FRANKLIN, Tenn.—The surgeons of the Bone and Joint Institute of Tennessee are always looking to stay on the cutting-edge of their field. Sometimes that requires going around the world. Take Cory Calendine, M.D., for instance. In the span of a month, he went from Pennsylvania to China to share information, techniques, and more, with his fellow orthopaedic surgeons.  

Dr. Calendine (top, center) participates in a discussion during the 2018 American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery (ABOS) conference in Philadelphia.   

Philadelphia 

Dr. Calendine’s recent adventure started with a trip to Philadelphia in late February 2018, for a major conference held by the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery (ABOS), of which he is a member. The ABOS is an organization of medical professionals that helps establish national educational standards for orthopaedic residents, as well as standards for competency of current surgeons. One of the goals of this particular conference was to determine what should go into an examination for surgeons hoping to become board-certified in adult hip and knee replacements. To accomplish this, ABOS members met with representatives of the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME), as well as orthopaedic leaders from facilities across the nation. Calendine explained why it was so important to have such a large group involved. “Orthopaedic practices are complex and vary around the country,” he said. “Discussing those regional differences is what helps to set minimal competency standards and then helps to raise those standards.”   

China 

Only a few days removed from his conference in the City of Brothery Love, he was set to go to another; this one nearly 8,000 miles away in Guiyang, Guizhou Province, China! If orthopaedic practices vary across the United States, as Dr. Calendine said, just imagine the wealth of knowledge a global conference can bring. That’s one of the reasons he went on the long trip to the Chinese Hip Society’s annual meeting. There, he met with surgeons from around the world, along with representatives and faculty from international organizations. All shared new concepts and the latest techniques in orthopaedics through talks, videos, and even going over past cases. There was such a value in what was discussed that portions of the meeting were broadcast live to health professionals the world over.   

Dr. Calendine takes a break from the conference to see the sights in China with his family: daughter Avery, son Cayden, and wife Jennifer.   

Tennessee 

Dr. Calendine is now back home in Franklin, and a part of the growing Bone and Joint Institute of Tennessee. His trips, like the ones to Philadelphia and China, are often done on a volunteer basis. For Calendine, there’s a good reason he takes these opportunities. He said, “I volunteer in support of patients and to preserve excellence in the delivery of orthopaedic care, here in Williamson County, and beyond.”   

TOP IMAGE: At left, the Calendine Family (L-R): son Cayden, father Cory, daughter Avery, and mother Jennifer pose for a photo at the Great Wall of China; March 2018. At right, Dr. Calendine speaks candidly with Vinod Dasa, M.D., Associate Professor of Clinical Orthopaedics and Director of Research at Louisiana State University’s Department of Orthopaedics; February 2018.