As you may know, the field of Orthopaedic foot and ankle surgery has flourished in the United States. Over the past 40 years, the academic community in foot and ankle has increased dramatically. During this time, surgical techniques, implants, hardware, and decision-making have all been refined. However, the growth of orthopaedic foot and ankle care has been much slower in other parts of the world.
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In many countries globally, the surgical techniques for foot and ankle surgery remain outdated, with much of the work being done by general orthopaedic surgeons. While these surgeons are skilled in arthroscopic and adult reconstructive surgeries, the scope of foot and ankle care has been limited to trauma and external fixation. Reconstructive surgeries and tendon pathologies have been largely overlooked.
The Foundation for Medical Education and Research (FMER) is a U.S.-based non-profit organization dedicated to increasing the awareness and education of foot and ankle pathologies, decision analysis, and surgical techniques globally. Typically, this is achieved through live foot and ankle camps, surgeries, and conferences. However, the COVID-19 pandemic forced us to reconsider how we were accomplishing these goals. While the pandemic significantly limited in-person training and charitable surgeries, it also presented an opportunity to provide innovative educational opportunities through technology.
Over the past four years, we have successfully conducted 24-hour Virtual Foot and Ankle Global Town Halls, which have garnered over 7,000 attendees, over 18,000 views on YouTube, and significant engagement with more than 400 faculty members. This year, we aim to improve on those statistics and expand our global reach.
This year’s virtual meeting will focus on "Driving Change in Orthopaedics: Leadership, Innovation, and Global Collaboration." The meeting will begin at 8:00 p.m. EST on April 25, 2025 and moving through the 24 time zones of the world. Each session will take place at 8:00 p.m. in each respective time zone, bringing together experts from both the U.S. and international foot and ankle faculty, as well as sharing experiences from global surgeons.
The course will be case-based, with over 100 faculty members participating, and aims to foster education, collaboration, and camaraderie among practicing orthopaedic surgeons globally. We expect around 3,500 attendees throughout this 24-hour event.
Global Town Hall Course Agenda
This will be a 24-hour Virtual Foot and Ankle Global Town Hall meeting. The meeting will start at 8 pm est on April 25, 2025. The tentative topics for the course are below and subject to change.
Platform
The virtual meeting will be available on-line or through our mobile app. Once you register, instructions will be provided for the mobile app.
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2020 Bhubaneswar Agenda OverviewAn overview of the 2020 Bhubaneswar Conference is below. To get downloads of the presentatons and papers, AFTER the meeting, please sign into the Forum. In addition to the session below, there will be sessions dedicated to case presentations and audience discussions. We suggest that you bring cases on a thumb drive to present at the meeting.
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Highlights of the Conference1. Live surgery on common foot ailments 2. Interactive discussion with International and National faculty 3. Hands-on workshop sessions 4. Live clinical examination tips 5. Panel discussions
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E-Poster Guideline SubmissionThe Parekh Indo-US Foot and Ankle Course Program Committee would like to obtain disclosure of any potential conflicts of interest from faculty/presenters at the 2020 Annual Meeting. This disclosure information will be required to be part of the ePoster. Poster presentations will be shown for the entire meeting (3 days). e-Posters presentations are limited to no more than 12 PowerPoint® slides. Applications must be submitted by February 1, 2020 to be eligible for review by the committee. An abstract is not eligible for consideration if it has been published prior to submission date of February 1, 2020. Notification of acceptance or rejection and all future correspondence will be emailed to the presenter by February 14, 2020. If your poster is accepted, you MUST register for the meeting. Your submission must include: Title Abstract Content 1 to 5 keywords List of all authors (Additional authors may not be added after acceptance.) Email all abstracts for consideration (with all parts listed in step #5) to: fmer001@gmail.com View E-Submission Guide
Location
The 24-hour Virtual Foot and Ankle Global Town Hall meeting will begin at 8 pm est on April 25,2025. We expect over 3500 attendees for this conference throughout this 24-hour event.
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Dates and Times
The 24-hour Virtual Foot and Ankle Global Town Hall meeting will begin at 8 pm NYC on April 25, 2025. Speakers are subject to change depending on the availability of speakers.
Registration
Registration will be required and is FREE. Registration will be open for ANYONE and all foot and ankle surgeons, health care providers, and the general public at large. Global opinion leaders from around the world will be selected as moderators and faculty for this course. The US and international faculty will be updated over the next few weeks.
Sponsors
Platinum
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Keynote
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Gold
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Silver
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TBA