Introduction: Musculoskeletal (MSK) complaints represent one of the most common reasons for outpatient visits in the United States, yet MSK education within medical school curricula remains variable and often limited. Although institutional factors such as orthopaedic residency affiliation, geographic region, school ranking, and public vs. private status may shape curricular development, their specific influence on MSK instruction is not well understood. This study characterizes the duration and publicly reported features of MSK education across US allopathic medical schools, providing a descriptive overview of the current national landscape. Methods: Curricular data were collected from all US allopathic medical schools when publicly available. Additional data collected were (1) presence of affiliated orthopaedic residency, (2) US News & World Report ranking tier, (3) Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) four-region and nine-region classifications, and (4) institution type (public vs. private). Results: A total of 157 US allopathic medical schools were reviewed. Of these, 78 schools reported an extractable numerical MSK curriculum duration, while 39 schools listed MSK content without providing a discrete curriculum length (“No Length Listed”) and 40 did not report MSK curriculum length in an extractable format (“Not Listed”). Among all schools analyzed, 127 had an affiliated orthopaedic surgery residency program with an average duration of 6.2 weeks for those with extractable data and 30 had no orthopaedic residency affiliation with an average duration of 5.5 weeks. MSK curriculum duration data were represented across all US News & World Report ranking tiers and spanned all 4 major US regions as well as all 9 AAMC geographic divisions. Institution type was reported for schools with available data, including both public (mean 5.9 weeks) and private (mean 6.1 weeks) medical schools. Conclusion: Across the institutions reviewed, MSK curriculum duration appeared consistently limited regardless of institutional or regional characteristics. This overall pattern reflects a widespread shortfall in MSK educational exposure and underscores the broader need for clearer expectations and standardized guidance to ensure adequate MSK preparedness among medical students.

Journal of Medical Internet Research - International Scientific Journal for Medical Research, Information and Communication on the Internet #Preprint #PeerReviewMe: Warning: This is a unreviewed preprint. Readers are warned that the document has not been peer-reviewed by expert/patient reviewers or an academic editor, may contain misleading claims, and is likely to undergo changes before final publication, if accepted, or may have been rejected/withdrawn. Readers with interest and expertise are encouraged to sign up as peer-reviewer, if the paper is within an open peer-review period. Please cite this preprint only for review purposes or for grant applications and CVs (if you are the author). Background: Not applicable Objective: Not applicable Methods: Not applicable Results: Not applicable Conclusions: Not applicable Clinical Trial: Not applicable

Journal of Medical Internet Research - International Scientific Journal for Medical Research, Information and Communication on the Internet #Preprint #PeerReviewMe: Warning: This is a unreviewed preprint. Readers are warned that the document has not been peer-reviewed by expert/patient reviewers or an academic editor, may contain misleading claims, and is likely to undergo changes before final publication, if accepted, or may have been rejected/withdrawn. Readers with interest and expertise are encouraged to sign up as peer-reviewer, if the paper is within an open peer-review period. Please cite this preprint only for review purposes or for grant applications and CVs (if you are the author). Background: Professional associations offer important opportunities for networking, research collaboration, and career advancement. Given the importance of membership, our group evaluated membership diversity within one of the first dermatologic societies in The United States. Membership acquisition occurs through an invitation-only basis without formal criteria available. Objective: The objective of this study was to identify if there are differences in member representation within sex and geographic distribution of The American Dermatological Society. Methods: On February 2023 the ADA directory identified 767 members. Independent reviewers (2) recorded member names, self-identified sex, city, and state listed on their national practitioner identifier (NPI) and those who were deceased; a third reviewer resolved data conflicts. Sex was identified on NPI databases. Data was omitted for retired, deceased, or unidentified members. The “R” software performed the statistical analysis and the package “usmap” created figures. Data was publicly available, de-identified, and did not require IRB review. Results: ADA members (691) were 32.85% female and 67.15% male. Members practiced in the United States (84.08%) and internationally (15.92%); international members were 25.23% female and 74.77% male. Two states among 41 represented had a similar number male and female members. (Figure 1.) The top 5 states represented 42.51% of members; California had 13.60% followed by New York (10.33%), Massachusetts (6.54%), Pennsylvania (6.37%), and Florida (5.68%). Conclusions: Improving gender, sex, racial, ethnic, and geographic diversity is a recognized marker of excellence by dermatologic societies1 and the ADA must recognize, discuss, and develop solutions to improve representation among its members. Membership was most common among urban centers with 5 states comprising almost half of membership. Ethnic/racial minority status is not expected to be significant due to the underlying ethnic/racial underrepresentation in dermatology as a specialty.

(1) Introduction: Precise femoral component rotation is critical for achieving symmetric flexion-gap balance and physiologic patellofemoral tracking in mechanically aligned total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Surgeons often infer an appropriate rotational target from the patient’s coronal limb alignment, yet the strength of this relationship remains uncertain. (2) Methods: We identified 695 consecutive patients undergoing primary TKA with a preoperative planning CT scan. The surgical transepicondylar axis (sTEA) and posterior condylar axis (PCAxis) were identified and the angle between them was measured. The angle between the mechanical axis of the femur and tibia was used to measure the coronal alignment of the limb. (3) Results: The mean sTEA was 3.0° externally rotated to the PCAxis (range 3.1° internal to 9.2° external). The mean coronal alignment was 4.3° varus (range −12.5° valgus to 24.5° varus). There were 465 patients with >2° varus and 101 patients with >2° valgus. The mean sTEA was 2.9 ± 1.9° externally rotated relative to the PCAxis in the valgus group and 2.8 ± 2.0° in the varus group, with no statistically significant difference (p = 0.7). (4) Conclusions: There is significant variation in the femoral rotation axes between patients, but no significant relationship between overall limb coronal alignment and the magnitude of femoral rotation axes variation. This reinforces the need for independent assessment of rotational landmarks when performing mechanically aligned TKA.

Introduction: With US orthopaedic surgery match rates falling from 70% to 58% despite expanding residency slots, applicant evaluation increasingly emphasizes research productivity, leadership, and clinical preparedness. Newer medical schools without affiliated orthopaedic departments (29.5% of MD/DO schools) face barriers in providing these opportunities. We describe the design, implementation, and 3-year outcomes of a student-driven, faculty-mentored foundation integrating research, education, and leadership to prepare competitive applicants. Methods: This student-led orthopaedic organization centers on 3 pillars: research, clinical education, and leadership development. It is overseen by a 5-member student leadership team and a single attending mentor. Longitudinal data (Fall 2022-Summer 2025) were drawn from prospective logs, trackers, and surveys. Quantitative metrics included membership growth, research output, participation, and annual conference statistics. Open-ended survey responses provided qualitative context. Results: Student membership expanded 9-fold, from 7 at 1 institution in 2022 to 61 across 4 schools in 2025; 51% were first-years. Research projects grew from 3 to 12, with article submissions rising from 2 (2023) to 10 (2025) and abstracts from 18 (2024) to 31 (2025). Twice-monthly “fracture conferences” progressed from ad hoc sessions (2-4 attendees) to a 13-module curriculum drawing 25 to 30 learners. Annual conference attendance grew from 185 (25 medical students) in 2024 to >230 (48 students) in 2025, while research presenters increased from 20 to 39 and posters from 13 to 25. Conclusion: A student and faculty co-led, multibranch foundation can rapidly establish robust orthopaedic infrastructure in schools lacking departments. This model demonstrated scalable growth, scholarly output, and high satisfaction within 3 years and is adaptable to other institutions.