A community in motion: The Association of American Latino Orthopaedic Surgeons charts a bold path forward

At a Glance

• AALOS is expanding mentorship, training, and leadership opportunities for orthopaedic surgeons and trainees committed to improving Latino musculoskeletal health.
• Programs such as UNIDOS, AVANCE, and the Pathway to Residency initiative support learners from medical school through early practice.
• The organization seeks to strengthen representation, professional development, and equitable access to orthopaedic care for Latino patients.

Estimated read time: 4 minutes

In a specialty where Latino representation has long lagged the demographics of the patients it serves, one organization is working to change the equation — one surgeon, one student, and one career at a time. The Association of American Latino Orthopaedic Surgeons (AALOS) is making its presence known with renewed energy, expanded programming, and a deepening commitment to the physicians and trainees who are shaping the future of orthopaedic care for Latino patients.

Founded on the dual pillars of professional empowerment and community health equity, AALOS has grown into a dynamic and forward-leaning organization that meets its members wherever they are in their careers. Its mission is clear: to empower orthopaedic surgeons who serve Latino patients and to advance Latino musculoskeletal health across the United States. But what sets AALOS apart is not simply what it stands for — it is what the organization is actively building.

A home at every stage of training
One of AALOS’ most distinctive features is its commitment to engaging physicians from the earliest moments of their medical journey. Rather than waiting until a trainee has completed residency or established a practice, AALOS has created structured pathways for engagement at every level of training, from the first year of medical school through the transition to attending life.

The UNIDOS Medical Student Program and the AVANCE Resident Program stand as two of the organization’s cornerstone initiatives. These programs provide more than networking opportunities — they offer structured mentorship, professional development, and a sense of belonging within a community united by a shared vision that every Latino patient deserves access to exceptional orthopaedic care. For many participants in these initiatives, connecting with an attending surgeon who shares their commitment and understands the landscape they are navigating is transformative in ways that are difficult to quantify but impossible to overstate.

AALOS has further demonstrated its investment in early career development by adding dedicated positions on its board of directors for both medical students and resident members. This is not a symbolic gesture. By inviting trainees into the governance of the organization, AALOS ensures the voices of the next generation are not merely heard but are structurally embedded in the decisions that shape the specialty. Professional identity formation and organizational leadership now begin side by side, early in the orthopaedic career.

Addressing one of medicine’s most demanding transitions
For rising fourth-year medical students, the path to residency is one of the most logistically demanding and financially burdensome periods in medical training. Away rotations, application fees, travel expenses, and the emotional weight of high-stakes interviews can create barriers that fall disproportionately on students without established financial resources or institutional networks.

AALOS’ Pathway to Residency Program was built with this reality in mind. Selected participants receive dedicated one-on-one mentorship from experienced orthopaedic surgeons as well as financial support designed to ease the burden of the application cycle. The program recognizes that talent and potential are evenly distributed, but opportunity is not — and it works to close this gap in a direct and meaningful way. For many participants, the program has been a decisive factor in successfully matching into an orthopaedic surgery residency.

New programming for a growing community
As AALOS’ membership has grown, so, too, has its programming portfolio. The organization is actively developing two new initiatives designed to support members through the transitions that define an orthopaedic career.

The AALOS Resident Bootcamp is designed to give residents the clinical skills, professional tools, and peer community they need to thrive in residency and beyond. The program reflects an understanding that the demands of training are not purely technical — they also require mentorship, resilience, and connection to a broader professional identity.

Complementing this program, the Young Attending Seminar addresses the challenges that emerge on the other side of training, when new attendings face the realities of building a practice, navigating academic medicine, or establishing themselves in community settings. Leadership, negotiation, financial literacy, and career development are among the themes the program aims to address. Together, these two initiatives represent AALOS’ vision of continuous support across the arc of an orthopaedic career.

A big tent with a clear purpose
AALOS is proud to be an inclusive organization. Membership is open to any orthopaedic surgeon, trainee, or ally who shares the beliefs that Latino patients deserve to move without pain and the orthopaedic community has a responsibility to make this vision a reality. Whether a member is Latino themselves, practices in an underserved community, researches musculoskeletal health disparities, or simply believes in building a more equitable specialty, there is a place for them within AALOS.

This big-tent philosophy strengthens the organization. Diversity of background and experience, united by a common purpose, makes the community more effective, more innovative, and more representative of the patients it champions.

An invitation to connect
AALOS invites medical students, residents, fellows, and practicing surgeons to join its community at its annual meeting, held in conjunction with the AAOS Annual Meeting. The gathering brings together a thriving and growing network of orthopaedic surgeons, trainees, and allies who share a commitment to excellence, equity, and the future of the specialty. Whether attending for the first time or returning as a longtime member, participants consistently describe the experience as energizing and affirming.

For those inspired by what AALOS is building, the call to action is straightforward: learn more, get involved, and become part of a community that is actively shaping what orthopaedic care looks like for Latino patients across the country. Membership information and program details are available at https://aalos.clubexpress.com/.

The work of building a more representative and equitable specialty is ongoing. AALOS is proud to be doing the work and welcomes everyone who shares that vision to join in.

Nicole M. Montero Lopez, MD, FAAOS, is director of membership at AALOS, director of orthopaedic hand surgery at RWJ Barnabas Health Northern Division in Livingston, New Jersey, and program director of the Orthopaedic Surgery Residency Program at Rutgers Jersey City Medical Center.