Abstract
“One of the signs of passing youth is the birth of a sense of fellowship with other human beings as we take our place among them.”
—Virginia Woolf (1882-1941), Hours in a Library, Times Literary Supplement (London, November 30, 1916)
This issue's Society News features an informal study by Carol Teitz of the accomplishments of the first decade of AOSSM/ESSKA/WPOA traveling fellows. I was lucky enough to be in the first group of AOSSM traveling fellows, which undoubtedly has given me a special interest in the fellowship program. However, my enthusiasm stems not just from my personal experience but also from the positive effect that I believe the program has had on international awareness, friendship, and scientific development in orthopaedic sports medicine.
The fellowship grew out of friendship, and friendship has remained its cornerstone. The original friendship was a personal one between John Feagin and Werner Mueller. Dr Feagin, at that time a past president of the AOSSM and an orthopaedic surgeon from Jackson, Wyoming, and Dr Mueller, the first president of ESKA (now ESSKA) and chief of orthopaedic surgery at the Kantonspital Bruderholz in Switzerland, met for a drink of fellowship in Basel at a pub named the Walliser Kanne. (A Walliser Kanne, as succeeding generations of traveling fellows have since learned, is a particular type of pewter mug indigenous to the Swiss canton of Wallis.) These two special individuals treasured their own friendship and envisioned an exchange fellowship between their organizations, the fledgling ESKA and the relatively hoary AOSSM. Tradition has it that the fellowship was planned on the proverbial cocktail napkin: three fellows would be selected from the ranks of promising “young” ESKA orthopaedic sports medicine specialists. An experienced elder from the organization, designated the Godfather (now democratized to “Godparent”), would add gravitas, experience, and leadership to the company. These specialists would tour a variety of North American sports medicine centers and conclude their odyssey at the AOSSM annual meeting. The following year, a similar group of North Americans would return the visit. It wasn't long before the Asian and Pacific countries were brought in to produce a round-robin.
In the natural scheme of things, an orthopaedic surgeon would have to become well known before being invited to visit a foreign center as a distinguished visiting professor. The fellowship exposes a young specialist to a wealth of new ideas while he or she is still in a formative stage. Enrichment occurs in many ways. The visiting godparent and fellows present their research to their hosts and are in turn exposed to some of the most well-known thinkers and innovators in orthopaedic sports medicine. The fellows not only learn from their host professors but also have the opportunity to exchange ideas with younger faculty and residents. They gain insight into the professional lives of young orthopaedists in different countries while establishing a web of friendship that spans the globe. This once informal network has gained form as the Magellan Society, an organization of former fellows that promotes an ongoing exchange of scientific ideas among members as they develop into the leaders of orthopaedic sports medicine in their own countries.
Traveling fellowships can be a grueling test of physical endurance. That first tour of Europe packed stops in London, Stockholm, East Berlin, West Berlin, Munich, Lyons, Paris, Amsterdam, Nijmegen, Rome, and Basel into 3 1/4 weeks. The intensity of this experience establishes a bond among the fellows themselves that can be one of the most lasting benefits of the experience. In this context, the relationship to the godparent is particularly special. There are very few situations, other than perhaps in a training relationship, in which a developing practitioner is exposed to a renowned leader on such an intimate basis. The young fellow is able to observe the godparent as he or she interacts with other orthopaedic leaders throughout the trip. A mentoring relationship is established that often extends for a lifetime.
As Carol Teitz's study shows, many of the fellows do indeed become leaders in sports medicine. Speaking scientifically, it is not possible with the study's methodology to tell what is cause and what is effect. Are the fellows individuals who are already destined to become future leaders? There is in fact a selection bias, as they are chosen on the basis of a certain level of accomplishment. Or does the fellowship experience help advance their careers? My suspicion is that it's a bit of both.
The benefits of the traveling fellowships extend beyond those who have been fortunate enough to become involved as either fellows or hosts. Returning travelers share their newly acquired insights with their home societies. The ripple effect has been considerable, producing an international awareness within the sports medicine community that has accelerated the progress of research and clinical innovation on all the involved continents. As South America joins the fellowship program, it continues to grow as a force that unites the sports medicine community around the world through knowledge and friendship.
