Traveler Turns Host for International Foot and Ankle Visitors

New York, NY—July 2, 2010

“I was able to observe and speak one-on-one with renowned experts in our field and see how things are done in other institutions,” said Hospital for Special Surgery Foot and Ankle Surgeon Scott J. Ellis, M.D., in describing his opportunity last year to be a traveling fellow. “It was an extraordinary experience that opened my mind to other surgical approaches and ways of thinking.”

In 2009, Dr. Ellis was one of five applicants selected by the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) to participate in their Traveling Fellowship Awards Program, an annual educational tour that offers active and associate members, age 45 years and younger, the chance to observe and interact with leading orthopedists in the country. The goal of the fellowship is to promote new approaches to foot and ankle care and research. This year, Dr. Ellis and his colleagues in the Foot and Ankle Service at Special Surgery will serve as traveling fellowship hosts.

Leading the hosting group is Jonathan T. Deland, M.D., chief of the Foot and Ankle Service, along with Walther H.O. Bohne, M.D.; Andrew J. Elliott, M.D.; John G. Kennedy, M.D.; David S. Levine, M.D.; Martin J. O'Malley, M.D.; and Matthew M. Roberts, M.D.
“The fellowship program is conducted at orthopedic centers selected by the Society. It is also held in the same region as the Society’s annual summer meeting,” explained Dr. Ellis.

“The meeting this year will be held on the east coast and we’re honored to be chosen as a host center,” he said.  Other host institutions include Union Memorial Hospital, Baltimore; Pennsylvania Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Surgeons, Pennsylvania Hospital and University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia; Duke Orthopaedics, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, N.C.; and OrthoCarolina, Charlotte, N. C.. The AOFAS 2010 conference is set for July 7 to 10 in National Harbor, Maryland.

The Foot and Ankle Service will welcome the AOFAS Traveling Fellows to HSS from July 17 to 22. 

The 2010 AOFAS fellowship represents many regions of the globe, including South Korea, Greece, United Kingdom, Australia and Brazil. While at HSS, they will observe surgical procedures and patient care, take part in orthopedic lectures, review and discuss case studies, participate in grand rounds and have the ability to engage in individual talks with experts.  The educational excursion also provides the ideal setting for young physicians to connect with peers from the U.S. and abroad. The group will present a summary of their findings to the AOFAS and submit an article to the Society’s publication following the tour.

“I’m confident that our visitors will come away with a professionally and personally enriching experience,” said Dr. Ellis, “as well as a broader understanding of how orthopedic care and research are conducted in other settings.”