Specialized AO courses held in Colombia
Faculty members of the Upper Extremity Course: Fabio Suarez, Daniel Rikli and Roberto Melendez
Introduction
The first Geriatric Fracture Care Course and the first Upper Extremity
Course held in Colombia took place in August, 2008, in Cartagena, Colombia. The
courses were opened with a guest lecture by the Director of the Clinical
Priority Program:
Fracture Fixation in Osteoporotic Bone (CCP:FFOB), Michael Blauth, in
which he introduced the program to the participants of both courses and
described how the program has evolved over time. Everyone was very interested
in this area of research and the way it explores one of the most relevant
topics in orthopedic surgery nowadays.
Ramiro Morales teaches some practical exercises to the participants of the upper extremity course
Upper Extremity Course
The Upper Extremity Course was chaired by Fabio Suárez and had first class
faculty members like Daniel Rikli, John Capo, and Ramiro Morales. This was the
first course in which the upper extremity was treated as a whole, even
including some practical exercises on arthroplasty of the shoulder.
It was a very interesting experience and a chance for all the faculty
members and participants to enjoy some great lectures and to share in fruitful
discussions.
Daniel Mendelson, a geriatrician, teaches his daughter Lianne how to fix fractures in an osteoporotic patient
Geriatric Fracture Care Course
The Geriatric Fracture Care Course was chaired by Rodrigo Pesántez. The
faculty members were Michael Blauth, Daniel Mendelson, Steven Morgan, Daniel
Rienzi, and Fernando Garcia. The course also included a geriatrician and
anesthesiologist from Colombia, as well as different orthopedic trauma
surgeons.
The highlight of the course was the section dealing with co-managed care,
which was explained very well by Daniel Mendelson.
Steve Morgan teaches a practical exercise
The discussions after each module, which included the geriatrician and the
anesthesiologist, demonstrated to the different course participants the
importance of a team approach in treating the geriatric fracture patient.
Michael Blauth, Daniel Mendelson and Lianne Mendelson enjoy the faculty dinner in the Old City in Cartagena
Celebrating two anniversaries
We had also a welcome cocktail to celebrate the first 50 years of the
AO and the first 10 years of AOLAT, in which
participants and faculty members of both courses shared a great time with
Colombian music and Caribbean rum.
Faculty members of the Geriatric Fracture Course
Concluding remarks
At the end, the ‘take home message’ for all participants and faculty was
that the AO is a big community of surgeons which joins different specialties
and different regions in education, research, development, and friendship—which
all contribute to creating the famous ‘AO spirit’.
Rodrigo Pesántez
Chairman of the Geriatric Fracture Care Course
Course participants and faculty members in Cartagena
