Dr. Jun Li (China), 2015 AAOS Internaitonal Emerging Leaders Scholarship recipient

Hello, AAOS International Scholarship alumni, colleagues and friends,

My name is Jun Li.

It was great honor to be a 2010 International Scholarship recipient, and a 2015 IEL Scholarship recipient. I am very happy to share my AAOS International scholarship visiting experiences which brought great inspirations to my future career.

During my first visit in 2010 I attended the AAOS-AAHKS Hip & Knee Replacement Orthopaedic Learning Center in Rosemont, IL. The two-day cadaver practicing course with lectures offered by experts provided excellent opportunities for me to learn about developments in Hip & Knee primary and revision replacement. I remember that Dr. William A. Jiranek, the director of the course, kindly presented the reading and CD materials to me. Then I observed at Kaiser Permanente, Oakland Medical Centre for four days following Dr. Stefano Bini. I was very impressed with Dr. Bini’s broad view of world orthopaedics. Dr. Bini was also my first mentor leading me to Joint Arthroplasty practicing. 

 

 With Dr. Bini and his colleagues at Kaiser Permanente, Oakland, Calif

 After the AAOS Surgical Skill Scholarship program, I invited Dr. Stefano Bini and Dr. Ronald Wyatte to 1^st Tang Du Orthopaedic Joint Symposia to perform arthroplasty surgeries. They also presented their publications at the 2011 Shaanxi Provincial Orthopaedic Association Annual Meeting, offering international elements to the conference. Moreover, I invited Dr. Andrew Park (Resident in San Francisco Orthopaedic Residency Program, CA, USA) to visit Tang Du Hospital, Feb. 8-28, 2011. We organized multiple meetings which allowed Chinese medical students and young orthoapedic surgeons to practice their oral English with Dr. Park by exchanging ideas on a wide range of topics, including the differences between being orthopaedic professionals in China and in the USA. 

English salon for young orthopaedic surgeons in Xi’an community (Dr. Park, left six; Dr. Jun Li, left seven)

Dr. Domagoi Delimar, one of the AAOS International alumni attended our 2^nd Tang Du Orthopaedic Joint Symposia, as published on the AAOS International Blog and AAOS International Facebook.

 The 2nd Tang Du Orthopaedic Joint Symposia, (Dr. Domagoi Delimar, left six; Professor Hari Reddi, left seven; Dr. Jun Li, right three)

I was honored to be selected as the AAOS 2014 IEL scholarship recipient. AAOS has designed the excellent visiting program for me from 10 May to 18 May at Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush University Medical Center with Dr. Craig Della Valle. From 20 May to 22 May, my observership shifted to be with Dr. John Clohisy at Barnes Jewish Hospital/Washinton Universiry Orthopeadics at St. Louis, and then with Dr. Hany S. Bedair at Department of Orthopaedic Surgery,  Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School. Finally, from Tuesday to Wednesday, 26-27 May, my observership was with Dr. Hany S. Bedair and Dr. William Healy at Newton Wellesley Hospital.                                                                                   

                                                                                                                     With Dr. John Clohisy

                         With Dr. Craig Della Valle

This observership program was designed based on my professional needs and clinical interests, focusing on the cutting-edge techniques in Hip & Knee Joint surgery. 

My OR observation included partial knee replacement, hip resurfacing arthroplasty, mini-incision hip & knee replacement, revision surgery of hip & knee, PAO Osteotomy,  Surgical Dislocation, hip arthroscopy for hip labrum repairing, and arthroscopic surgical technique for hip impingement.

My mentors and hosts were Dr. Della Valle, Dr. Clohisy, and Dr. Bedair. They are all well-known hip & knee specialists who established pioneering research programs such as long survivorship of arthroplasty, preservation hip surgery. During the eighteen-day program, I took part in 30 cases of surgical observation and discussion. I observed the detailed surgical techniques, and learned solutions to the technical traps which I encountered during my practice. This 18-day observation was totally accomplished, and went beyond my expectation as I got training on those cutting edge surgical techniques and became familiar with US post-medical-education training system, learned about the U.S. healthcare system, hospital administration and protocols, operating room teamwork, and clinical research program establishment. We also talked about the future conference visiting and clinical research co-operation possibilities. 

 

 With my mentor and host, Dr. Hany S. Bedair, at Ether Dome.  William T.G. Morton made history on October 16, 1846 in Massachusetts General Hospital’s surgical amphitheater, now known as the Ether Dome, as he demonstrated the first public surgery using anesthetic (ether).

                                              
With Dr. Healy 
at Newton Wellesley Hospital

Thanks to AAOS International Scholars Program for all the observerships, travel information, accommodation and daily schedule which made the accomplishment of my IEL scholarship visit comfortable and enjoyable.

In China, I lead a young orthopaedic team group with 45 beds, 13 orthopaedic faculty and staff, and 25 members in the Nursery Unit. Over 1000 surgeries are performed annually, and about 70% of them are trauma and 30% are joint replacement. My clinical practice focuses on joint arthroplasty and hip preservation surgery.

