President's Message
Muharrem Yazici, MD
SRS President 2020-2021
After the depressing email pieces that we have published one after the other throughout the year, I want to greet you with much more pleasant and positive news.
Inside this Issue
- Historian Corner
- Ethics Corner
- In Memoriam
- IMAST Committee Update
- Patient Education Committee Update
- Podcast Task Force Update
- Program Committee Update
- Fellowship Committee Update
- Nominating Committee Update
- CME Committee Update
- Bylaws & Policy Committee Update
- Patient Focus Task Force Update
- SRS-COSSCO Update
- Follow SRS Online!
Hot Topic Articles
Fellowship Committee Update
Patient Education Committee Update
SRS-COSSCO Update
Historian Corner
Jay Shapiro, MD
SRS Historian Elect
In the near future the Historical Committee will be asking members for help in continuing to build and expand the historical timeline. Please think about getting involved to help preserve and remember our history and advancements that we all use every day to help our patients.
Ethics Corner
Joseph F. Baker, MD
Ethics & Professionalism Committee Member
Resource Constraint and Provision of Spine Care
In New Zealand healthcare is delivered largely by a universal healthcare system with only a very small proportion of patients holding private health insurance. The public hospital system is comprised of regional ‘District Health Boards’ that are funded by the tax payer and provide health care for their local population.
In Memoriam
IMAST Committee Update
David L. Skaggs, MD, MMM
IMAST Committee Chair
Make room in your schedule to review the recorded sessions, abstracts, e-posters, and company workshops before the course closes at the end of June. This meeting offers timely education on innovation in spine deformity, CME credits, and a count toward SRS Membership meeting requirements.
Patient Education Committee Update
Joseph P. Davey, MD
Patient Education Committee Chair
Our committee has been very busy this year! Not long after our Annual Meeting, a social media protest, #NotDeformed, was led to protest the SRS frequent use of the term “deformity” on our website and in our patient education materials. SRS leadership agreed that we should try to remove the term from our content as much as possible.
Podcast Task Force Update
Ron El-Hawary, MD
Podcast Task Force Co-Chair
The mission of the SRS Podcast Task Force is to deliver the most current and trusted information to clinicians that care for patients with scoliosis. It aims to provide up-to-date, quality information that will impact the daily practice of scoliosis treatment. The task force worked tirelessly through 2019-2020 with a goal of hosting the first podcast by September 2020.
Program Committee Update
Michael P. Kelly, MD
Program Committee Chair
The Program Committee looks forward to a return of the “in-person” meeting at the 56th Annual Meeting in St. Louis, MO, USA. The SRS received nearly 1,000 excellent abstracts despite the challenges faced in our clinical and academic endeavors during the worldwide pandemic.
Fellowship Committee Update
Jeffrey D. Coe, MD
Fellowship Committee Chair
The Fellowship Committee has completed the first of two rounds of new membership application reviews for the current cycle. The below-listed individuals have had their applications vetted by the Committee and subsequently approved for membership in the Society by the SRS Board of Directors & Presidential Line.
Nominating Committee Update
Paul D. Sponseller, MD, MBA
Nominating Committee Chair
The nominating committee is tasked with evaluating nominated candidates for elected positions within the society. This year in addition to the Vice President and 3 Director at Large positions, a Treasurer Elect and Education Council Chair Elect are also being chosen.
CME Committee Update
Steven W. Hwang, MD
CME Committee Chair
The CME committee has continued to work consistently throughout the year ensuring SRS sponsored content meets the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) standards. CME committee members have diligently reviewed content prior to presentation and also performed post-hoc reviews to ensure that presented content is scientifically sound and unbiased, thus providing membership with updates on recent innovation while balancing scientific rigor.
Bylaws & Policies Committee Update
J. Michael Wattenbarger, MD
Bylaws & Policies Committee Chair
The Bylaws & Policies Committee has had the chance to review two changes to date. The Organizational Structure Task Force has recommended the addition of a Communication Council Chair position to the Board of Directors. The committee has also reviewed policy change suggestions regarding meeting site selection from the Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Task Force which was approved by the Board of Directors.
Patient Focus Task Force Update
Noelle Larson, MD
Patient Focus Task Force Chair
The SRS Patient Focus Task Force has taken inventory of the currently available social media content regarding scoliosis care. Task force members and patient partners have reviewed SRS content including the website, patient education materials, and patient stories.
SRS-COSSCO Update
Steven D. Glassman, MD
In 2016 the SRS research grant committee awarded funding to a project designed to establish a unified framework for the evaluation of adult spinal deformity surgery. As the prevalence of surgical treatment for adult spinal deformity has increased around the world, common outcome metrics are necessary to facilitate useful evaluation across a wide range of surgical treatment strategies.
2021 Corporate Supporters
We are pleased to acknowledge and thank those companies that provided financial support to SRS in 2021.