The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons selected William O. Shaffer, MD, as its new medical director, effective today, according to an AAOS Now report.
Dr. Shaffer succeeds William R. Martin, MD. As the medical director, Dr. Shaffer will serve at the AAOS Washington, D.C., offices and supervise the office of government relations and department of research and scientific affairs, according to the report.
Dr. Shaffer is retired from the U.S. Navy and has experience as a private practice spine surgeon. Most recently, he practiced in an underserved area of northwest Iowa. He has participated in orthopedics advocacy efforts and Research Capitol Hill Days. For more than 10 years he has been a member of the North American Spine Society's Evidence-Based Guideline Development Committee and spent four years on the AAOS Committee on Evidence-Based Quality and Value.
Dr. Shaffer earned his medical degree from the University of Michigan and completed an orthopedic surgery internship at the Naval Hospital Oakland. His additional training includes an aerospace medicine fellowship at the Naval Aerospace Medical Institute and an orthopedic residency at the Naval Hospital in Portsmouth, Va.
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