Supporting the Next Chapter of Military Orthopaedic Research

Posted 10/2/2026

For the Fourth Year the Orthopaedic Consortium Awards $200,000 in Research Grants Continuing with Special Focus on the Military 

The Arthroscopy Association of North America (AANA), in collaboration with the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine (AOSSM) and the Society for Military Orthopaedic Surgeons (SOMOS), announced the fourth year of $200,000 in grant funding aimed at advancing research in orthopaedics, with special focus on the military. This grant, funded by the AANA Military Advanced Surgical Treatment Program (MAST), seeks to make significant advancements in orthopaedic treatment and techniques serving the military.  

This year, the organizations are pleased to announce two deserving recipients of the MAST research grant funding: 

  • $150,000 to Matthew T. Provencher, M.D., FAANA, for his study, Your Care Anytime, Anywhere: Development and Evaluation of a Machine Learning-Enabled Longitudinal Recovery and Return-to-Duty Readiness Index for Military Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation. This study will develop and validate an index that compares model-generated readiness evaluations with clinician assessments and observed outcomes, giving military clinicians objective, real-time recovery and return-to-duty guidance for service members through wearable sensors and recovery tracking apps.  
  • $50,000 to Kristen I. Barton, M.D., Ph.D., for her study, A Prospective, Randomized, Single-Blind Clinical Trial Assessing Platelet Count in Various Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) Protocols with a Single Injection in Symptomatic Osteoarthritis (OA) of the Knee. By characterizing the biologic profile of different PRP preparations and correlating those findings with clinical outcomes, this trial aims to help military surgeons standardize protocols and shorten return to duty for service members with knee osteoarthritis. 

AANA, AOSSM and SOMOS congratulate Dr. Provencher and Dr. Barton and are pleased to support such important initiatives with critical research grant funding.

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