The first “Future Scope: Introduction to Orthopaedics and Arthroscopy” course, co-developed and co-hosted between the Arthroscopy Association of North America (AANA) and DePuy Synthes*, The Orthopaedics Company of Johnson & Johnson, takes place October 1 at the MERCI Medical Lab in Park Ridge, Illinois. The course series is truly the first of its kind and comes with a generational impact that aims to reach minorities in the field while addressing gender and racial disparities head-on.
The representation of minorities, including females, in orthopaedics compared to other medical specialties is staggeringly low, making introductory courses like this one essential. According to the Association of American Medical College’s 2020 Physician Specialty Data Report, only 5.8% of all practicing Orthopaedic Surgeons in the United States are female – the lowest representation of women in all medical specialties. Additionally, while those who are underrepresented in medicine account for nearly 50.2% of all medical school students, just half of that number (25.6%) pursue an orthopaedic residency. The data clearly demands change, and AANA is committed to taking measures that recognize women and minorities in the field. To truly make a difference and execute this change, these medical students must be met early in their education for encouragement and mentoring, which is where the course series comes into play.
Future Scope aims to introduce underrepresented medical students to the fundamentals of orthopaedic practice, professional opportunities within the field and insights into an orthopaedic career. The agenda for the course is robust and includes lecture topics that dive into a day in the life of an Orthopaedic Surgeon, while also introducing more trending topics such as biologics and rehabilitation. The course is also set to include four different groups of roundtable breakout sessions that discuss varying topics in orthopaedics. Additionally, Future Scope will include an esteemed faculty made up of seasoned surgeons and AANA leaders.
MERCI Chicago is an acclaimed bioskills destination with over 24,000 square feet dedicated to hands-on medical training. The spacious lab offers the opportunity for each attendee to create his or her own ideal learning environment, which is essential for medical students learning the tricks of the trade.
“There are going to be numerous orthopaedic faculty from different subspecialties within the field, many of whom are leaders already in orthopaedics,” says Mark K. Mulcahey, M.D., AANA diversity, equity and inclusion advisor and board of directors member. “It’s a great opportunity for the students to start to develop that network, to seek out opportunities for shadowing, for potentially attending courses in the future, for obtaining letters of recommendation [and] for doing research. Those are certainly all things that we hope that they will take away.”
DePuy Synthes’ commitment involves a sponsorship of the course series from 2022-2024. The second course in the series will place November 5, 2022, at the Johnson & Johnson Institute in Raynham, Massachusetts.
* DePuy Synthes represents the products and services of DePuy Synthes Sales, Inc. and its affiliates.