SICOT e-Newsletter

Issue No. 43 - April 2012

Editorial by Hashem Al Khatib - Dubai Conference President

I would like to welcome you to Dubai, United Arab Emirates, the host city for the 33rd SICOT and 17th PAOA Orthopaedic World Conference. We are working hard to provide a conference that covers the latest advances in orthopaedic and trauma care as well as other exciting events for your entertainment and leisure. Thanks to Dubai’s excellent infrastructure, tourism options and a host of other facilities, this conference makes for an experience that will be extremely rewarding for all attending delegates.

About 2,500 abstracts from all over the globe were submitted to our conference, which shows the great interest of the entire orthopaedic surgeon community in this event. It is also worth mentioning that this broke the record of the number of abstracts submitted to any SICOT meeting in the past.

In this 3 full-day conference to be held from 28 to 30 November 2012, there will be:

• 4 plenary lectures which will be given by Freddie Fu, Gamal Hosny, Chitranjan Ranawat, and C. Niek van Dijk;
• 11 instructional courses covering sports injuries, polytrauma, fractures, arthroscopies, failed back, paediatrics, joint replacements, and so on;
• 30 symposiums covering many aspects of orthopaedics and trauma;
• 700 free papers along with 700 e-poster presentations.

We are pleased to announce that other orthopaedic societies will be joining our meeting including the AO Foundation, AAOS, WOC, IGASS, SOFCOT, and ASAMI.

On 27 November 2012, a day before the conference starts, an Educational Day has been planned. This year the topic will be orthopaedic problems related to the knee. On the same day, the oral part of the SICOT Diploma Examination will also be held.

Dubai’s geographical location makes it easily accessible from all over the world. Direct flights are available from every continent. More than 120 airlines connect Dubai to over 200 destinations with most flights from Europe, Asia, the Indian subcontinent and parts of Africa lasting less than six hours. Individuals of more than 130 different nationalities call Dubai home. This has resulted in a city that is cosmopolitan in nature and rich in culture. This coupled with a multitude of ultra-modern and exciting shopping malls and golf courses result in a dining and entertainment experience like no other. As the conference will be hosted towards the end of November, when the weather in the Middle East is at its best, delegates will be able to experience some of the best sporting and leisure facilities in the world. Dubai is also the home of the world’s tallest structure, the Burj Khalifa, an iconic building representing the innovation and architectural vision that the emirate is famous for.

All of these factors culminate in providing a conference that will be extremely memorable for all who attend.