“Well, that’s just another COVID story to add to the list.” I find myself saying that almost daily in response to the challenges we all now face in every aspect of our lives. Our Society has faced these challenges over the past couple of years and has often been forced to choose the best of the bad options available to us. Despite this we have prevailed, the Annual Meeting in Tampa being a shining example. I want to first thank Drs. Jon Levy, Mark Mighell, and Derek Cuff for organizing an outstanding meeting that was thoroughly enjoyed by all attendees. Having run an annual meeting in the past, I can tell you it is one of the hardest jobs in the ASES. Our total registration was 324 with 263 Active/Associate Members, 46 Fellow Members, 10 Senior Member, 5 Active Military, 22 Spouses, and 164 Industry Reps. We enjoyed 66 papers, 5 symposia, 9 ICLs and 9 Industry workshops along with multiple social events that allowed us to reconnect with our colleagues after such a long period of isolation and virtual communication. The meeting was engaging and stimulating despite our reduced numbers, and we keep our fingers crossed that our ability to maneuver around this pandemic improves to the point where it has a minimal impact on our next Annual Meeting in Atlanta.

 

My theme for this newsletter is Engagement and I will report to you that the amount of enthusiasm and willingness to contribute to our Society is unbelievable. This is evidenced by the fact that the number of committees and task forces in our society continues to grow yearly and that our mission continues to broaden in scope. Dr John Sperling has started a Practice Management Task Force that will be providing webinars on the business aspects of a Shoulder and Elbow practice. Drs. Emilie Cheung and Jason Holcomb have initiated a Leadership Development Program and Dr Anand Murthi is working hard to expand and enhance our Mentorship Program. Drs. Grant Garrigues and Chris Klifto leading the Technology Committee are developed a Mobile App that will not only allow us to communicate with each other more easily but also serves as a quick access to the latest information in Shoulder and Elbow surgery and puts it at our fingertips.  All these initiatives enhance the experience of membership in ASES and help us make the transition from a small organization to a truly inclusive large society. Please look out for announcements regarding these activities and take advantage of them. I am only mentioning the newer initiatives but there are countless other projects going on behind the scenes led by your dedicated colleagues at ASES that keep us at the forefront of Shoulder and Elbow surgery globally. For those of you who have volunteered in the past and not been chosen, please accept my apologies for the fact that there are a finite number of volunteer opportunities and please apply again. Reach out to me personally to discuss your interests and I will do everything possible to accommodate requests. We need a wide variety of skills to make the society function, and everyone can contribute. Thank you all for your ongoing enthusiasm and support of ASES.