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ABC Travelling Fellows 2008 Diary Second installment: Vancouver Tuesday 29 April to Sunday 4 May
Tuesday 29 April Travel day started wet. There was a little time for last minute re-packing and tidying up on admin, before heading out to Heathrow. It turns out that our fears about the integrity of systems at Terminal 5 were misplaced, as all went smoothly. The flight was long, but manageable. We were met at the airport by Nathan O’Hara, co-ordinator of the fellowship programme, and his large SUV. With luggage stowed, we were driven the scenic route into town, along Marine Drive and past some impressive real estate. The hotel was similarly impressive, right in the centre of town and very comfortable. The four of us headed out, acting on a tip-off, and found our fellow Fellows Richard Williams from Brisbane and Andrew Barrow from Johannesburg. A few beers and a plate of nachos was an excellent way to get to know one another a little and prepare the jet lagged for sleep. Wednesday 30 April The 0630 conference call with Dr Saleh and also Lisa O’Brien and Camille Murray at the AOA was something of a technical challenge for the still-jet lagged team, but we got through and got a good chat going. It is tremendous to have so many people looking out for us, and we are going to be well looked after. Dr Saleh stressed the unique opportunity that we have to learn and make friends, as well as the importance of our role as diplomats. We continued our chatting over an excellent breakfast, and then went our separate ways to get set up and organised. In the afternoon we attended the Residents’ Research Meeting. We met Dr Bas Masri, (ABC 2001), Professor and Head of Recon at University of British Columbia (UBC), as well as Dr Bob Trousdale (ABC 2001) from the Mayo clinic. We heard some stimulating talks by the residents and fellows, before returning to the hotel to get ready for dinner. The evening was spent at Cin Cin’s restaurant in the city centre. We enjoyed an excellent tasting menu in the company of Drs Masri , Guy and Garbuz of UBC, and Dr Trousdale (Mayo clinic) Dr Mahomed (Toronto) . The wine, produced in British Columbia, was excellent. Thursday 1 May We are now seven (whether we reach magnificent remains to be seen), with the arrival from Auckland of Peter Poon. We spent the day at the orthopaedic update sessions on the hip, with talks based upon a “Lifelong” approach. Controversies about bearing surfaces, hip replacement head sizes and non-arthroplasty management of the hip were discussed in stimulating fashion by Dr Masri, his predecessor as department head Dr Clive Duncan, Dr Trousdale and UBC staff members Drs Goetz, Garbuz, Greidanus, Gilbert, Guy and Reilly. Dr Mahomed gave a fact-filled description of manpower planning in Ontario, and Dr Wicks, head of the Washington State Medical Association described some of the challenges facing US healthcare. In the afternoon, the time finally came for the fellows to step up and give talks, with Rob Pollock leading the charge, followed by Messrs Meek, Mulhall and Sutherland. This was followed by a reception at the Art Gallery and a chance to meet more of the local faculty, before an excellent Japanese dinner at Tojo’s restaurant in the company of Tom Goetz and Paul Clarkson of the UBC Reconstruction faculty. Friday 2 May The hip update meeting continued, with Dominic Meek taking part in a break-out session with the local faculty, to discuss cases. Richard Williams took the opportunity to visit with the local spinal faculty, but was unable to gain access to the operating theatres due to regulations regarding accreditation. After a team lunch, exercise was taken, and then we reconvened to move to the Residents’ Graduation and Alumni Dinner at the Shaughnessy Golf Club. This was an excellent evening, congratulations to the graduating residents Kate Ball, Sonja Mathes and Jeff Pike. A particularly fine talk came from Dr Bob Meek, senior trauma surgeon. It seems that the best way to avoid harm from a cobra is not to keep one as a pet – sound advice indeed! Saturday 3 May Our last day in Vancouver started grey, and we headed to the Royal Vancouver Yacht club to join Henry and Ann LeBlanc on the Ariel for a day of sailing on the Bay out to Bowen Island. This really tested our ability to pack for the full 6 week trip, as the weather was cold in the morning, then sunny and windy in the afternoon– excellent sailing conditions. Richard Williams particularly enjoyed his time at the helm, and looked very much the part. Lunch was at the particularly nice Doc Morgan’s Pub, where excellent seafood and beer where enjoyed, before an excellent run under sail back into False Creek in the heart of the city before returning to the Yacht Club and heading home to pack up.
First mate Williams at the helm We picked our way through the marathon runners to get the van ride out to the airport, where the official weigh-in reveals a group total of 687 kg. A bit more running is called for, and nobody took the cooked breakfast on offer at the airport restaurant. So it is goodbye and thanks to Vancouver, an excellent first stop on the ABC tour, and off we go to Edmonton.
Rob Pollock with Dr Masri (2001)
The fellows at large
The fellows with Dr Trousdale
The Fellows with Dr Masri (2001) |
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