Taking Flight
Women in Orthopaedics holds its 4^th annual luncheon

Marcia Clark M.D., FRCSC
Calgary, AB

Women in Orthopaedics (WIO) began in early 2003 with the intention of bringing together female orthopaedic surgeons and residents within Canada. By holding events in conjunction with the COA and OOA Annual Meetings, the WIO has provided surgeons working in various areas of orthopaedics a chance to share common interests, challenges and successes within their field.

The fourth annual luncheon was held June 1, 2007 during the COA Annual meeting in Halifax, NS. Drs. Brendan D. Lewis and Paul Wright welcomed the over 40 attendees (mostly surgeons and residents) and delivered a message of support on behalf of the COA and Foundation Executive Committees at the beginning of the luncheon

This year's guest speaker was Major Karen Breeck, a flight surgeon in the Canadian Forces and team doctor with the Canadian Snowbirds. Major Breeck's talk, "Leadership, What the Military has Taught Me", generated a robust discussion and many questions.

On the business side, the group revised their mission statement this year to read:

"To create a supportive network for excellence in the field of orthopaedic surgery in Canada for surgeons, residents and students."

The group also established its focus for the next year. Finalizing a mentoring database and creating a web site with the hope of initiating an informal mentoring programme for orthopaedic surgeons and residents. Anyone interested in participating or contributing to this project is encouraged to contact either Drs. Alex Brooks-Hill or Marcia Clark through Cynthia Vezina at the COA head office ( This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it / 514 874-9003 x 3).

The meeting was a success with numerous questions, comments and discussion generated after the formal meeting.

An individual thank you is extended to Cynthia Vezina for her outstanding assistance in organizing the meeting.

Next year's event will be held in June 2008 alongside the COA Annual Meeting in Quebec City. Stay tuned for details!

Sponsorship Acknowledgement: This year's luncheon was exclusively sponsored by DePuy, a Johnson & Johnson company. WIO would like to thank them for their continued support of this initiative. A special thank you to Ms. Monica Freitas, Professional Education Coordinator, for attending the luncheon and for her support.