Congratulations to Dr. Omer Marom, recipient of a 2025 AO Trauma North America Fellows Research Award for AI research in trauma care.
Dr. Marom is currently an Orthopaedic Trauma Surgery Fellow at Vancouver General Hospital (VGH), where he specializes in orthopaedic trauma surgery, trauma management, and medical research. He is from Israel.
The AO Trauma North America Fellows Research Award recognizes orthopaedic trauma fellow training in an AO Trauma North America-sponsored fellowship program in the United States or Canada. Awarded annually, the program supports innovative clinical and translational research that advances the field of orthopaedic trauma. Funded projects reflect a wide range of approaches to improving trauma care, including optimizing recovery, addressing complex surgical challenges, and advancing evidence-based practice.
Dr. Marom’s research focuses on artificial intelligence-based prediction models in orthopaedic trauma, specifically targeting geriatric hip fractures in a patient population that has seen mortality rates of 15–20%, per Canadian public health records.
“I feel like AI, which is revolutionizing everything in our world, can revolutionize this as well,” says Dr. Marom. “We want to find out who are the specific patients that will benefit from further medical management before surgery. Hopefully, the AI model can assist us with the answers to the questions we’ve been asking for probably 50 years and haven’t gotten yet.”
The award is a significant milestone for early-career surgeons, providing the necessary resources to bridge the gap between clinical duties and the pursuit of complex data science.
“Getting this support during this point in your career is when you really need that extra help to get things moving,” Dr. Marom explains. “Especially in research, which can be—to be honest—much more difficult than surgery.”
Dr. Marom worked closely with his mentor, Dr. Aresh Sepehri, Clinical Assistant Professor with UBC Orthopaedics and Orthopaedic Trauma Surgeon at VGH, to brainstorm and facilitate the project.
AO Trauma offers several grant programs for fellows, including:
- AO Trauma Research mini Grants (application deadline: February 16, 2026)
- AO Innovation Funding (application deadline: February 28, 2026)
Beyond Trauma, AO North America offers a wide range of education and training opportunities for surgeons across North America, including fellowship programs and continuing professional development.