Presidential Letter

Dear Colleagues,

The Pediatric Orthopedics Association is the common home that our devoted professors and young colleagues have patiently built over the years. As the newly elected board, we have begun our efforts to beautify our home and contribute our own brick to its foundation. We are aware of the responsibility we have undertaken and will continue our work, keeping in mind the challenging conditions brought on by the pandemic.

Our primary goal is to solidify and elevate our Association’s respected international standing. To achieve this, we aim to increase the number of international publications, invite esteemed scientists in the field to engage with our young colleagues, and foster collaboration within the association. By enhancing scientific award programs and encouraging our younger colleagues, I believe we will succeed.

We are all aware of the importance of establishing and activating working groups, an effort that has been pursued in previous terms as well. These working groups will benefit from the knowledge of many colleagues, fostering collective wisdom and ensuring greater productivity within pediatric orthopedics. We are confident that by blending the experience of senior colleagues with the energy of younger ones, we will propel our country to the forefront of pediatric orthopedics in the years to come.

During this term, we aim to utilize social media platforms to reach families and share information. We plan to organize meetings for families, similar to those we have held for our colleagues. Informing children and their families across the country, with your support, is crucial for raising healthy future generations.

Strengthening pediatric orthopedics is only possible by increasing our membership. In this regard, we must do more than our share. Increasing the number of active members and welcoming younger colleagues into our ranks will make us more productive in the years to come. Scientific productivity, in turn, means having a stronger voice at both national and international meetings.

The Developmental Hip Dysplasia screening program, initiated in previous terms, is successfully ongoing nationwide. Our goal in this term is to implement screening programs in other pediatric orthopedic fields, particularly for cerebral palsy. We recognize the importance of preventive medicine and will examine models from around the world to identify those best suited to our country. Our aim is to collaborate with the necessary institutions and move forward quickly in this area.

In this new term, an inclusive, non-discriminatory approach will prevail. Scientific merit and competence will remain our fundamental principles for congresses and meetings, and we will not compromise on these values. I believe that, together, we will fulfill this responsibility to the best of our abilities.

On behalf of the ÇOD Board of Directors,