Dear Ladies and Gentlemen,

As we approach the end of 2023, it is a good moment to reflect on the accomplishments of ESSKA over the past 12 months.

Our society actively participated in various international events worldwide, including the ISAKOS congress in Boston, the AOSSM annual meeting in Washington, and AAHKS annual meeting in Dallas, among many other congresses of our affiliated societies in Europe

The return to normalcy after the challenges posed by COVID has been swifter than expected, with in-person meetings resuming including the re-ignition of many ESSKA events, from Certification Modules, to our Speciality Days.

It would be amiss not to mention the tragic events in recent times with the conflicts rising in Russia, Ukraine, Israel and Gaza. Our thoughts and sympathy are with the public who’s lives and homes have been destroyed by political unrest.

On a positive side, I would like to take a moment to highlight ESSKA’s achievements in 2023 and plans for 2024.

ESSKA Certification Programme

The development of the ESSKA Certification Programme is an ongoing priority for our society, and numerous modules were undertaken this year, Including:

• ACL
• Multi-Ligament Knee
• Meniscus Knee
• Shoulder Rotator Cuff
• Ankle Ligament Pathology
• Patello-Femoral
• Osteotomies around the Knee

I already reported on the programme in my last editorial. Seven modules were organised and run successfully this year.

I want to say a special thanks to Ben Mcilroy, the Educational Manager of the programme who shows incredible enthusiasm and impeccable judgement, always coming up with new ideas to make this programme even more attractive and valuable for our community.

Around 100 professionals have been involved in organizing and running the ESSKA European Certification modules this year. There were 500 applications for the programme from more than 70 different countries. We had 172 participants from 25 countries in nine modules so far. 38 of them completed all three stages of the ACL module.

Our Sections

The work of our Sections is the engine of the society and we always encourage everybody to become involved with new ideas. All the Sections are very active in publishing their scientific work, running courses and generating new ideas. Sometimes we can even not accept all proposals immediately – there are so many of them! The strength of our Sections lies in the international networking of our members, which makes Sections’ work unique.

A special thanks to AFAS, EHPA, EKA, ESA and ESMA Sections and the chairs - Chris Pearce, Vikas Khanduja, Reha Tandogan, Nuno Sampaio Gomes, and Patricia Thoreux for their dedication!

The ESSKA Academy

The new platform of ESSKA Academy will open very soon. Do not miss this incredible opportunity for ongoing learning. You will find 973 educational videos, 5 consensus projects,27 ESSKA books, and much more on our renewed educational platform.

A great thank you to Baris Kocaoglu from Istanbul, ESSKA Academy Editor, for his dedication and for leading this extensive project to lift our Academy to a higher level. I encourage you to use the materials and information you will find for your continuous professional learning.

The scientific treasures of ESSKA: KSSTA and JEO journals

Our two journal Editors Jon Karlsson from Norway for KSSTA, Stefano Zaffangini from Italy for JEO have worked tirelessly alongside Danai Papaioannou, ESSKA’s Editorial Assistant, to guarantee a smooth transition from Springer to Wiley publisher. The transition has been started in early summer and is on its finishing line. You, as an author, may not have even noticed during the submission of your manuscripts what a huge work was performed behind the scenes. With the beginning of the new year, ESSKA’s journals will pass a crucial milestone.

Consensus Projects

The ESSKA consensus projects celebrate their 10th anniversary. Our first consensus project started in summer 2013 with the meniscus one, and many other projects followed. A special thanks to Philippe Beaufils from France, our consultant and advisor. He supervises every single step during the process of all our consensus. Among others, we are currently running a European – American consensus with AOSSM on the rehabilitation of patients with meniscus pathologies. We appreciate the dedication of Prof. Beaufils who participated in every single meeting of these consensus groups, more than 250 in total over the years.

Finally, a heartfelt thanks to our office team including Zhanna Kovalchuk, our Executive Director, and the supporting team behind her, including Anna Hansen, Graham Woolwine, Delphine Briy, Amanda Olsson, Ben Mcilroy, Joseph Ramesh, Danai Papaioannou, Elena Baggetta, Bryony Edwards and Runeta Rai whose dedicated work makes all these activities possible.

I am unable to mention all the people who have worked very hard within ESSKA during this last year. The list would be endless. However, it reflects the fantastic spirit of our society. I can only encourage you to become a part of this great spirit!

On behalf of the entire ESSKA Board, we wish you a joyous Christmas and a prosperous 2024. We look forward to welcoming you to our next big congress in May 2024 at the MICO Conference Center in Milan. The scientific program is ready for you!

Take this Christmas break to enjoy quality time with your families, relatives, and friends. It will be a good moment to take a deep breath and relax a little bit to enjoy the atmosphere and to reflect with mindfulness on the significance of life.

We will keep in our thoughts our members who are affected by ongoing unrest, and let this be a reminder not to forget how lucky we are to live in safety, comfort and happiness.

With this final sentiment, I wish you all a Merry Christmas and an enjoyable festive period.

On behalf of the entire ESSKA Board,

Roland Becker
ESSKA President