Recipient of a Travel Grant to Travel to the 17th International Symposium on Ligaments & Tendons (ISL&T-XVII)
I had the opportunity to attend the International Symposium on Ligaments & Tendons – XVII in Hangzhou, China in April 2018. The Program Committee, led by Dr. James Wang and Dr. Xiao Chen, invited me to give a Keynote Presentation on the recent ACL biomechanics work in the Translational Orthopaedics Research Laboratory at North Carolina State University & University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill.
Hangzhou impressed me as a modern metropolitan city. The hotel and conference were located near the famous West Lake in Hangzhou. I arrived a few days before the conference, so after recovering from the flight, I took some time to explore the West Lake area. It is absolutely beautiful! There was a large botanical garden featuring small ponds, tree-lined walkways, and a variety of flora. One day, I traversed the Su Causeway to the other side of the lake and visited the Leifeng Pagoda. Once reaching the top, I was able to see the spectacular panorama of the West Lake, surrounding mountains, and Hangzhou. I learned a bit of history regarding the Legend of the White Snake as well.
The ISL&T-XVII conference was held at the Hangzhou New Hotel. Dr. Woo and Dr. Hongwei Ouyang kicked off the meeting with a lively introduction. Following a detailed clinical keynote presentation by Dr. Shiyi Chen on his experience in ACL reconstruction, I gave my keynote presentation entitled “Orientation, Size and Function of the Anterior Cruciate Ligament During Skeletal Growth: Results from a Porcine Model” in the first session. I then moderated the remainder of the session on biomechanics with Dr. Weiling Sheng. All of the presentations were quite good, leading to provocative discussion. The first session was followed by keynotes and sessions on biology, healing, and repair throughout the day. At the banquet that evening, the menu featured traditional dishes from Hangzhou. While eating, we were treated to performances by students at Zhejiang University, including a traditional dance with musical accompaniment as well as a performance highlighting the “tea culture” of Hangzhou.
I would like to thank Dr. and Mrs. Woo as well as ASIAM for providing support for me to attend ISL&T-XVII. It was an absolute honor to give a keynote presentation. It was great to catch up with Mrs. Diann DeCenzo, Drs. Christos Papageorgiou, James Wang, Zong-Ming Li, Al Banes, and many, many others. I thoroughly enjoyed taking in the culture in Hangzhou and participating in this truly international research forum.
