Dr. Diao Participates in 2013 AAOS Annual Meeting
in the 2013 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons . As always it was a pleasure and great opportunity to learn, teach, to reconnect with old friends and make new ones at the annual meeting. I attended Alumni events for three of the programs I have deep roots with: the Harvard Combined Orthopaedic Residency Programs, the St Luke’s – Roosevelt Program and the UCSF Inman Abbott Society .On behalf of the American Society ffor Surgery of the Hand, as the Chairman of the Commercial Support Committee and Corporate Advisory Council, we had a dozen face-to-face meetings with the ASSH Leadership and industry
partners to plan future meetings and programs. We enjoyed an incredible amount of support for our new initiatives into digital learning and global outreach.I had the pleasure to be involved in both “Ask an Expert” interactive sessions. These sessions dealt with conditions in the upper limb. I was assisted by Dr. Mel Rosenwasser from Columbia University on Thursday, and Dr. David Ring of Massachusetts General Hospital / Harvard Medical School, on Friday. We shared insights on treatment strategies with participants from around the world. The audience was great and gave us their own difficult cases to discuss.
Chicago was a great location for the meeting and I had the opportunity to sample some excellent restaurants during the four days! A great restuarant to try out if you're in the area is Aria http://www.ariachicago.com/
Dr. Diao Speaks at ASHT Conference
Dr. Diao was one of the featured speakers for the American Society of Hand Therapists Conference: Wrist Fractures and Its Complications, in San Jose, California on April 12, 2013. He gave a talk on the development of treatment for wrist fractures and its evolution, and how that has led to innovations in Hand Therapy. Over 100 attendees were involved in this meeting. The lecture was followed by a lively panel discussion with questions from the audience.
Dr. Diao on the Importance of Wrist Guards for Snowboarders
Location: Yellowstone Club, Montana
Occasion: Annual Ski/Snowboarding Safety Synopsium
Other Participants: Director of Skiing, Warren Miller; Ski Ambasssador, Scott Schmidt, The World's Greatest Extreme Skier; Ski Ambassador, Hang Kashiwa, Olympian and Pioneering Freestyle Skier
On our annual trip to the Yellowstone Club, my son Conrad, age 15 and I were special guests of Laurie and Warren Miller at their slopeside, 6,000 sq ft custom built home. One the day of our arrival we skied for two hours, then joined the Millers at the weekly Yellowstone Club reception for members and their guests. Warren regaled the crowd with his countless stories of the golden age of skiing circa, 1945 to present. He has worked with and filmed virtually every renowned skier worldwide in exotic settings. Laced with humor and his special insights, and of course the voice that narrated scores of feature lenth films, he regaled the crowd. It was there that I met two living legends of skiing: Scott Schmidt and Hang Kashiwa. We started to converse about skiing and snowboarding trends and how to better promote safety while promoting the sports we are all passionate about.
The next day after a full day of skiing, the weekly open house tea at the Miller Residence found 50 eager participants to revel at the expensive views-- the incredible Pacific Northwest Montana and Asian inspired decor with hundreds of Warren Miller posters, drawings and awards.
Our real work was reserved for Sunday. We skied the most technical and extreme run on the mountain top, a drop-off-a cornice, steep chute/couloir called Stien's Run, named after the legendary Stien Ericson and close personal friend of Warren Miller's. It was a rare treat to make these runs with Scott and Hank. Scott's entry into the run was different ... jaw dropping every time and his powerful graceful rhythmic lines were breathtaking, as befits his status as the most filmed and best-known extreme skier on the planet.. Hank was smooth and efficient. He is an incredible ambassador for Orthopaedic Surgery, having had a total knee replacement in 2005 after 18 prior operations. Conrad and I accounted for ourselves as well...no mishaps, and we did the run four times!
Afterwards, Hank showed me the latest in splint technology...breathable, conforming, customized braces that could function like a gauntlet cast. In two quick moves, it converted to a removable bivqlved brace for protection of injuries that are healing and undergoing rehabilitation. I was impressed enough to start using the product in my practice as soon as the product is made available to me.
Sunday night was reserved for a quiet dinner at the Miller's where I fired up some steaks and a salad. Warren shared great stories from his childhood in Southern California to his various travels and adventures. He has a unique perspective on life, not just skiing. He is truly an American hero and national treasure. Though he had a lot to do with promoting free skiing and extreme skiing, he is very supportive of ideas to prevent injuries. He and his wife have also been significant consumers of Orthopaedic Surgery and Hand Surgery.
In a recent study, Russell et al. studied the effect of wrist guards on wrist and arm injuries among snowboarders in the Clinical Journal of Sports Medicine 2007 and they concluded that,
"Regardless of study design, our analysis shows consistently that wrist guards significantly reduce the risk of wrist injuries." They also demonstrate that beginner snowboarders are the group who get the maximum benefits from wearing wrist guards. The following enclosed articles have some interesting recommendations for types of wrists guards that may be less cumbersome than the standard rigid wrist cock-up splints.
So... have fun and be safe. Don't forget your helmets (everyone) and wrist guards (boarders)!
http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/content/162/2/149.full
http://www.ski-injury.com/prevention/wrist_guards
Dr. Diao’s Video on Behalf of the American Society for Surgery of the Hand
Commercial Support Committee members help to establish and grow relationships between the ASSH and industry. Members who are involved in surgical education, serve as faculty or beta sites or designers of products with corporate partners or who have experience with various product lines are particularly valuable. These relationships can be leveraged to help the ASSH expand and deepen its network, and help the ASSH and industry collaborate on present and future education and research programs.
See below for the video
Dr. Diao Lectures to Occupational and Environmental Medicine Specialists at UCSF Course
Dr. Diao’s lecture, titled “Overuse Neuropathy”, covered the topics regarding nerve damage in the upper extremity.
Please click here to read more about the program.
https://www.cme.ucsf.edu/cme/coursedetail.aspx?coursenumber=mdm13n01
Click here for Dr. Diao’s Summary