Academic Orthopaedic Consortium establishes AOC Women's Executive Leadership Forum with support from Breg, Inc.

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Mar 02, 2020, 13:00 ET

CARY, N.C., March 2, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Academic Orthopaedic Consortium (AOC) is proud to announce the establishment of the AOC Women's Executive Leadership Forum, which will provide a series of important initiatives and a national network specifically for its female administrative members. The Forum is made possible by the generous support of Breg, Inc., a market leader in orthopedic device manufacturing and DME program management, and a long-time sponsor of the AOC.

Breg Inc., Carlsbad, CA (PRNewsFoto/Breg, Inc.)

"When I surveyed the Orthopaedic Chairs across the AOC about the value of establishing additional leadership programs and a national network exclusively for our female administrative leaders, their response was immediate and overwhelmingly positive, and they encouraged us to move forward," said Michael Gagnon, Founder and CEO, AOC.

Last year, AOC membership grew by more than 37%, now connecting more than 126 university-based orthopaedic programs, and female administrative members now outnumber male administrative members within the organization. When Gagnon approached Brad Lee, President and CEO of Breg, with the idea of building on the momentum of female leadership within AOC, Lee recognized the importance of the work and asked how his company could support the initiative.

"We believe deeply in supporting our clinical partners as they navigate the complexities of the modern healthcare system, and we understand that one of the best ways to do that is to give them more opportunities to learn from each other and innovate together," Lee said. "The Forum will be an avenue for women to come together and advance the profession, and Breg is thrilled to be part of that."

Research has shown that having access to strong professional networks is critical to navigating career pathways, enhancing learning curves, and improving the performance of individuals and the entities they serve. Just in the last 18 months, publications such as Harvard Business Review, Forbes, and Nature have provided research that brings to light how women can uniquely benefit from being part of female-led professional networks that are purely comprised of females, especially in traditionally male-dominated occupations.

The AOC Women's Executive Leadership Forum will be led by Bobette Patterson, Chief Administrative Officer for the Department of Orthopedics at the University of Iowa and Vice President of the AOC. Webinars, peer mentorship, and symposium within the annual meeting specific to topics the members prioritize will be the focal points (i.e. negotiation, recognition, optimizing peer networks, conflict resolution, managing career trajectory).

"The AOC Women's Executive Leadership Forum will allow for dialogue, education, and mentorship for a key group of professionals who have had similar challenges throughout our careers," Patterson said. "This is extremely exciting and will reach beyond the AOC by also including 'experts' who have achieved career success outside of the musculoskeletal world. I am humbled and energized to help lead these efforts with direction from our female membership."

The announcement is already generating excitement among the AOC members.

"The Forum will empower female executive members to be leaders and innovators in their organizations. I'm looking forward to leadership, education, and networking support that will be beneficial for personal and professional growth," said Ann Juengermann, Chief Administrative Officer, University of Missouri.

About Breg, Inc.
Breg makes orthopedic bracing and devices, but more than that, the company makes durable medical equipment programs easier for our customers every step of the way, from hurt to healthy. Breg is committed to supporting practitioners through comprehensive partnerships, supporting patients with high-quality products and services, and delivering seamless support to facilities navigating the complexities of modern healthcare. As the largest U.S. provider of cold therapy devices and second largest domestic provider of orthopedic bracing, Breg provides products to millions of patients annually. Founded in 1989, Breg is based in Carlsbad, Calif., and is a company of Water Street Healthcare Partners, a strategic investor focused exclusively on the health care industry. Visit www.breg.com.

About AOC
In 2005 Michael Gagnon established The Academic Orthopaedic Consortium (AOC) to nationally organize the administrative leadership of the Academic Orthopaedic Departments for the purpose of establishing a national clearinghouse of information. All this to better position Chairs and their leadership teams to understand their business and operational positions relative to the national academic landscape. At a national level, the AOC offering has included: benchmark analyses such as orthopaedic compensation, clinical productivity, and the negotiated funds flows which allow these academic departments to financially exist as they do; administrative and operational best practices; annual meetings focused on business and leadership for administrators and orthopaedic surgeons; and a central source of academic orthopaedic surgeon job postings. All of this is provided at no cost to U.S. Academic Departments. There are no membership fees or charges for this information. The AOC is rated as the #1 most valuable organization by 97% of academic orthopaedic administrators.

For more information about the AOC, go to academicorthopaedics.com.

SOURCE Breg, Inc.