2020-2021 : WEN-DONG XU - Presidential address
Dear all the IWAS members,
Firstly, I would like to express my excited feeling that it is my great honor to be nominated by the founder Christophe Mathoulin and all the committee as the second president of IWAS in the General Assembly in last year June 20th in Berlin during IFSSH.
The 2020 General Assembly was planned to be Combined with FESSH by the beautiful Rhine River, in Basel, Switzerland. Unexpectedly, the Covid-19 had affected the world. The World Health Organization reported more than ten million cases all over the world till now. In the last week, there are still over 1 million new cases totally. Thus, the 2020 General Assembly came out to be the unique one which was firstly holden on-line, I hope that would never happen again.
Since founded in 2005, EWAS has rapidly gone global and became IWAS last year, with near 700 members and more than 1,000 students at 2013 and this number should over 2000 now. IWAS certified courses are established in many major cities all around the world, spreading IWAS's academic ideas and innovative spirits.
All these achievements could not have been achieved without the tremendous efforts of fifteen ex-presidents and all the previous executive committees, their inputs deserve a loud applause from all the wrist lovers. In the past one year, the president Eva Baur, secretary Max and all the board members have made lots of efforts in organizing the IWAS courses and activities, especially in updating the official website in many forms and contents, which provides a solid foundation for the future work of next year.
You would find a lot of IWAS activities were cancelled in 2020. However, I believe that not long after IWAS courses of all over the world will restart soon. We would have so many courses to support, which were truly reflect the spirits of IWAS. IWAS board will continue to devote ourselves to spread knowledge and education through these activities.
In addition, according to the bylaw, improving quality control and outcome measures is one of the aims of our society. IWAS has proposed diagnostic classification, and next we should organize more collaborative researches within the IWAS network to prepare for publishing IWAS's treatment guidelines about wrist.
Last but not the least, during my presidency, I will do further promotion for IWAS, especially in Mainland China. As the president of the CSSH (Chinese society for surgery of the hand), last year, I organized a delegation of 100 Chinese Hand Surgeons to attend the IFSSH conference in Berlin. This year, Covid-19 has had a significant impact on academic activities. However, recently, we have hosted an online wrist arthroscopy course, which nearly 5000 audiences attended during 2 hours. It proved that the mainland China now became a wrist big country.
Wrist arthroscopy has been rapidly promoted in China Mainland. Shanghai course is the first one in China in 2011, and then followed by Beijing and Ningbo in 2013, in the recent few years, many other cities started the course, including Wuxi, Ji’nan and Guangzhou. There have been two IWAS certified courses in mainland China now, Shanghai and Beijing.
Shanghai wrist arthroscopy course started 10 years ago. A lot of friends have come to shanghai and support our course, including: PC Ho, Christophe Mathoulin, came every year. Jan R Haugstvedt came every year; Guillaume Herzberg came in 2011 for the first course, Max Haerle, and Nicole Schmelzer-Schmied came in 2014 for the fourth course, David Slutsky came in 2013 for the third course, Toshi Nakamura came in 2018 for the eighth course, Tyson Cobb, came in 2019 for the nineth course, Eva-Maria Baur also said would come next time.
With their kind and enthusiastic help, the scale of the Shanghai Course has been continuously increasing. Last year, we had one hundred and twenty students totally including surgeons and nurses. Thanks again to all the friends who have come and supported the shanghai course.
Next year, there will be a ten-year anniversary of Shanghai Course. To celebrate the big event, including our pioneer Terry Whipple and all the executive board members of IWAS will be invited Shanghai. All the wrist lovers from all over the world are welcomed to join the events.
It's my great pleasure to serve the society. Please feel free to contact me if you have any advises about IWAS.
Thanks again! with kindest regards and stay healthy!
Wen-Dong Xu M.D. & Ph.D.
Professor of Hand Surgery
E-mail: wendongxu@fudan.edu.cn
New Years, Dear All the IWAS members and all the wrist Lovers
At the beginning of the new year, as the President of IWAS , I would like to extend my New Year’s greetings to everyone.
The past year 2020 is destined to be recorded in history. Under the epidemic, we have maintained a distance between each other; however, distance produces beauty, which makes us more grateful for the long-lasting help and support from our friends.
This year, we may never shake hands or hug, but we still saw smiles on each other's faces;
This year, we may not operate wrist arthroscopy together, but we are still discussing the technical improvement of wrist arthroscopy;
This year, we may not have dinner and wine together, but let us cherish the preciousness of friendship even more.
Due to the epidemic, the FESSH conference was changed to an online meeting, but we have still completed the renewal of the IWAS committee on time.
Due to the epidemic, many lecturers and participants did not personally attend this year's IWAS courses, but we have held Webinars many times to carry out more discussions on wrist arthroscopy.
Occasionally stopping of the busy work at hand, did not change the direction of our moving forward. Instead, it allows us to continue striding forward with more confidence after a short rest and thinking.
The new year 2021 will definitely be an exciting year.
Till now,
Although the epidemic still exists, people have gradually learned how to protect themselves;
Although the epidemic still exists, everyone has united and bravely confronted it;
Although the epidemic still exists, the situations in many areas have already improved.
After the epidemic is controlled, we will resume classroom-style academic discussions and hands-on technical teaching as soon as possible, because the lack of these forms during the epidemic has made us more clearly see the irreplaceability of these learning methods.
Looking forward to seeing all the friends again, and talking about the development of wrist arthroscopy together in the near future!
wish all the friends and your family a healthy, wealthy and happy new year!
best,
Wendong
Wen-Dong Xu M.D. & Ph.D.
Professor of Hand Surgery
President of Chinese Society for Surgery of the Hand
President of IWAS
Elected-President of APWA
