Pelvic & Acetabular Symposium 2019

A Pelvic and Acetabular Symposium was held in the School of Medicine on Friday 3rd May, 2019. This symposium was organised and run by Mr Arpit Jariwala and Professor Rami Abboud, both of the Department of Orthopaedic & Trauma Surgery at the TORT Centre.

The symposium, jointly sponsored by the MCh (Orth) Course and Stryker UK Ltd, gave attendees tips and tricks and current concepts on pelvic and acetabular fractures. Hosting the symposium is a coup for the Medical School as it is always held annually in India and it is the first time to have such an event held in Scotland. It was Professor Abhey Elhance and Mr Jariwala’s idea to stage the event this year in Dundee.

Professor Rami Abboud welcoming delegates at the Wolfson lecture theatre.

Just over hundred delegates, including MCh (Orth) and Postgraduate students, Trainees, Physiotherapists, Nurses and Consultants, attended the symposium which comprised sessions on Pelvic Fractures, Acetabular Fractures, and Surgical Approaches Video Session in the Wolfson Lecture Theatre, and hands-on Sawbone Workshop, sponsored and run by Stryker, at the Clinical Skills Unit, Ninewells Hospital.

Left to Right: Professor Abhey Elhance, Mr Nikhil Shah, Mr Ben Clift, Professor Ramesh Kumar Sen.

Professor Rami Abboud welcomed delegates and introduced the teaching faculty before requesting a one-minute silence in remembrance of Professor David Rowley who sadly and unexpectedly passed away earlier this year.

“This symposium has been brewing for over three years and the concerted efforts of both Arpit and Abhay have paid dividend in delivering a world-class symposium with eminent faculty from India and the UK. Having posted this event on my personal Facebook with images of the event on Friday 3 May, I received an instant message from my friend, the immediate past president of the Indian Orthopaedic Association (IOA), Professor Mandeep Dhillon, suggesting to jointly organise a similar symposium on ‘Foot & Ankle’ in Dundee. So game on, we will organise the event for 2020 and three national Consultant Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Surgeons have already committed to join”, stated Professor Abboud.

Left to Right: Mr Gillies Avison, Mr Mehool Acharya, Mr Faz Alipour, Mr Graeme Nicol.

Invited, world-renowned speakers were Dr Abhay Elhence (Professor and Head of Department of Orthopaedics, All India Institute of Medical Sciences Jodhpur, India, MCh Orth Class 2011), Dr Ramesh Kumar Sen (Professor and Senior Director & Head of Institute of Orthopaedics, Max Super Specialty Hospital, Mohali, India), Mr Nikhil Shah (Consultant Trauma & Orthopaedic Surgeon, Wrightington Hospital, UK), Mr Mehool (Mez) Acharya (Consultant Trauma & Orthopaedic Surgeon, Bristol Royal Infirmary, UK), Mr Graeme Nicol (Pelvic & Acetabulum Trauma Fellow, Southmead Hospital, UK), Mr Ben Clift, Mr Faz Alipour and Mr Gillies Avison (Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeons, Ninewells Hospital, Dundee, UK).

Left: Professor Abboud welcoming Professors Sen and Elhence; Right: The faculty team having a game of pass the pelvis!

Mr Jariwala stated:

“It’s nice to see the fruit of one’s hard work. For nearly a year myself and Professor Elhance have been planning to bring the Pelvic and Acetabular symposium to Dundee and it finally happened! It was a great event which was only possible with a lot of hard work from all of the MCh (Orth) Team, especially Sheila MacDonald, Heather Ferguson and Ian Christie, and the external and internal faculty and of course the constant support of Professor Abboud.

From what I have garnered during the last 3-4 days, the event was a huge success, attended by a variety of healthcare professionals including surgeons, physios, nurses, and students. The symposium was a fantastic academic feast and the workshop was the icing on the orthopaedic cake with delegates enjoying pearls of wisdom from the learned faculty. Initial feedback has been amazing and the faculty are keen to return to Dundee next year. So thank you all and I hope to see you again next year where there will be a cadaveric pelvic and acetabular workshop on offer”

Left: Professor Elhance explaining pelvic anatomy; Right Mr Avison showing surgical drybone techniques at the Clinical Skills Centre workshop run by Stryker UK.