On March 18 and 19, 2010, the AOVA members and guests travelled to Dübendorf and Davos respectively to visit the AO offices and meet staff. One aspect of this opportunity for direct interaction, proposed by AOVA member Eric Johnson, took the form of highly original and involved presentations. The purpose of these interactive tours was to give AOVA members a tangible insight into the day-to-day workings of the different Specialty and Service Unit teams.
AOCID took their visitors step-by-step through the clinical study process to demonstrate both the quantity and complexity of work involved in such undertakings; AOCMF and AOVET, in a combined approach, brought AOVA members up to speed on everything from Community Development initiatives in AOVET to the use of imaging and planning in AOCMF surgery; AOSpine offered each of the six tour members (there were three tours), six minutes on each of six tables manned by Spine staff to learn more about the work of the groups, from Finance to Education, within the specialty; AOTrauma took guests on a guided walk through their new structure, responsibilities and tasks, using a pathway illustrating how an idea arrives in research, moves through education and community development to arrive at better patient care; ARI step up three stations to provide an instructive overview of a handful of current projects: custom implant design, large bone defect and the latest research in spine repair; AOE treated AOVA members to a show and tell on Program Development, Knowledge Translation & Innovation/Surgery Reference, and Publishing/Faculty Support/Videos using posters and project examples to demonstrate some of the main goals of AO Education. Communications & Events presented their portfolio as well as current projects.
ARI step up three stations to provide an instructive overview of a handful of current projects: custom implant design, large bone defect and the latest research in spine repair; AOE treated AOVA members to a show and tell on Program Development, Knowledge Translation & Innovation/Surgery Reference, and Publishing/Faculty Support/Videos using posters and project examples to demonstrate some of the main goals of AO Education. Communications & Events presented their portfolio as well as current projects.
Overall this unique interaction was well appreciated both by the Board members and employees in the AO Specialties and Service Units and the AOVA would like to sincerely thank everyone for the hard work put into achieving this outcome.
Another highlight of the visit, was a joint dinner for AOVA and AO Group Management members on Friday, March 19, at the Schweizerhof in Davos. As a result of a discussion at the first Group Management Meeting earlier this year, seven ‘theater companies’, each with an AOEM member as stage director, performed short plays on stage, choosing current AO issues as central themes. “Silent rumors”, a non-verbal play performed by Alain Baumann (stage director), Philipp Büscher, Kathrin Lüssi, Sandra Steiner, Sonia Wahl and Michel Ruch, was a very deserving winner of the ‘Oscar’, chosen from a very strong field of contenders, who all received awards for their sterling efforts.
Both AOVA members and AO Executive Members praised the evening as a great opportunity to better understand current issues, learn about creative potential and bring both groups closer together and everyone present thoroughly enjoyed the convivial atmosphere.