Dr. A K Talwalkar started the Johnson & Johnson and the Smith & Nephew traveling fellowships on behalf of IOA. The annual Kini Memorial Oration started in 1958. Sir Harry Platt served as the first Orator in 1958. The members of the Association published the first issue of a journal in 1967 with Prakash Chandra as the Editor. A constitution prepared by a select committee was unanimously approved at the General Body meeting in 1967. This was later registered under the Indian Societies Act.
At the 1986 Agra ASI conference, the IOA became independent of ASI. Sixteen regional chapters were formed.
