June 2019

• Young surgeons of the Ilizarov Center participated in the VI International Olympic Games for resident doctors of trauma and orthopedics specialty that was held in Smolensk, June, 21-22. 71 residents and 26 teams took part in this professional skills competition. Resident doctors from Kurgan – Ilia Sutiaguin, Timur Latypov and Anton Lushnikov – achieved good results in individual competition (all of them in Top20 score), as a team they scored the 6^th place.

• The Eurasian Orthopedic Forum welcomed delegates from 18 countries on the 28-29^th of June in Moscow. Russia was represented by participants from a dozen of cities. Kurgan team consisted of Alexander Gubin, Anna Aranovich, Mikhail Tyoplenky, Andrey Kaminsky, Oksana Prudnikova, Artem Reznik, Mairbeck Pliev and Akhmet Tomov. Their free papers were presented in sessions “Robototechnics, navigation and 3D modeling in spinal surgery”, “Pediatric trauma and orthopedics”, “Reconstructive hand surgery and plastic surgery”, etc.

• Doctor Yong Hong Zhang (Shangsi, China) completed his month-long Fellowship in the Ilizarov Center. The University Hospital where Dr Yong Hong works is as big as the Ilizarov Center and the method of Ilizarov is very popular and widely applied there. Dr Yong Hong came to Kurgan for the second time at the invitation of director A.Gubin.

• A unique gallery appeared on the walls of the Ilizarov Center library. Portraits of 12 outstanding world-known orthopedists depicted a story of development and important inventions and scientific breakthrough of the 20^th century in the sphere of trauma and orthopedic surgery. The project was designed to the 50^th anniversary of the library. Funds of the library has grown from 2300 units in 1969 to over 70 000 by now, among them rare editions on traumatology and orthopedics of the 19^th -20^th centuries, filing of Military Medicine Revue of the years 1895-1912, Atlas of Pirogov in 6 volumes, first editions of Gavriil Ilizarov.
• Invited lecturers of the “Ilizarov Readings 2019” Pr Szymon Pietrzak, Tomasz Parol and the EPOS President Jaroslaw Czubak planted young trees in front of “snowflake” building of the Center as a beginning of Ilizarov grove. Small oak-trees were brought from Belovezh, Poland – the birthplace of academician Gavriil Ilizarov. That gift to Kurgan clinic on the birthday of orthopedic genius symbolized importance of forces of nature and strong relations between Russian and Polish professional communities.

Scientific Marathon in the Ilizarov Center from the 11^th till 15^th of June started with 2^nd All-Russian Traumatologic and Orthopedic Veterinary Conference dedicated to the 50^th anniversary of the experimental department of the Ilizarov Center (150 participants). It was followed by 1^st Regional Forum “Medicine. Manufacturing. Pharmacology” (90 participants) and Annual International Scientific and Practical Conference “Ilizarov Readings” (240 participants).

• The 10^th Athletic Competition for the prizes of the “Gentleman of the Order of Smile” was successfully held on the 11^th of June. It united over 300 runners from kinder-gardens, 200 school pupils, more than 100 patients and staff of the Ilizarov Center.

July 2019

• Five foreign patients were treated in July in the Ilizarov Center. For them the Kurgan clinic became the only hope for cure. A girl from Qatar with congenital malformation of leg undergone 8 unsuccessful surgeries before her parents found out the opportunity of treatment in the Ilizarov Center. An 11-year-old girl from Alger with congenital hip dislocation was never treated before, her family was advised to go for hip reconstruction to Kurgan (Russia) by Dr Rauph Letrech, an Ilizarov Fellow researcher and surgeon. Three patients from Iraq came to the Ilizarov Center looking for spinal hernia management.
• The Ilizarov Museum received a gift from grateful parents of a cured little patient. A couple from Qatar came to Kurgan for the second time, last summer they brought their daughter for consultation and this year the treatment was successfully finished. Abdul and Mariam wished to leave a national souvenir for Russian doctors and presented a national Qatar man outfit. It enlarged a collection of national costumes in the museum.

