Winter 2001 Newsletter

There are only a few months left before the next ISAKOS Congress in Montreux. The Preliminary Program has been printed, and the format of the meeting has taken shape.

For three intensive days in August, the members of the Program Committee met in New York, New York, and worked to develop an outstanding program. Paolo Aglietti from Italy, Gideon Mann from Israel, Anastasios Georgoulis from Greece, former program chairman Terry Whipple from the USA, and I worked to develop an array of symposia and lectures. We scrutinized every paper to ensure a proper order and representation. I would like to thank these people, as well as Michele Johnson and Kathryn Grady, for their enormous work and constructive support of ISAKOS.

Scientific Papers and Posters
Last summer, we were excited to receive more than 800 abstracts. After extensive scrutiny by our committees, 200 were selected as podium presentations to create a broad and exciting program. Because of time limitations and programming needs, many good abstracts were turned down as podium presentations. They will instead be offered as poster presentations. Poster authors will attend the more than 400 poster displays at a special evening reception, providing a better opportunity for examination and unlimited discussion. The poster displays and reception will be an exceptional component of the conference.

Instructional Course Lectures
Every morning from Tuesday to Friday will start with instructional courses. There will be six courses each day, in total 24 courses. These courses will cover a wide variety of current topics. For the first time in ISAKOS history, these lectures will be free of charge to all attendees.

Symposia & Special Lectures
An array of high-caliber symposia, led by internationally recognized specialists, will highlight the program throughout the week. We will also feature mini-symposia, where current concepts will be debated.

Current topic clinical lectures will be presented and some sports-related questions will be discussed. Topics will include anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) surgery in adolescents, subtalar instability, knee fractures, shoulder impingement, early osteoarthrosis, fate of bone bruises, patella tendinopathy, SLAP lesions, anterior tibial stress fractures, carving skis and elbow impingement.

ISAKOS President Roland Jakob, M.D., has selected his Presidential Guest Lecturers: Joseph Buckwalter from the USA and Wahid Al-Kharusi from Oman.

Live Surgical Demonstrations & Workshops
Between Monday and Thursday, free to all attendees, nine live surgical demonstrations will be performed on cadaver specimens. Highly qualified surgeons will use the most cutting-edge instrumentation available.

Mini hands-on workshops will be available to all at lunchtime each day. Participants will learn and evaluate new techniques and equipment pertaining to meniscal repair, ACL and PCL surgery, articular cartilage repair, shoulder labrum repair and total joint arthroplasty.

There will also be an ongoing knot-tying workshop, allowing participants to learn and practice the most commonly used arthroscopic knots and knot-tying techniques. Models will be used to replicate shoulder anatomy and the arthroscopic approaches for rotator cuff and Bankart repair.

Education Through Multimedia
A multimedia center, open throughout the day, will offer free viewing of videotapes and CD-ROMs from the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) video library. It will run continuously throughout the week for ongoing independent study. An Internet Cafe will offer access to e-mail and Internet surfing.

Social Events
The social program will be extensive. A grand welcome reception will be held next to the convention center on Monday evening, at an elegant restaurant overlooking the lake. The balconies overlook the lake and nearby Alps. You will want to enjoy the views.

Two nights later we will host a Poster and New Member Reception, providing the opportunity to meet with the poster authors and new ISAKOS members. Enjoy the Montreux wine and Gruyères cheese with us in the convention center.

There will be an ISAKOS morning "Fun Run" along the shores of Lake Geneva on Wednesday morning. The start line will be just in front of the convention center, so participation will be convenient. Tours will offer attendees a chance to visit the International Olympic Museum in Lausanne, one of the most outstanding sports museums in the world.

The Farewell Banquet will be held on Thursday evening at the famous Nock Circus. We have worked hard to ensure that ticket prices are kept low, and we hope all attendees will join us.

The program promises to be outstanding. We wholeheartedly welcome you to this meeting and look forward to seeing you in Montreux this coming May.