Participation in the 2024 KSES – JES Travelling Fellowship program

The Gurus of ROK
Nice to meet you. My name is Satoshi Miyamura from the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at Osaka University. I am pleased to report that I was selected as the first Korean Shoulder and Elbow Society (KSES)-Japan Elbow Society (JES) Traveling Fellow along with Dr. Takuya Uemura from Osaka General Hospital of West Japan Railway Company. We visited Korea for about two weeks from March 17th to March 31st. During this visit, with the support of both societies, we toured YESON Hospital, Samsung Medical Center, Pohang Semyeong Christianity Hospital, and Asan Medical Center, and finally had the opportunity to present at the KSES annual meeting. In my report, I would like to focus on the visits to the first two hospitals.

Korean Shoulder and Elbow Society (KSES) was established in 1993 and it has come a long way since. 2024 KSES Conference marks the 31st anniversary of the society. It was held in Seoul, South Korea from 29th of March 2024 till 30th March 2024. This year’s conference theme was titled “The New Beginning to the Next Level” as it aptly reflects the emergence of the Korean Shoulder and Elbow Society as the global leader in the field of shoulder and elbow care as KSES looks to lay the foundation for another magnificent 30 years ahead.

For this year’s conference, world-renowned speakers and visionary surgeons such as KSES President Jae-Chul Yoo, Yong-Girl Rhee, Jin-Young Park, Joo Han Oh, Yang-Soo Kim, Sang-Jin Shin, President-elect Hyun-Seok Song and many more speakers have equipped the participants with a deeper understanding and invaluable insights into understanding the complexity of shoulder surgery. It always amazes me when these surgeons who are subject matter experts in their respective fields share their experiences to pass on their knowledge, skills and experience to fellow colleagues for the advancement in the medical field.

Going back to Korea took me down my own memory lane when I first embarked on my journey to become a sports surgeon. I had the opportunity to undergo a fellowship training in 2017 under my learned mentors in Korea. My time spent under the guidance of my learned mentors since then has honed and equipped me tremendously with the know-how and skills to excel as a sport surgeon. Fast forward to 6 years later, in 2023 KSES Conference, I was fortunate enough on this occasion to be invited as faculty member, a panelist in the panel discussion, a chairperson for one of the symposiums as well as a speaker. This is an honor that I will forever cherish.

Year 2024 marks another milestone for me as this time I was able to participate in the KSES peri-congress surgical tour, which is the centre stage of the conference, watching the gurus of ROK (Republic of Korea) at their best in their home turf. Fellow participants were invited to a 5 days tour from1st April- 5th April 2024, hosted by the five ROK Gurus, Jae-Chul Yoo of Samsung Medical Centre, Yong-Girl Rhee of Myongji Hospital, Jin-Young Park of Neon Orthopaedic Clinic, Joo Han Oh of Seoul National University and Yang-Soo Kim of Catholic University of Korea where the participants have the opportunity to observe each of the masters performing their trademark surgery. I can’t thank them enough for the knowledge and insight gained from this opportunity.

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. During KSES Conference, the organizer made sure that all the participants have the opportunity to network especially during the President Dinner, whereby all like-minded surgeons can mingle around in a more relaxed atmosphere. To top it off, the organizer also showcase the beauty of Korea’s culture and tradition through rendition of the Korean traditional and contemporary performance during the President Dinner. However, the highlight of the tour was when I was treated to a rare and unforgettable experience of watching the champions of the Korean men’s volleyball team known as the “Incheon Korean Air Jumbos” achieve their 4th victory in a row. I was lucky to be able to share this proud moment with President Jae-Chul Yoo who was their team doctor.

It has always been my motto to serve my patients to the best of my ability and I believe that to achieve this, all surgeons including myself, need to continuously strive to improve ourselves by keeping up with the latest evidence-based medicine. The 31st KSES Conference and the surgical tour has been an eye opener to me and will continue to serve as a benchmark for many other conferences to come. Thank you.

Raymond D.K. Yeak, Associate Professor,
University Putra Malaysia/Sunway Medical Centre Velocity