August 2019

• The British Limb Reconstruction Society (BLRS) hosted the 4^th Combined Congress of the ASAMI-BR & ILLRS societies, in Liverpool, UK from 27^th - 30^th August 2019. Leading specialists of the Ilizarov method met together for sharing knowledge and skills. Geography of participants spread all over the world: Russia, USA, Spain, Italy, UK, Brazil, China, Egypt, Bangladesh. A delegation of 11 doctors represented the Ilizarov Center.

• A  commemorative plaque of a new design appeared on the house where academician Gavriil Ilizarov lived and worked from 1974 till 1992. It replaced a previous memorial plate at the initiative of ASAMI Russia group on the eve of 100^th anniversary of the famous orthopedists.

• Four doctors from Pakistan and Mauritius participated in a 10-day-long training course on the transosseous osteosynthesis by Ilizarov.

• “AQUAFEST 2019”, an international art festival, came to the Ilizarov park. Patients of our clinic took part in a work-shop on watercolor painting. Professional painters together with amateurs created landscape sketches inspired by Indian summer nature.

March 2019

• During the Forum on orphan diseases on the 1^st of March in Moscow the Ilizarov Center was awarded with the “Silver Line” prize. The award was dedicated to those who contributed a lot to advancement of care of patients with rare diseases. Polina Ochirova, a surgeon of the Ilizarov Center shared the experience of our clinic in orthopedic treatment of MPS 4a type patients. Since 2012 in the Kurgan clinic 40 patients with orphan diseases have been treated.
• The book “Ilizarov’s philosophy“ written by Alexander Gubin can be read now in English. It was translated from Russian by Tatiana Malkova, an interpreter of the Informational Analytical Department of the Ilizarov Center. The book in English can be downloaded from the website http://www.ilizarov.ru/images/2019/booka-2.pdf
• For the second time the Ilizarov Center welcomes speakers and guests of the conference “Diagnostic Radiology in Traumatology and Orthopedics”. On the 22^nd of March over 100 specialists of radiologic methods of diagnostics in spine pathology, rare systemic diseases of the loco-motor system, oncotherapy, reparative process in fracture management from Russia, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, China gathered in Kurgan to share research and clinical experience.
• The Huaxian Orthopaedic Hospital of Henan Province (China) and Ilizarov Center (Russia) signed an agreement on mutual collaboration in research and educational activity on the 28^th of March. At the moment of signing the contract 13 specialists from China were completing training courses on transosseous osteosynthesis by Ilizarov. The Chinese mass media about this cooperation: http://sputniknews.cn/russia_china_relations/201903201027969694/

April 2019

• A delegation of Uzbekistan headed by the Consul-General Abdusalom Khatamov visited the Ilizarov Center and its Museum of Traumatology and Orthopedics. The delegation learnt the history of world-known method, Ilizarov philosophy that built a scientific foundation for all new orthopedic techniques.
• During the 38^th Congress of EPOS (European Paediatric Orthopaedic Society) held on the 3-6^th of April in Tel Aviv (Israel) a multicentral study «Combined technique with hydroxyapatite coated intramedullary nails in treatment of anterolateral bowing of congenital pseudarthrosis of tibia» was presented by expert of the Ilizarov Center Dmitry Popkov (Authors: Arnold Popkov, Pierre Lascombes, Mikan Lazovic, Sinisa Ducic, Dmitry Popkov). Materials of the study accumulated the results of collaboration of pediatric specialists from Russia, Switzerland and Serbia. The only partner orthopedic association of the EPOS in Russian Federation is ASAMI Russia.
• The Ilizarov Center received a certificate of prolongation of AOSpine Center status till 2020. This status was attributed to the Kurgan clinic in 2017. During that year two AOSpine Fellow doctors from Austria and Turkey participated in the educational program in the Center, and 5 surgeons from Nigeria in 2018. https://aospine.aofoundation.org

