Page 48 - ISAKOS 2019 Newsletter Vol II

AWARD & FELLOWSHIP REPORTS
ISAKOS YOUNG INVESTIGATOR’S SCHOLARSHIP & RESEARCH MENTORING PROGRAM WINNER
On a personal level, my attendance at the conference gave me the opportunity to make friends from all over the world and, as a young member, I was very happy to meet so many of my contemporaries. ISAKOS has made a fantastic effort not only to promote education but to find ways to offer tools and resources to stimulate young investigators from developing countries. ISAKOS is truly a youth-inspiring organization.
Without a doubt, Cancun was an excellent choice. This paradisiac shore was a great combination of beautiful beaches, world-renowned gastronomy, and Mayan culture. I’m sure I’ll be astonished the same way in Cape Town, South Africa. I have already saved the date!
To summarize, ISAKOS is an inclusive, youth-inspiring, and innovative society that every orthopaedic surgeon should join!
The ISAKOS Research Mentoring Program
As a Young Investigator’s Scholarship finalist, I had the opportunity to present a project proposal to the Scientific Committee (including Chair Dr. Jason Koh, Deputy Chairs Drs. Olufemi Ayeni and Jacques Ménétrey, and the honorable committee members) in the hopes of being selected for the ISAKOS Research Mentoring Program.
02 ISAKOS/ICRS Teaching Center TheMIS Family Celebrating with Mexican gourmet cuisine dinner at Porfirio’s Restaurant, Cancun, Mexico.
This program is designed to help further the research efforts of young investigators from developing countries who have limited access to research resources. Each year, two winners are selected to receive a US $10,000 stipend to complete a research project along with the guidance of a research mentor.
Prior to the Congress, I worked for several months (along with my Sports Medicine and Arthroscopy Fellowship Professors from TheMIS Orthopaedic Center; the ISAKOS/ICRS Teaching Center in Thessaloniki, Greece; and my former professors from Venezuela) to design a project to help us find an affordable solution for the treatment of acute dislocations of the acromioclavicular joint in patients living under multidimensional poverty. Through biomechanical testing on twelve cadaveric shoulder specimens, we hope to demonstrate if our “bumper technique” results in adequate acromioclavicular joint stability.
I believe that my project was selected as the winner because of its detailed presentation and the genuine motivation for the study. Also, to manage this investigation design within the $10,000 budget forced me to consider every detail to perform it successfully in the stipulated time. I hope that this project will promote consciousness about the accessibility and costs of arthroscopy around the globe and will help to further the development of arthroscopic supplies and implants made from inexpensive biomaterials for use in developing countries.
I’m very eager to start the Research Mentoring Program. I believe that it will be a life-changing experience and a new chance to meet wonderful professionals that will guide me through a successful path. Already, meeting Dr. Alfonso Barnechea from Perú and Dr. Sebastían Irarrázaval from Chile has motivated me to pursue a career inside the society as a Venezuelan committee member in the future.
Congratulations to my Young Investigator’s Scholarship friends–I wish best of luck in your promising careers!
03 Theodorakys Marín with ISAKOS Past President Dr. Marc Safran.
46 ISAKOS NEWSLETTER 2019: VOLUME II