Report from the 2014 Scoliosis Research Society Travelling Fellowship

Abstract

The Scoliosis Research Society traveling fellowship was conceptualized in 1970, repeated in 1972, and, after a pause, restarted in 1993. International traveling fellows visiting North America first commenced in 2000 and have since alternated annually with the North American fellows. Although a senior fellow had always traveled with them, in 2012 the first senior international fellow traveled with the group. This year, the senior fellow was Daniel Chopin from the Neuro-Orthopedic Spine Unit, Lille University Hospital, France, and past Director of the Spine Center, Institut Calot Berck sur Mer (succeeding Dr. Cotrel). The junior fellows were Meric Enercan from the Florence Nightingale Hospital, Istanbul Spine Center, Turkey; J. Naresh-Babu from Mallika Spine Centre, Guntur, Andhra Pradesh, India; and Nasir A. Quraishi from the Centre for Spine Studies and Surgery, Queen’s Medical Centre, Nottingham, UK. The host centers were initially suggested by Dr. Chopin, the senior fellow; after some minor tweaking and extensive planning from the Scoliosis Research Society office, the itinerary was confirmed. The researchers were to visit 7 centers in just over 3 weeks. All of the international fellows were going to have an extraordinary adventure although they had not met each other previously. As it turned out, the trip was indeed sensational-professionally stimulating and socially endearing. The following is a short report on this unforgettable experience.