North American Musculoskeletal Trauma Education Committee (NAMTEC)
By Richard H. Lange, M.D., Chairman
The North American Musculoskeletal Trauma Education Committee completed another year of stewardship of North American AO trauma courses, with very successful and well received courses around the US and Canada. The challenge remains, however, as to how to utilize and incorporate evolving digital technology and distance learning possibilities as we move forward. Early discussions of a state-of-the-art AO learning center is but one example of this type of initiative encompassing all specialty areas of the AO community. It will be an ongoing and exciting challenge to advance and enhance courses that are already widely perceived as the "gold standard."
This is an appropriate forum to recognize the committee members, Jorge Alonso, Joe Borelli, Richard Buckley, Christoph Geel, Mitch Harris, Jim Hughes, Larry Webb and Jack Wilber, as well as ex-officio members Joan Rousseau and Jim Gerry. Successful courses are, however, largely due to the considerable effort and expertise of the entire AO Course faculty who have participated over the years, and to the outstanding continuing education team in Paoli.
It remains an ongoing tactical challenge to maintain CME accreditation for all of our courses and the continuing efforts of Jim Kellam and the representation for the NAMTEC Committee of Joe Borelli and Jack Wilber is greatly appreciated.
The committee always welcomes your input relative to any aspect of, or strategy for, AO trauma education.
Finally, I would like to conclude my chairman’s comments with a final acknowledgement of Larry Webb. As immediate past chairman of this committee, he will be concluding his tenure this spring, after many years of invaluable service on the committee. This is but a small part of his outstanding long-term and ongoing contributions to AO education. We first met at Harborview in 1983. Since that time, I am confident that I am one of many who have come to appreciate Larry as a talented educator, exceptional orthopaedic traumatologist, colleague and close friend. Larry, thank you again.