The Global Spine Congress (GSC) and the concurrent World Forum for Spine Research were a huge success, and we have returned from Dubai with many ideas. In this issue of the AOSpine newsletter, you will find a summary of the highlights of the AOSpine flagship event. The next GSC will take place in Milan from May 3–6, 2017. Abstracts can already be submitted, and we kindly invite you to submit yours.

 

In this newsletter, we also introduce you to the first-ever AOSpine Member Representative, Alaa Ahmad, who was elected by all voting members of AOSpine at the Member Assembly at the GSC. Find out more about the tasks of the Member Representative, how you can apply for this position for the next election in 2017, and what the requirements are to be eligible as a voting member.

 

In addition, you can read about the newly-elected AOSpine Education Commission Chairperson, Bryan Ashman, and his vision and ideas for AOSpine Education. Also learn about the winner of the Germàn Ochoa Travel Fellowship, Ali Haghnegahdar.

 

At the GSC, we also announced the winners of the Global Spine Journal Awards 2015 for Best Basic Science Paper, Best Clinical Paper, and Best Reviewer. Find out who the winners are and how you can submit your paper for 2016.

 

Also, did you know that one of the privileges of the AOSpine Membership is that you can publish in the Global Spine Journal without a publication fee?

 

A lot of our readers, however, may have asked themselves what it actually takes to be considered for publication, or to even be nominated for an award.  In this issue, you will find an extensive article on "How to Write, Publish, and Review a scientific Paper", based on the AOSpine Members-Only session at the GSC. The Global Spine Journal Editors-in-Chief Jeffrey Wang, Jens Chapman, and Karsten Wiechert share their insights and give tips on how to write a scientific manuscript.

 

At the GSC, we've also launched the new Subaxial Classification Toolkit, which you can download online on the AOSpine website.

 

Furthermore, in this issue, Marcelo Gruenberg of the Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires discusses the potential complications of caring for elderly patients and shares more on how you can tailor care to suit the ageing population. YH Yau of the Royal Adelaide Hospital and The International Spine Centre shares his perspective on the impact that physiotherapy, health optimization, and pain control can make on post-surgical recovery.

 

AOSpine has another big education event coming up later this year. The AO Davos Courses will take place in Davos, Switzerland, from December 12–14. Create your own customized experience by selecting from the following modules: Adult Deformity, Cervical Degenerative Including Complications, Lumbar Degenerative Including Complications, Trauma, and Tumors and Infection. As a novelty, we will offer bio skills courses for the first time. Register now and join us in Davos.

 

Last but not least, we would also like to present an initiative of the AO Foundation, the Medical Device World. It is the first global interdisciplinary conference on the development and use of musculoskeletal devices, taking place from November 17–18 in Frankfurt, Germany.

 

I hope you find this issue interesting and informative. I look forward to bringing you the next issue in September 2016.

 

 

Best wishes,

Dan Riew

Chairperson,

AOSpine International