Arbeitsgemeinschaft fur Osteosynthesefragen/Association for the Study of Internal Fixation (A-O/ASIF) International Foundation’s veterinary division was honored for its contributions to veterinary continuing education during the American Association of Equine Practitioners’ (AAEP) Annual Convention in New Orleans, La. The veterinary division, A-O Vet, received the AAEP’s Distinguished Educator Award during the Nov. 24 President’s Luncheon.

A-O/ASIF supports continuing education courses worldwide in orthopedic surgery, with A-O Vet providing backing for equine courses and research. Created 47 years ago in Switzerland, the A-O/ASIF group began as a group of five Swiss physicians studying internal fixation using plates and screws for fractures of the human tibia. Their work was instrumental in the development of internal fixation for fractures in all species, and they used their profits to establish the foundation. Providing the laboratory instruments for the internal fixation courses for veterinarians held around the world each year, A-O/ASIF was also the first to pioneer the “wet lab” method of teaching and hands-on learning that is now utilized by many other organizations