International News

China - Professor Dehao Tian is actively teaching MIS in Beijing, China. In the spring, he will participate in a congress of diabetic foot pathology sponsored by Dr. Abudul Asis Al-Ghanass, Regional Director of The Academy in Saudi Arabia. Professor Tian our Asian Regional Director, has vast experience on the effectiveness of MIS in diabetic foot pathology. E-mail address, yougotdehao@yahoo.com

France - The minimal invasive surgical group, GRECMIP, continues to be very active presenting minimal invasive foot surgical seminars, not only in Bordeaux and Paris, France, but also in participating in various studies clearly demonstrating the effectiveness of MIS in the correction of foot pathology. This group has been extremely active in the promotion and study of minimal invasive foot surgery throughout Europe and Northern Africa. They have also been active with the orthopedic community in Hong Kong. contact@grecmip.com Germany - German traumatologist, Gebhard Suger, MD, represents the source of the education of MIS surgical procedures in this European nation. Dr. Suger continues to be an active lecturer at MIS meetings, not only here in the states, but also Europe. Dr. Suger can be reached at orchid1@t-online.de for educational opportunities.

Mexico - The Academy has a large membership of orthopedic susrgeons in Mexico and the Academy affiliate SOMCAP, which is the foot and ankle section of AMOT (Mexican Association of Orthopedic Surgery and Traumatology) sponsor a seminar in Puerto Vallarta and later in the fall another meeting. These sessions on minimal invasive surgery have been extremely popular and have drawn surgeons from not only Latin America, but also from the international communities of Europe and America.

Spain - Mariano DePrado, MD. PhD, as a member of GREMCIP and the Director of the Academy in Europe, will be publishing his textbook on minimal invasive surgery of the foot in English at the end of April of this year, coinciding with the Second International Congress of Minimal Invasive Surgery of the Foot and Ankle, which will be held in Murcia, Spain the 23rd and 25th of April. It will be highlighting the 15 years of experience of MIS in the orthopedic community of Europe. This seminar will draw surgeons not only as professors but as attendees internationally from Europe, North America, South America and Africa. Over 500 surgeons are expected to participate and demonstrate advanced minimal invasive surgery of the foot and ankle, not only percutaneous, but also arthroscopic surgery. World famous Dr. Van Dijk is the coordinator for the arthroscopic surgery portion. Podiatry in Spain, AEMIS Board of Trustees Member, has a new President Carmen Naranjo Ruiz, who was elected last fall. I am sure that the MIS under her guidance will proliferate among the podiatric community in Europe. The University of Barcelona (UBA) is graduating its third class for its diplomatic course on minimal invasive surgery. The goal is to expand this course and add other others to create a PhD program for minimal invasive surgery of the foot.

I would like to give a special recognition, not only to all the international directors of our organization, but at this time especially to Professor Mariano DePrado, MD, PhD for his tireless work of promoting MIS among the orthopedic community worldwide. His English textbook on minimal invasive surgery set a new standard not only in minimal invasive surgical text but also of any surgical text.

Clear and precise explanations, outstanding photography and demonstarations surgically and also outstanding anatomical studies by Pau Galano, MD Professor of Anatomy at the University of Barcelona, Spain.

Respectfully,

Stephen A. Isham, DPM, MD