2017 AOSSM to APKASS Traveling Fellowship
Tour recap provided by Miho J. Tanaka, MD, Johns Hopkins Orthopaedic Surgery
We left Shanghai and arrived in Japan after a short flight. The Osaka airport is built on the water, so we had a spectacular view during our landing. Dr. Hoshino greeted us at the airport, and accompanied us to our hotel. The drive to the hotel offered beautiful views along the water.
That evening, we met with Prof Kuroda at the Kobe University Hospital, where we received a tour of the hospital and visited some of his patients, including an Olympic Judo champion and volleyball players from the Japanese national team. We then took a tour of the port of Kobe and visited the Kobe earthquake memorial.
The evening ended with a large reception including members of his department at a local restaurant. This was truly a well-organized and remarkable event.
Scientific sessions during our stay were held in the hospital’s modern conference room, with the entire department present for discussions. The well-known Prof Kurosaka attended these presentations as well. The discussion ranged from topics on multi-center collaboration, to anterolateral ligament biomechanics, as well as patellofemoral surgical complications and biomechanics of labral repairs.
Our day in the OR included an introduction to Joint Instability Measurement Instrument (JIMI), a device utilized to measure knee alignment, rotation and translation during routine preoperative testing [photo]. We also witnessed the application of intraoperative navigation during a high tibial osteotomy performed by Prof Kuroda.
We had a great time with our hosts, who arranged for beautiful cultural tours of Nara and Kyoto, as well as incredible meals of sushi, Kobe beef, and Japanese pancakes. The weather was perfect for a three-plus hour hike up Rokko Mountain, which Prof Kuroda’s 72-year-old patient with bilateral HTO’s led. We hate to admit it, but we struggled to keep up with her!
And of course, what would a trip to Japan be without a team building set of karaoke featuring some of our favorite hits? Next, we’re moving by bullet train to Hiroshima!
Miho J. Tanaka, MD
Johns Hopkins Orthopaedic Surgery
Learn More About Dr. Tanaka
AOSSM gratefully acknowledges DJO Global for their support of the Traveling Fellowship program.