Why ESSKA? On what it takes for orthopaedic surgeons and their scientific societies to adapt to societal changes in 2018

Excerpt

Those of you who are fond of music may have recognised the introductory song Adventure of a lifetime by Coldplay. This title summarises my relationship with the European Society of Sports Traumatology, Knee Surgery and Arthroscopy (ESSKA) over the last 20 years, starting with my first ESSKA congress participation in Nice in 1998. It was exciting and frightening at the same time. I was frightened about giving my first international lecture, but, at the same time, I felt passionate about what ESSKA was about, its scientific content, and its spirit. I am proud to say that the society and congress presidents of that time, P. Chambat from Lyon, France, and P. Beaufils from Versailles, France, later became my mentors and are now close friends. In 2001, I was selected to participate in the ESSKA-AOSSM travelling fellowship and, just 1 year later, at the ESSKA Congress in Rome, I was elected to the ESSKA board as general secretary, a task which I would perform for 10 years. The ESSKA board rapidly decided that it needed to professionalise, which is why we hired the first professional staff member for ESSKA at my hospital in 2005. …