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Education/Training

SICOT Travelling Fellowships

2011 International Travelling Fellowship Report

Alfredo Pozzo
SICOT Member, Bolivia

I had the great honour of being awarded the 2011 SICOT International Travelling Fellowship, which gave me the opportunity to visit Mexico City, a charming city for both its architecture and its people.

Mexico City is one of the largest metropolitan areas with a population of more than 20 million people, located in the valley of Mexico at an altitude of 2,240 metres, where you can find many beautiful places to visit and admire.

My stay in Mexico began in October 2011 and lasted until January 2012. I had the opportunity to be under the leadership of Dr Felix Gil Orbezo, who is the SICOT National Representative of Mexico and Chief of the Orthopaedics Department of the Hospital Español de Mexico, a modern hospital with all the latest resources and equipment for the clinical and surgical practices of orthopaedics. There, I had the opportunity to share and interact with the faculty and residents who were kind enough to share their knowledge with me.

I participated in many hip arthroplasty surgeries, in addition to knee and shoulder arthroplasty. I was also fortunate to gain experience in revision arthroplasty surgery.

My stay in the hospital also served to update my concepts of treating common orthopaedic problems, which I can apply in my daily practice.

One of the highlights of this trip was the honour of meeting Prof Stephen Isham, who is one of the most renowned teachers worldwide in percutaneous surgery of the foot; I had the opportunity of participating in his surgeries as an assistant, learning procedures for correcting many foot deformities such as bunions and hammertoes. All these procedures are developed with local anaesthesia on an outpatient basis and patients leave the hospital the same day walking.


Professor Stephen Isham and I during a percutaneous surgery of the foot

Another important activity in which I participated was the Congress of the Mexican Association of Traumatology and Orthopaedics which took place in the city of Puebla, a very traditional and beautiful colonial city. The meeting was attended by renowned faculty from around the world and addressed issues that were very interesting in terms of the evolution of orthopaedic surgery and the latest treatments in the management of oncological patients.


Me, Dr Alfonzo Meza (Mexico), and Dr Daniel Alcazar (Costa Rica) at the Congreso Nacional Asociación Mexicana de Traumatología y Ortopedia in Puebla, Mexico

I deeply thank SICOT and the fellowships department for this wonderful experience and for giving me the opportunity to meet such friendly people who were so willing to teach and share their knowledge.

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