Dear Reader,

With this being the first AOSpine Newsletter issue of 2016, allow me to take this opportunity to share some of the highlights of last year which we showcased at the Davos Courses in December.  The event was a great success with almost 280 surgeons attending from all corners of the world and we used this platform of one of our biggest international events to launch the AOSpine Thoracolumbar Classification System toolkit and also to introduce surgeons to the new cervical spine module on popular online and mobile application, AO Surgery Reference.

We've already started 2016 with some exciting activities within AOSpine which we showcase in the Highlights section. Here, you can read the latest updates on the upcoming Global Spine Congress and World Forum for Spine Research which takes place concurrently in Dubai on April 13–16, 2016.

 

You can also read about AOSpine introducing a new Member Representative position for the International Board. This is a unique leadership position that will be democratically elected by all Voting Members of AOSpine who attend the Global Spine Congress in Dubai. Reporting to the Chairperson AOSpine International Board (AOSIB), the Member Representative will be the voice of all AOSpine members on the International Board.

 

Additionally you will also find the information on how you can enter into the Global Spine Journal Awards, and find out about other activities through which we continue to help advance spine care worldwide.

 

Our feature stories ask the question: do soft skills in surgery matter and should they be given more importance during the hiring process? We also look into the dilemma often facing surgeons about choosing between offering patients surgery and offering other alternatives in situations where the likelihood of surgery success may be low.

 

I hope you enjoy this issue and I look forward to sharing more good news about the work we're doing with you in the coming months.

With best wishes,

Dan Riew

Chairperson, AOSpine International

 

 

We strive to improve with each issue in order to make the AOSpine newsletter even more valuable to you and your profession.  Please send comments and suggestions to the editorial team to help us achieve this.