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President's Message

Muharrem Yazici, MD
SRS President 2020-2021

We are all going through very difficult times together. We've never seen days like these in our lifetimes. A living organism of 60-140 nM did what weapons and embargoes could not and made the whole world kneel. For almost a year, our lives have changed completely. Today, we are living a life that last year, we could not even imagine, and we internalize it more and more every day and accept it as the new normal.

Inside this Issue

In Memoriam
Historian Corner
Pat on the Back
Development Committee Update
Podcast Task Force Update
Fellowship Committee Update
Research Grant Committee Update
Education Resource Committee Update
Non-Operative Management Committee Update
Long Range Planning Committee Update
Growing Spine Committee Update
Translation Committee Update
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Development Committee Update
Education Resource Committee Update
Fellowship Committee Update

In Memoriam

The SRS has had several more member deaths to report. One from 2020 and three others which are very late as they were recently discovered by our staff when they were reviewing the status of our members born prior to 1920. In the future please notify the SRS office as soon as possible when you become aware of a member's death.

Mark Bernhardt, MD November 2, 1957 - April 30, 2020	Edmond J. McDonnell, MD September 28, 1916 - January 4, 2011
Robert W. Florence, MD July 12, 1917 - February 20, 2014	Worth Miller Gross, MD September 9, 1916 - March 22, 2018

The SRS Administrative Offices will be closed December 24, 2020 - January 1, 2021.

Historian Corner

George H. Thompson, MD
SRS Historian

Did you know that 70 years ago…
The Risser Cast utilized a lighter contoured cast applied in traction on a stabilizer frame (Risser frame). Traction through chin and pelvic straps, localized lateral pressure at apices of coronal deformity (Risser localizer cast) also described posterolateral pressure localized to rib hump. (Instr. Course Lect. 1955; 12:255-9) He also described the Risser sign for iliac crest that is still used today to indicate maturity.

Pat on the Back

SRS would like to congratulate SRS Past President Oheneba Boachie-Adjei, MD on being enstooled as Otumfuo Hiahene.
Congratulations! Read the full release. »

Development Committee Update

Khaled M. Kebaish, MD
Development Committee Chair

This year has been challenging for many of us, and charitable donations to SRS was no exception. Our donations so far this year are not quite matching what we have seen in past years, but we are hopeful that things may improve as we approach the final days of the year. If you would like to support SRS through a charitable donation, please visit www.srs.org/donate.

Podcast Task Force Update

Ron El-Hawary, MD
Podcast Task Force Co-Chair

As part of the SRS Research Task Force’s Innovative Dissemination of SRS Research initiative, the creation of SRS Podcasts was approved in July 2019. The SRS Board endorsed podcasts that are similar to the webinars and social media efforts that would allow for expansion of research ideas presented.

Fellowship Committee Update

Jeffrey D. Coe, MD
Fellowship Committee Chair

In this challenging year I am truly honored to have assumed the Chairmanship of the Fellowship Committee beginning at the Virtual Annual Meeting last fall, taking the reins from Baron Lonner. The Committee would like to thank Baron as well as SRS Membership Manager, Alysha Chapman, who together did a superb job of steering the Committee this past year.

Research Grant Committee Update

Virginie Lafage, PhD
Research Grant Committee Chair

Under the leadership of Ivan Chen, Past Chair, a new process for grant submission was implemented in 2020. The SRS now offers a single annual cycle for grant submission. It is my pleasure to announce that for the 2020 cycle the Research Grants Committee reviewed 63 letters of intent, and 29 full submissions.

Education Resource Committee Update

Ron El-Hawary, MD
Education Resource Committee Chair

The Education Resource Committee (ERC) has hit the ground running this past fall by quickly picking up where last year’s committee left off. Teresa Bas, Past Chair, provided leadership and organization to the committee over the past two years and has really paved the way for us to take the ERC to the next level.

Non-Operative Management Committee Update

Brian G. Smith, MD
Non-Operative Management Committee Chair

On November 7, six panelists represented the Committee on a webinar that was an update on the value of bracing and exercise therapy in both adult and adolescent scoliosis patients. The webinar was very well attended with more than 500 viewers logged in at one point.

Access online content through December 31, 2020.

Long Range Planning Committee Update

Paul Sponseller, MD, MBA
Long Range Planning Committee Chair

It is my privilege to lead the Long Range Planning Committee as the Past President, along with the current President, Past President II, and the chairs of IMAST, Global Education on Spine Deformity, and Global Outreach Committees. We develop a list of potential cities and venues for the two major meetings and review the rotation for the other meetings.

Growing Spine Committee Update

Sumeet Garg, MD
Growing Spine Committee Chair

We are excited to announce the SRS iExperience interactive courses on Growing Rods, Hemivertebra Excision, and Spine Casting are available to members and non-members through the SRS website. The blended learning platform for each course includes didactics, structured cases, surgical video, interactive cases, and learning assessments.

Translation Committee Update

Avraam Ploumis, MD
Translation Committee Chair

The Translation Committee’s main objective is to inform non-English patients and families on patient education materials of the Scoliosis Research Society curriculum. Currently on SRS website, 12 non-English languages are supported (with the coordination with the Website Committee) and this has been updated and extended this last year by the work of all 18 members of this Committee under the guidance of Bangping Qian, Past Chair.

December 2020

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Non-Operative Management Committee Update

Brian G. Smith, MD
Non-Operative Management Committee Chair

On November 7, six panelists represented the Committee on a webinar that was an update on the value of bracing and exercise therapy in both adult and adolescent scoliosis patients. The webinar was very well attended with more than 500 viewers logged in at one point.

Time constraints prevented one of our speakers from presenting, but all lectures are now available on the SRS website.

Several hundred questions were submitted, and the panelists answered every question, whether live on the webinar or subsequently online.

In addition, the Committee has submitted a Lunch Time Symposium on the current status of bracing in AIS, with a focus on the use and value of the new Rigo brace. The issues include the challenges to the orthotists to make the brace, the evidence that it provides better outcomes, the ability of patients to comply with wearing regimens, and the burden of the additional cost to families.

Chair: Brian G. Smith Committee: Nigel J. Price, Past Chair; Kevin M. Neal; Michael L. Schmitz; Mohammadreza Etemadifar (C); Naobumi Hosogane (C); Stefano Negrini (C); Tom PC Schlosser (C); Hanneke M. van West (C); Claudio Vergari (C); Eric C. Parent (A); Luke Stikeleather (A); Kota Watanabe, Chair Elect; Eugenio Dema; Shyam Kishan; Chris Yin Wei Chan; Theodoros B. Grivas, Advisory; Joseph P. O'Brien, Advisory