November 29, 2022

Annual conferences for orthopedic subspecialties are events orthopedic specialists look forward to all year! At these conferences, presentations and research inform our experts and allow Washington University Orthopedics surgeons to share their findings and best practices with others. 

The American Society for Surgery of the Hand (ASSH) Annual Meeting of 2022 in Boston, MA, was an expert-led event complete with plenty of fun. WashU Ortho had an incredible showing; highlights include:

• David Brogan, MD, MSc – Top 5 Scientific Paper (lead paper of the entire meeting!)
• Christopher Dy, MD, MPH – Co-Chair of 40th Adrian Flatt Resident/Fellow Conference
• Ryan Calfee, MD, MSc – ASSH Council as Research Division Director
• Lindley Wall, MD, MSc – Chair of Pre-Course for Pediatric Hand Surgery; 2024 Annual Meeting Program Co-Chair and 2023 Adrian Flatt Resident/Fellows Conference Co-Chair
• Many ICL’s, ICR’s, precourses, and postcourses moderated and populated by WashU Ortho  faculty
• The WashU Ortho social attended by many stars in hand surgery comprised of our faculty and alumni
• ASSH Handapalooza 2022 complete with a performance on guitar from our very ownMartin Boyer, MD

Elizabeth Graesser, MD, PGY-4, shares her experience being able to attend ASSH in-person for the first time, "It did not disappoint!" 

"The energy was palpable as you walked through the convention center. I am applying to Hand fellowship this year, so it was a really special experience to have the opportunity to network with future colleagues and learn from so many leaders in hand surgery. The meeting offered lectures, instructional courses, labs, and research presentations on every possible hand surgery topic you could think of, so I was able to personalize my conference schedule based on my interests. My experience at the meeting reaffirmed my decision to go into hand surgery, and I am looking forward to many ASSH annual meetings to come," Dr. Graesser explained. 

"One of the most inspiring parts of the meeting was the Robert E. Carroll Founders lecture by Dr. James Chang from Stanford University and Dr. Scott Kozin from Shriners Hospital Philadelphia. The theme of their lecture was “Surgical Principles to Live By.” They presented the following principles that they learned throughout their surgical careers and discussed how these principles guide their lives outside of medicine as well: 

1. Anticipate the extent of the defect
2. Build a stable foundation 
3. Take the time to set yourself up for success
4. Function is more important than form 
5. Continue to seek new challenges 
6. Keep refining over time 
   

"I felt incredibly proud to be a member of WashU Ortho at ASSH. The representation and leadership of WashU Ortho throughout the conference was remarkable, from our 7 attendings, alumni of the WashU Ortho hand fellowship, and current fellows/residents. This certainly did not go unnoticed by others, as multiple people from other institutions made comments to me about how impressive WashU Ortho's presence was at the meeting."

ASSH Annual Meeting 2022 was not lacking entertainment. Dr. Graesser shared, "On Thursday night of the conference, we attended Handapalooza at the House of Blues in Boston. The event featured live music from three hand surgeon bands and raised money to support the American Foundation for Surgery of the Hand (AFSH). Our very own Dr. Boyer played a set with one of the bands, and his guitar skills were truly amazing! Who knew he was a hand surgeon AND a rockstar?"

Learn more about hand and microsurgery at Washington University Orthopedics.

Request and appointment online or call (314)514-3500.