MESSAGE FROM PRESIDENT OF THE MALAYSIAN ORTHOPAEDIC ASSOCIATION

The Malaysian Orthopaedic Association (MOA) has over the last 54 years been an exponent of the science, art and practice of Orthopaedic surgery and its allied health sciences in Malaysia. The Association’s executive committees have, over the years, successfully steered the national body to what it is now – a valued reference point to surgeons, allied health staff and the public on the standard practices and advancements in Orthopaedic surgery and care. I hope, as President, to continue serving you and the Association by carrying on the excellent work of my predecessors, while also moving with the times and further innovating our role in society.

The flagship educational event in the calendar of the MOA is our Annual Scientific Meeting. Every year our meeting grows larger, both in content and attendance. The format took a detour last year as we hosted a 5-day virtual conference to cater to the times. It was a marvellous feat and showed us that, despite the trying circumstances, education and fellowship could still press on. This time round, we will attempt to bridge last year’s format with something closer to what we are used to. It is my greatest pleasure to invite you to join this year’s hybrid meeting, the 51st MOA Annual Scientific Meeting, set to take place from 9th to 11th June 2022.

This year’s programme will feature a more varied curriculum, mixing on-site sessions with completely virtual sessions, and you, as conference attendee, will be able to select your preferred educational experience with us. We will work closely with industry to organize cadaveric workshops, instructional course lectures and surgical training which will attract the hands-on participation of many surgeons. We will be revisiting familiar topics to that of years past in the area of geriatric Orthopaedics. The theme, Greying Gracefully: The New Paradigm for Orthopaedics in an Ageing Population, will encompass the latest findings and research in an area which demands growing attention as our patient groups inevitably fall into this age category. I am excited for what Prof Dr Tunku Kamarul Zaman Tunku Zainol Abidin as Organising Chair and Assoc Prof Dr Azura Mansor as the Scientific Chair will bring to the table, as I am sure you are.

While the COVID-19 pandemic continues to be present in our lives, my hope is that we as healthcare professionals will continue to rise above and equip ourselves in the best possible way for the ever-changing medical landscape. Following last year’s virtual meeting, we hope that you are not only ready but excited to be part of our upcoming meeting. I look forward to seeing you, either in person or through our screens!

Stay safe and take care.

MESSAGE FROM ORGANISING CHAIRMAN OF THE 51ST MOA ASM 2022

From our experience of our first virtual congress last year, the current conditions of the ongoing pandemic, albeit improving as it seems, have forced the MOA council to once again consider all options and to make the difficult decision to either hold the upcoming MOA Annual Scientific Meeting (ASM) as another virtual meeting or the more traditional physical meeting format. After a long debate and weighing the risk & benefits, I am happy to announce that the MOA council has decided that the coming ASM will be held on the 9th to 11th June 2022; and it will be a HYBRID meeting where we will have the best of both worlds: an online and a physical meeting that will happen at the same time.

Whilst there may be concerns of the issues of a physical meeting, i.e. that physical presence may pose as a hazard, we made it our top priority to preserve everyone’s health and deliver Education & Training in a safe environment. For those who are still not comfortable with this, the virtual platform is here to provide a risk-free face-to-face experience for all.

The present pandemic has taught us how to adapt and make MOA more agile and versatile, and that it is our intention to make our meetings more educational and effective for the orthopaedic community. Having seen the number of lives lost in the pandemic and seeing that the most affected in their orthopaedic related health involves the elderly, this meeting have been planned with a theme that focuses on the areas related to ageing population. We are hoping to be able to address the issues caused due to the changes in the health of the elderly subsequent to the effects of COVID-19.

With the theme “Greying Gracefully: The New Paradigm for Orthopaedics in an Ageing Population”, the meeting has been designed to achieve high levels of knowledge transfer of numerous theoretical issues to students and young surgeons concerning surgical planning and management of the ageing population. Further to this, we want to develop a true learning experience for the orthopaedic community and our teaching surgeons, to open a view to real practical applications of musculoskeletal science and surgical/management techniques through several of our workshops that is being planned. In addition, we have incorporated the educational programs from other supporting medical fields to help provide knowledge and skills that many may not be aware, with the aim to provide better care for our patients. With everyone joining forces and putting forward a complementary and multidimensional treatment options aimed at treating our ageing population, this meeting would be one that would see the matching of the best the medical industry has to offer and the knowledge of various expertise with our orthopaedic healthcare providers.

We are confident that it is going to be an exciting meeting and an event we guarantee that would impress you with the program that is going be educational as well as beneficial for your practices. Regardless if you are new in your practice or have been in this industry for many years now, this meeting has been designed to fulfil your needs and meet everyone’s’ expectations.

We therefore look forward to seeing you at the meeting, may it be in person or in cyberspace. In the meantime, do take care and stay safe!