book-ended by courses held April 27-29 and May 1-3, this flagship event begins Wednesday, April 29, and continues on Thursday, April 30. Centered on “Elevating Performance, Inspiring Confidence,” sessions will explore human performance and the factors that drive exceptional outcomes in high-stakes environments. Learn more about this year’s featured speakers.
Additions to the 2026 program include Together in Surgery: Lessons from the OR and From Life, and the debut of Get AHEAD!, a leadership focused professional development program. Returning standout sessions from previous years are Sages on Stage, a panel of AO greats including mentors and trailblazers who have contributed significantly to orthopedics and AO NA; Educator of the Year Awards celebrating the achievements of outstanding AO NA faculty; and Think Tanks, gatherings of trusted colleagues and friends from across specialties to discuss, debate, and share ideas regarding treatment options for complex fractures.
At last year’s OneAO®, the AO CMF NA Think Tank provided a particularly unique opportunity, embodying the AO spirit by facilitating camaraderie and collaboration among the surgeons. It was a lively and enriching exchange of experience, approaches and outcomes of difficult cases. Participants were interested in extending discussion into break time and had questions for their peers before and after the sessions ended.
At the conclusion of the Think Tank, participants cited the immediate impact of the experience. One participant described the session as “an eye-opening exchange of clever solutions I would not have considered on my own.” Another shared, “This allowed me to learn from the experience of supportive colleagues. The diversity of backgrounds offered ideas I would not have come up with.”
Overall, it was an extremely beneficial and inspiring meeting. With such unique opportunities for direct peer exchange, OneAO® 2026 is a not-to-be missed event– a hub for surgical learning, socializing, and collaboration.
View event schedule and register here
Course Spotlight: The Future of Maxillofacial Reconstruction: Augmented Reality, Artificial Intelligence, and Computer Aided Solutions
May 1-3, 2026 | Tampa, FL
Spend 2.5 days with world-renowned experts at the The Future of Maxillofacial Reconstruction: Augmented Reality, Artificial Intelligence, and Computer Aided Solutions course. Topics include congenital, post-trauma and oncologic reconstruction, utilizing cutting edge applications including AI, augmented and virtual reality, pre-prosthetic subperiosteal Implants, as well as intra-operative imaging and navigation.
The course combines lectures highlighting a range of emerging technologies – including augmented and virtual realities–with the opportunity to gain tangible experience applying them in a bio skills lab using human anatomic specimens.
As course co-chair Dr. Dan Hammer, explains, even with so many digital resources offering new technologies and techniques, there is no substitution for the hands-on approach and mentorship offered through this AO course.
If you are passionate about improving patient outcomes by integrating new technology into your practice, this exciting new advanced course is for you.
Visit the AO CMF NA Resource Hub
Check out the new AO NA Blog! This addition to the AO NA website makes it easier than ever to stay updated on what’s new and next for the AO NA community including announcements, updates, and accolades.
Access the Resource Hub for the latest AO CMF NA news, information, events, opportunities and more.