At its 2023 pre-meeting to the annual Chilean Society of Orthopedics and Traumatology National Congress, held in collaboration with AAOS, Coleen Sabatini, MD, FAAOS, presented on high-energy traumatic injuries in adults and children, which was the focal topic of the event. Several other AAOS faculty also contributed to the pre-meeting, which fostered an international exchange of knowledge between countries.
Published 3/8/2024
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Francisco Soza, MD
Editor’s note: This article is part of a series from 2024 Guest Nation representatives from Chile. The articles were published in each issue of the AAOS Now Daily Edition.
In recent years, the Chilean Society of Orthopedics and Traumatology (SCHOT) has significantly increased not only its number of active partners but also its interactions with other international societies, within the framework of a policy that seeks to promote and generate instances of scientific and professional exchange between nations. This international exchange is important not only to acquire new knowledge but also to open up opportunities for the formation of networks of cooperation between nations.
SCHOT maintains an active relationship with orthopaedic surgery societies around the world. Since 2014, SCHOT has worked closely with AAOS to hold an annual pre-meeting to the SCHOT National Congress. The 2023 pre-meeting, held in October in Puerto Varas in Chile, was focused on high-energy trauma injuries in adults and children, including initial treatment and final resolution. Faculty from AAOS attended and presented at the meeting, including Coleen Sabatini, MD, FAAOS; John Munz, MD; and Reza Firoozabadi, MD, FAAOS. The event was much appreciated by SCHOT’s members and partners.
In addition to its work with AAOS, in the past year, SCHOT has held international congresses with the International Foot and Ankle Society and the Iberolatin-american Society of Spine, as well as events focusing on pediatric orthopaedic surgery with the Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America, Sociedad Latinoamericana de Ortopedia y Traumatología Infantil, and the European Paediatric Orthopaedic Society. SCHOT has exchange fellowships with both the Spanish Society of Orthopedic Surgery and Traumatology and with the German Society for Orthopaedics and Trauma. SCHOT, along with its staff, has been recognized as a solid organization able to develop important scientific meetings.
Chile’s participation as Guest Nation at the AAOS 2024 Annual Meeting and its place in the scientific program are recognition for SCHOT. Through SCHOT’s continued exchange with orthopaedic organizations worldwide, Chile has generated international positioning that without a doubt helps the professional growth of SCHOT’s members—and ultimately contributes to medical education in Chile overall.
The great development that SCHOT has had at a global level has allowed it to demonstrate Chile as a country capable of holding large international events, creating new possibilities for partnerships and growth. SCHOT hopes that participation as a Guest Nation at the AAOS 2024 Annual Meeting will mark a milestone in its exchange policy, giving the society an important impetus to continue connecting with the world.
Francisco Soza, MD, is a past president of SCHOT.