I will continue to host the Tang Du Orthopaedic Joint Symposia and Tang Du Orthopaedic Trauma Symposia annually, as I love international communication. Moreover, I am an active committee member of Chinese Orthopaedic Association (COA), Chinese Association of Orthopaedic Surgeon (CAOS), and SICOT China. If you are interested in international programs, please do not hesitate to contact me. I will be very happy to assist and to be the bridge between you and Chinese orthopaedics surgeons.

 

2015 AAOS International Scholarship Alumni Meeting

The 2015 International Scholarship Alumni Meeting was well attended: we were happy to meet scholarship Alumni, AAOS International Committee members, and also contributors and mentors of the scholarship programs.

The International Committee Chairman welcomed the participants and thanked all those who have supported the international scholarship programs, including the Alumni who made financial contributions to the program.
 
Participants split into four groups to discuss the topic of the meeting: “How have I applied my scholarship experience in my daily practice/case management or professional/ leadership development?”

All Alumni agreed that the scholarship experience greatly and positively impacted their career tracks and helped develop and apply the many useful skills, including:

• Teaching residents/students and sharing knowledge with peers. Being taught in the surgical skills course and mentored during the observership helped understand “best practices” in teaching. Attendees reported they were trying to establish fellowships in their selected specialties upon return home.
• Surgical and rehabilitation. New skills were acquired and shared with peers resulting in a greater scope of surgeries available for the patients in their home countries/hospitals and a shorter time spent in the hospital post-operatively.
  
  

  
  

  
• Organization and leadership. Scholarship experience provided confidence, prestige and stimulus for further professional development and for higher positions within the hospital and/or national orthopaedic organization. Six of scholarship recipients became presidents of their national orthopaedic associations; many of the recipients became heads of the orthopaedic departments; and one scholarship recipient became Minister of Health in his country.
  

Dr. Tashfeen Ahmad (Pakistan), 2014 AAOS International Scholarship recipient

To be selected for the AAOS international fellowship award among 90 applicants is a great honor for me, it provided for an exhilarating experience. The Orthopaedic Learning Center at Rosemont, IL provided excellent opportunity for hands-on skills development in trauma exposures to which I was unaccustomed in my practice. The lectures were delivered by experts who were up-to-date with latest evidence, and have improved my diagnostic and decision making skills in line with current best practices. In particular, I was impressed by the course directors Dr. O’ Toole and Dr. Ostrum, and found very useful to my practice the talks and discussions by Dr. Clifford B. Jones, Dr. Liporace, Dr. Tornetta III and Dr. Siegel, among others. The program was highly relevant to my practice, meticulously well planned, and flawlessly conducted.

 The subsequent clinical attachment at New England Baptist Hospital, Boston, MA exposed me to experts with vast experience of subspecialty surgery, which broadened my knowledge and enriched it with new concepts. In particular, I remember the total knees by Dr. Mattingly, shoulders by Dr. Jawa, hips by Dr. Van Flandern and arthroscopies by Dr. Ross. Coming to my area of interest (Foot and Ankle), I got a thrilling experience of working with Dr. Slovenkai and Dr. Leavitt. With my background from Pakistan and some experience at UK, we had lucid discussions about the differences in management approaches between three different continents. Overall, all doctors and staff were extremely courteous, and offered genuine help and guidance.

 

I highly recommend this program to orthopaedic surgeons from other countries, and hope that this valuable initiative of the Academy continues and flourishes in the future

Dr. Nguyen Nguyen Thai Bao, 2014 scholarship recipient of the AAOS-Viet Nam Orthopaedic Association Visiting Scholar and Professional Development Program in Adult Reconstruction

It has been my great honor to have the chance to visit Mayo Clinic as a scholarship recipient of the 2014 AAOS-VOA Visiting Scholar and Professional Development Program in Adult Reconstruction. It was a very precious lifetime opportunity to widen my view of orthopedics, to witness the medical practice at one of the best state-of-the-art hospitals in the world.

 

I would like to express my deepest gratitude to Professor Miguel Cabanela for all his kind support and guidance during my time at Mayo Clinic as well as his encouragements to me in the last three AAOS-VOA courses in Vietnam.

I spent my two weeks at Mayo Clinic with Dr. Matthew Abdel and Dr. Michael Taunton, and I am so grateful for the hospitality and their enthusiastic guidance to help me benefit the most from the program. I had a chance to see the remarkable work of Dr. Abdel and Dr. Taunton and their teams in both clinic and surgery. I learned a lot from the surgical techniques to treatment strategies, to OR organization, to communication with patient’s families, patient education and patient preparation. I also had a chance to listen to surgeons’ presentations on early Tuesday mornings and to discussions after the surgeries, as well as to study at the gross anatomy labs on Mondays. Dr. Abdel and Dr. Taunton also taught me a lot during case discussions with their residents and me.

 

The Mayo Clinic visit has changed me a lot, both from the point of view of practicing orthopedics surgery and in future career direction. I wish I could have a chance to participate in other AAOS courses and meetings.

Thank you!

Nguyen Nguyen T. Bao, MD