Our program was the result of a tremendous collaboration with the MSTS membership and beyond. We inspired new ideas, debate, and connections! We couldn’t without you, our friends and colleagues, so THANK YOU to all of the speakers and others who contributed their time and support, especially Kerri Mink and Deborah Meyer!
Looking for ways to become more engaged in research? Look no further - the morning session led by Dr. Wakenda Tyler, Deputy Editor for the Oncology section of JAAOS. After hearing how you can contribute to the journal, Dr. Lorenz will report on his Sarcoma Strong-sponsored research. Dr. Ghert will update us on the progress of PARITY, and Dr. Miller will share strategies for overcoming obstacles with the MSTS-AAOS Registry. Closing out the session, Dr. Balach will provide a comprehensive review of all current multi-institutional research opportunities for MSTS members who wish to join forces.
Dr. Francis Lee kicked-off our second session of the morning, detailing successes, failures, and everything in between with percutaneous pelvis fixation. Dr. Kim and Dr. Yang enlightened us with their experiences with percutaneous fixation with and without tumor ablation. For an update on the victories and defeats of open pelvis reconstruction with custom implants, we heard from Dr. Wustrack and Dr. Papagelopoulos. Lastly, Dr. Lewis will impart her wisdom comparing custom pelvic reconstruction to no reconstruction after pelvic tumor resection.
Dr. Wodajo, head of the MSTS Metastatic Bone Disease Taskforce, led our multidisciplinary session on “Caring for Patients with Metastatic Bone Disease.” We have assembled an extraordinary group of experts discussing radiation therapy, optimizing bone health, interventional palliative pain procedures, and medical pain management. Our Keynote Speaker, Dr. Michael Rabow, Professor of Clinical Medicine, and Director of the Palliative Care Program at UCSF, imparted his wisdom during his address on "Caring for the Caregiver."
Spearheading our first afternoon session, Dr. Bukata enlivened the discussions on practice management, including updates on billing and coding to optimize reimbursement with Dr. Levin, and negotiating salaries and value with Health Systems with Dr. Morris. Dr. Mesko reviewed the state of legal challenges in oncology and Dr. Rajani detailed the experience of being an expert witness. Lastly, Dr. Randall shared insider tips on industry consulting.
We closed the day with Dr. Kemp spotlighting the new MSTS Advocacy Task Force and how MSTS Gives Back! Dr. Miller will share his experience with establishing an international Orthopedic Oncology Fellowship and Dr. Conrad will highlight decades of partnership with patient advocacy groups. Dr. DiCaprio taught us how to grow philanthropic efforts, and Dr. Bradford emboldened us to sponsor the next generation of orthopedic surgeons by partnering with Nth Dimensions. Lastly, Dr. Cipriano shared how to support the orthopedic pipeline by collaborating with the Ruth Jackson Orthopedic Society and the Perry Program.