By Carolyn Rogers
Following a highly successful debut in 2002, the AAOS Corporate Advisory Council (CAC) has renewed its International Scholarship program for 2003. The program’s objective is to enable orthopaedic surgeons from less economically stable nations to participate in Orthopaedic Learning Center (OLC) surgical skills courses at AAOS headquarters in Rosemont, Ill.
To that end, four international orthopaedic surgeons each will receive a $3,000 scholarship to travel to the United States and take part in an OLC course. The scholarship program arranges for hospital visits and pairs scholars with American physician mentors.
Scholarship candidates must be 45 years of age or younger and must have completed all basic and specialty orthopaedic training. Candidates also are required to demonstrate strong leadership potential and possess good English language speaking and reading skills.
2003 scholarship winners
In what was described as a "challenging" ranking process this year, the Academy’s International Committee reviewed the applications and selected the following surgeons to receive the 2003 CAC International Scholarships:
Chakra Raj Pandey, MD, of Nepal
Christian Chukwu, MD, of Nigeria
Kirill Redko, MD, of Russia
Tadesse Alemayehu, MD, of Ethiopia
All four winners have confirmed their intention to come to the United States to attend their chosen OLC course.
By coincidence, two of the 2003 winners come from the same countries as two of last year’s winners—Russia and Nigeria. This may actually strengthen the overall outcomes and long-lasting impact of the CAC program, reports Lynne Dowling, director of the AAOS international programs department. "This will allow the respective scholarship recipients to share their experiences and knowledge with their colleagues at home," she says.
The CAC
The CAC was founded in May 1998 to serve as a forum for the exchange of information of mutual concern to the AAOS, the Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation and orthopaedic industry.
Its goals include coordinating activities of existing entities that address Academy and industry relations and encouraging and supporting public education and public relations programs that increase the public’s awareness of orthopaedic surgery. The CAC also shares information and periodically reviews industry CME courses and research projects and their relationship to the Academy’s efforts and coordinates the financial support of industry for the Academy’s educational courses and research projects.