I have spent the past several days here in Salt Lake City, attending the annual Scoliosis Research Society (SRS) Meeting.
As always, the papers and posters were excellent, and the ability to interact with scoliosis surgeons from all over the world has been wonderful.
While the conference and interactions have been great, the best part of the trip has been seeing Dr. John Hall again. Less than an hour ago, I got a chance to catch up for a few minutes with Dr. Hall after he was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award here at SRS. In Dr. Hall’s talk, he humbly shared how he has had a lifetime of learning from others and from clinical experience. My heart was filled with thanksgiving for Dr. Hall, who has been one of my primary mentors and inspirations since I was a Junior Resident at Children’s Hospital, Boston at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Hall inspired me and trained me in scoliosis surgery years ago, and also supported my academic career, supporting me to obtain a degree in Clinical Epidemiology, and encouraged me to use my engineering and computer skills to enhance clinical care of patients, and to also help conduct research and quality improvement.
I have, and still continue to try to inspire the next generation, passing on in some small way what I have received from great leaders like Dr. Hall, who received training and inspiration from the generation before, including Paul Harrington and many others.
Thanks, Dr. Hall for your inspiration and example of excellence.
Lloyd A. Hey, MD MS
http://www.heyclinic.com
Hey Clinic for Scoliosis and Spine Surgery
Raleigh, NC USA