Page 3 - ISAKOS 2019 Newsletter Vol II

Giving
Back
The first ISAKOS Knee Arthroplasty Fellowship winners were announced at the 12th Biennial ISAKOS Congress in Cancun, Mexico this past May. Congratulations to Bujar Shabani from Albania and Rishi Bisht from Nepal!
The purpose of the ISAKOS Knee Arthroplasty Fellowship is both to improve knee arthroplasty in developing nations and to promote communication and agreement among knee surgeons around the world. This fellowship is awarded to two young orthopaedic surgeons who work in developing countries. They will have the opportunity to travel to different medical sites around the world and learn surgical techniques as well as patient management. The goal is that the fellows will take what they have learned during the fellowship back to the country where they practice.
The 2019 ISAKOS Knee Arthroplasty Fellowship was generously sponsored by the Nicolaas Institute of Constructive Orthopaedic Research & Education Foundation for Arthroplasty & Sports Medicine. Nicolaas C. Budhiparama of Indonesia has been an ISAKOS Member since 2009 and currently serves on the ISAKOS Board of Directors. Dr. Budhiparama was also one of the first ISAKOS Godfathers of the ISAKOS Global Connection. His idea to sponsor the Knee Arthroplasty Fellowship stemmed from a discussion he had with current ISAKOS President, Willem van der Merwe, and current ISAKOS Assistant Secretary, Mark Clatworthy, who wanted to strengthen the Knee Arthroplasty focus of ISAKOS. At the time, only a few 2015 Congress symposia had covered the topic. Dr. Budhiparama saw an opportunity and took action.
Nicolaas decided to donate through his foundation and support both the ISAKOS Paolo Aglietti Award and the Knee Arthroplasty Traveling Fellowship. His aim was to boost knee arthroplasty research and provide opportunities for young surgeons to learn from various experts around the globe. He stated, “I embody its mission and vision to provide learning opportunities to those who live or work in less fortunate economic conditions, who are self-motivated to improve themselves and share the knowledge and experience they learned during their fellowship with others in their community.”
Dr. Budhiparama demonstrates how careers can be changed by giving back. Giving back can take on many diverse forms. It can be a financial donation to a professional society such as this, or your own hospital or orthopaedic institute, or another charity that is important to you such as your house of worship, a charity that helps those in need or an educational institution, to name just a few. You may also choose to give your time, such as providing charity care to patients, teaching at conferences or other settings, or travelling to teach or perform surgery in another location or country. As well, teaching local students, including medical students, residents and fellows is part of giving back to our global community and improving care for future patients.
Following the ISAKOS Congress in Cancun, we have asked the ISAKOS Award and Fellowship winners to contribute to the Newsletter and share their experiences. This issue is full of their stories, stories that reinforce and support why giving back is so important. I encourage you to read these contributions and discover the impact that these awards and fellowships have had on the recipients – both personally and professionally. It is clear we can’t give back all the time, or in all ways. However, if each of us does our best in our respective professional situations, the international knee surgery and orthopaedic sports medicine world will be a better place.
Robert G. Marx, MD
ISAKOS Newsletter Editor 2019–2021
EDITOR’S MESSAGE
ISAKOS NEWSLETTER 2019: VOLUME II 1