Through educational programs and by encouraging research, the organization seeks to foster and advance the science and practice of shoulder and elbow care. The American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES) is a society made up of leading national and international Orthopaedic surgeons who specialize in surgery of the shoulder and elbow. Through continuing medical education, the ASES Annual Meetings serve as a forum where persons involved in this field of medicine can meet, discuss new ideas and present scientific material. The membership, which is by invitation only, currently consists of 661 members. The ASES typically holds two meetings annually: The Open Meeting and the Annual Meeting. The Open Meeting is held during the AAOS Annual Meeting, on Specialty Day. The Open Meeting is open to members and non-members while the Annual Meeting is for members only. The Society is an educational body responsible for development of scientific programs, for organization of current knowledge, for standardization of nomenclature and for publication of scientific materials.