AO Foundation
The AO Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the care of people with musculoskeletal injuries and their sequelae through research, development, education and quality assurance in the principles, practice, and result of fracture treatment. Distribution and sales of all AO products is done through Synthes via a subsidiary. From March 2006, Synthes acquired existing "Synthes"-branded products from the AO Foundation. The foundation had its origins in a Swiss study group, "Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Osteosynthesefragen" (German for "working group for bone fusion issues") or AO, founded in Switzerland in 1958 and runs training courses on methods of bone  plating and fracture surgical treatment in many countries. Growth led to restructuring and the AO Foundation was constituted in December 1984. AO regularly hold courses worldwide for Orthopedic Surgeons and other health professionals. These include hands on experience of using the latest implants, as well as lectures from expert surgeons and discussions. The foundation has a large impact in the field of Maxillofacial surgery and many of the foundation recommendations are used in that field. In March 2018, it was announced that the AO Foundation has partnered with OBERD, a leader in outcomes data collection to provide an innovative patient  outcomes data collection system for its members in the United States. In March 2020, The AO Foundation announced an agreement with icotec ag for the joint development of a new spinal stabilization system based on the latters proprietary BlackArmor Carbon/PEEK composite implant material. The "AO Foundation" owns four institutes: