8 minute read
Specialist Society Updates
British Limb Reconstruction Society (BLRS) update
Simon Britten, BLRS President
BLRS members enjoyed another highly successful annual conference in Glasgow in March this year, expertly planned and delivered by our friends and colleagues Bilal Jamal, David Rowland, Chris Crome and David Shields. Outstanding international guest speakers included Steve Quinnan (Miami – cable transport, percutaneous wedge osteotomy for deformity correction and lengthening), Austin T Fragomen (New York – sustained compression nailing for non-union, osteotomies around the knee, management of rotational deformity), and Nando Ferreira (Cape Town – temporary fixation in the traumatised ankle joint). The BOA address to the BLRS conference was kindly delivered by BOA Vice President Elect, Fergal Monsell, who was beamed into western Scotland from south west England. Congratulations to the winners of the best free paper podium presentations – Natasha Brown (first) and Jerry Tsang (second) – and to the two joint best poster prize winners Rebecca Tunbridge and Tareq Tareef.
At the AGM, we agreed to recruit an additional two Members at Large to the Executive Committee, to further widen participation in the decision-making and administration of the society. We agreed to bring more clarity to the BLRS Trustee role, and consider the possibility of taking on lay trustees to bring specific experience to the table. It was also agreed to look into the development of the currently dormant Honorary Member category, to recognise significant contributions from some of our senior members, who have developed both the sub-specialty of limb reconstruction in the UK and also helped to fashion our society since its inception in 1997.
The BLRS funds research grants via our research committee, headed by Hamish Simpson, soon to hand over the reins to Alex Trompeter. We also fund travel bursaries for consultants, trainees and nursing / AHP members; and we fund two places each year on the BOA Future Leaders programme. We continue to sponsor and badge limb reconstruction courses nationally.
Planning is underway for the BLRS sessions at the BOA Congress in September, including a joint session with colleagues from BOFAS, and we continue to collaborate with BOTA to develop trainee educational sessions in limb reconstruction. The BLRS welcomes applications for members in the following categories – consultant, trainee, nursing / AHP, and overseas.
British Society for Children's Orthopaedic Surgery (BSCOS) update
William Guy Atherton, BSCOS President
This year BSCOS is celebrating its 40th birthday! In celebration, Simon Barker, Past President has written, edited and organised publication of an excellent book covering the history of children’s orthopaedics and the formation of BSCOS in 1984. It also includes interesting chapters on the current work of the Society and even a ‘Rogues Gallery’ containing pictures of past and current members.
Each member of BSCOS was given a copy of the book at our Annual Meeting hosted by Laura Deriu and colleagues in Leeds in March this year. The Meeting was based on a theme of the Paediatric Foot and benefitted from an excellent National and International Faculty including Vince Mosca and Jim Wright from North America along with the experiences of Alaric Aroojis and Viraj Singhade from India, attending as part of our new memorandum of understanding with POSI (Paediatric Orthopaedic Society of India). The bar was indeed set high for our visit to Brighton in March 2025!
Other activities this year included a hugely popular revalidation session at the BOA Annual Meeting in Liverpool in 2023. For those who were unable to get in, we have been allocated a bigger room for Birmingham 2024 and will be running a joint session with BESS on upper limb topics crossing between children and adults as well as repeating our ever-popular Trainee’s session with talks on core topics, sawbones stations as well as clinical assessment practice with volunteer children and young people.
Putting that alongside another successful Current Concepts Course, the amazing work of our Education and Research sub-committees and the launch of our new website it is truly an exciting time to be part of BSCOS. Roll on the next 40 years!
British Hip Society (BHS) update: Shaping the orthopaedic workforce of tomorrow
Naomi Gibbs, BHS Culture & Diversity Chair, and Shivam Kolhe, past BOMSA President
The British Hip Society (BHS), like many other specialist organisations, recognises the critical role that diversity plays in shaping the future of orthopaedic surgery. Diversity among surgeons transcends mere representation; it is a cornerstone enriching clinical care, enhancing patient outcomes, and driving innovation in surgical practices. Attracting doctors to explore orthopaedic surgery from the outset is vital. Presently, the diversity we observe in medical students does not sufficiently translate to those considering orthopaedics, and consequently hip subspecialisation.
Sustained engagement with medical students is pivotal for fostering long-term diversity. Since the inception of the BHS Culture and Diversity committee, the BHS has always incorporated medical student representation and offers students free membership to the society. This year ongoing efforts culminated in the second BHS Future Hip Surgeons Stream, developed alongside the British Orthopaedic Medical Students Association, at the annual BHS Congress 2024 in Belfast. We provided 20 medical students sponsored attendance, and the event featured insightful talks, cutting-edge hip arthroscopy and virtual reality workshops. Challenging stereotypes is crucial, and we felt it was important to offer hands-on experience, enthusiasm, and encouragement through mentors and facilitators from diverse backgrounds. New for 2024, the one-to-one speed mentorship stream was an opportunity for students to discuss their aspirations, work-life balance, and gain valuable insights into the brilliance of an orthopaedic career.
This year, the BHS introduces two £750 bursaries to support medical student electives in hip surgery in the UK or abroad. Applications will be open from 1st June to 31st September 2024, with interviews held in October 2024. We urge you to encourage your students to apply for both the bursary and BHS membership. To follow our progress on improving diversity and inclusivity, visit the BHS website (www.britishhipsociety.com), engage with us on social media, and visit us next year at #BHS2025 in Harrogate!
The British Society for Surgery of the Hand (BSSH) update
Charlotte Smith, BSSH Secretariat
BSSH 2024 Spring Scientific Meeting
The BSSH Spring Congress took place on 25th – 26th April at the Royal Armouries Museum, Leeds where welcomed our guest society the Scandinavian Society for Surgery of the Hand. The collaborative programme covered operative challenges, socioeconomic aspects of hand and upper limb conditions and current knowledge of nerve injury, repair and regeneration.
BSSH Instructional Course in Hand Surgery (ICHS)
The first course in series 9, Soft Tissue Reconstruction, Burns and Infection is taking place on 7th - 8th June 2024. You can find the full programme and register at: www.bssh.ac.uk/about/events/4697/ichs_91__soft_tissue_reconstruction_burns_and_infection.
Over a three-year period our series of two-day courses cover the entire syllabus in hand surgery. Each course explores a subject area in depth with innovative teaching combining lectures, small group tutorials and simulation. The BSSH wishes to thank our platinum sponsors for this series of courses: Acumed and Sovereign Medical.
Save the date: BSSH Autumn Scientific Meeting 2024
Join us on 14th - 15th November 2024 at the International Convention Centre (ICC) in Belfast, Northern Ireland where we welcome our guest society Die Deutsche Gesellschaft für Handchirurgie.
Abstract submission is now open, to find out more visit: www.bssh.ac.uk/about/events/4622/bssh_autumn_scientific_meeting_2024.
Lilongwe Hand Unit
Volunteers from the BSSH and British Association of Hand Therapists (BAHT) are collaborating with staff at the Lilongwe Institute for Orthopaedics and Neurosurgery (LION) in the delivery of treatment for elective and traumatic conditions of the hand in Malawi.
Scan the QR code to find out more about this exciting project.
The British Association of Spine Surgeons (BASS) update
Aprajay Golash, BASS President
BASS had a very successful conference at Bournemouth, 20-22 March 2024, which was organised by the spinal unit at Southampton. This was preceded by a masterclass on Spinal infections. Guest lectures were delivered by well-known international faculty and were well received by the audience. The meeting also provided political updates in relation to spinal surgery. Developing international links is a key focus for the BASS education program. Two international sessions, from the South Korean and Indian Spinal societies, were also held and gave a different flavour to the management of a number of spinal conditions.
BASS is actively involved in promoting women in spinal surgery and focusing on improving diversity in the Spinal community. The Society continues to support development of future leader program and research in spinal surgery.
