Page 6 - ISAKOS 2019 Newsletter Volume 1

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
The Biennial ISAKOS Congress in Cancun may be the best congress yet. Stefano Zaffagnini and Volker Musahl and their program committee, along with the different committees have put together a tremendous program with 50 symposia, 30 ICLs, 5 debates, 35 surgical demonstrations, and 5 partner society symposia. Additionally, there will be a Sports Rehabilitation Concurrent Course (tell your physical therapists!) and pre-courses (including one in Spanish). We are also very excited to have Michael Casale, Chief Science Officer for Strivr, a company that uses virtual reality for training, as my Presidential Guest Speaker. His speech will focus on using virtual reality to improve surgery, sports medicine, and athletic performance. Strivr is known for training athletes and teams, including many college and professional football teams as well as
the German national soccer team.
Additionally, we will have Edwin Moses as a Special Keynote Speaker. Dr. Moses is an American former track and field athlete who won gold medals in the 400-m hurdles at the 1976 and 1984 Olympics. Between 1977 and 1987, Dr. Moses dominated the field, winning 107 consecutive international finals and setting the world record in the event 4 times. He is the chairman of the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) and a board member of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Dr. Moses will provide insights into the current state of drug doping in athletics. As you can see, this meeting will be spectacular. The science will be a highlight, as always, and the offerings will be broad, current, and cutting-edge.
These are only the highlights of my term. These things could not have been accomplished without the hard work and contributions of so many society members, Michele Johnson, and our office staff. It has been a very busy 2 years, and I have much to be thankful for. We accomplished a great deal because our members deeply care about the society and volunteer their time to contribute to its success. I am particularly indebted to the members of the board, the executive committee, the program committee, and the search committee, all of whom did so much work this year to help us accomplish these tasks to make our society stronger as we continue to grow and evolve.
I want to thank the past presidents for setting the foundation for our society. These individuals have set a high bar for the presidents to come and have helped to position our society as an international educational leader in arthroscopy, knee surgery, and orthopaedic sports medicine. To that end, I want to congratulate João Espregueira-Mendes for his stewardship as the chairman of the publications committee, with another bounty of books being made available to our members, including 5-7 books that will be available in time for the Cancun meeting. I cannot thank my executive committee enough for their wisdom and drive as well as for their continuous and unwavering support: Willem van der Merwe (First Vice President), Guillermo Arce (Second Vice President), Philippe Neyret (Past President), João Espregueira-Mendes (Treasurer), Chris Harner (Assistant Treasurer), Jon Karlsson (Secretary), David Parker (Assistant Secretary). Along with my consultants Greg Bain, Ryosuke Kuroda, and David Figueroa, as well as John Bartlett, who has served in 2 important committees (the JISAKOS Board of Trustees and the search committee), this group has worked tirelessly, particularly during the last 2 years, to help our society accomplish its goals while running as smoothly as one could have hoped for. I am forever indebted to each of them.
As we approach our crown jewel, the Biennial Congress in Cancun, I welcome Sue Reimbold, our new CEO/Executive Director. I wish her luck as we go forward and am confident that she will be successful, partly due to the groundwork that has been laid before her by others (including Michele, the past presidents, and the board members) and partly due to the fact she will have an excellent team (including Willem van der Merwe and Guillermo Arce as the next presidents, a supportive and hard-working board and committee members, and a committed staff at the home office). I know that our future as a society is truly bright, and I am grateful for all of the hard work that has put our society in this wonderful position. And finally, I want to thank Michele Johnson for all she has done for me as well as for this wonderful society.
I look forward to seeing you all in Cancun for another outstanding congress, an invaluable educational experience, and the opportunity to toast friendships!
Marc R. Safran, MD
ISAKOS President, 2017–2019
4 ISAKOS NEWSLETTER 2019: VOLUME I