May 2019

• The Gait Analysis Laboratory of Ilizarov Center is a unique facility of the kind available for pediatric orthopedic diagnostics in Russia. After excursion to the laboratory and a lecture of Prof Dmitry Popkov, a group of pupils decided to participate in a series of diagnostic tests as a control reference group of healthy gait patterns. The teenagers would be able to use the results of their experimental activity in preparing a research project for the school scientific conference.
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• The academic chamber choir of the Ilizarov Center became a winner of the Grand-Prix of V International Art Contest “Art. Inspiration. Talent!” in Kazan (Russia). A legendary group of singing doctors with a 40-year-long history performed in the best concert halls of Kurgan, participated in many festivals and choir contests in Yekaterinburg, Omsk, Moscow, Saint-Petersburg, in Kazakhstan and Austria.
• A delegation of Ilizarov spinal surgeons from Kurgan took part in the 8^th GLOBAL SPINE CONGRESS (GSC) on the 15-18^th of May in Toronto (Canada). This congress with AOSpine endorsement gathered over thousand specialists in spinal pathology. The Ilizarov Center experience in this sphere was presented in free papers of neurosurgeons Oxana Prudnikova, Alexander Gubin, Egor Filatov, Andrey Kobyzev, Serguey Lulin.

January 2019

• The 2nd International Educational Course on Endoscopic Spinal Surgery of the Lumber spine was successfully held on the 15-16th of January in Lisbon (Portugal) for over 50 specialists from Europe and America. Dr Serguey Lulin, the head of Low-invasive spinal surgery and oncovertebrology unit (Ilizarov Center) shared the experience of endoscopic techniques applied in Kurgan as a speaker and in live surgery.
  
• Age continuity is one of the major principles of the Ilizarov Clinic, patients can be treated here from the young till senior age. The story of a 19-year-old Paralympic athlete Aivaz Bikmurzin demonstrates it. His first application to the Ilizarov Center was at the age of 11 for the foot deformity treatment as a result of spinabifida, 8 years later despite his adult age, the patient continues his follow up consultations by the same surgeon – Serguey Leonchuk. because of the principle of age continuity of orthopedic care. Aivaz goes in for workout and 5-fold champion of Russia in sledge-hockey.
  
• ASAMICON 2019 took place in India on the 18-21st of January. The National ASAMI of India advertised a contest of research papers in the frame of the meeting. The winner would be able to participate in Fellowship programs of clinics in Russia, Great Britain, China. Two Indian orthopedists would come to the Ilizarov Center with support of ASAMI India in 2019.
  

 February 2019

• The 6th Meeting of ASAMI Bangladesh was held on the 6-7th of February with participation of Kurgan delegation, including Dmitry Borzunov, Konstantin Novikov, Nikolay Klushin and Vladimir Shevtsov, the Professors Emeritus of the Ilizarov Center.
  
• On the 8-9th of February specialists of the Ilizarov Center Valentina Kamysheva, Alexander Gubin and Dmitry Popkov took part in the meeting on Controversies of pediatric reconstruction in Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children (Dallas, USA). The goal of the meeting was to share the experience in management of Blount disease, congenital pseudarthrosis of the tibia, congenital malformation of lower limbs, Pertes disease, etc.
  
• Kurgan Medical Cluster held a round table on “Ecology of life:medicine, science, innovation” on the 12th of February. Top-scoring students of Medical colleges of Kurgan, Shadrinsk, Yurgamysh and Makushino gathered in the Ilizarov Center for discussion with researches and leading specialist of the field.
  
• On the 19th of February the completions of the Cup of Director of Healthcare Department of Kurgan Region was started. 7 teams would compete in different sports beginning with volleyball games. The Ilizarov Center team got the silver in this kind of sport and finally became the winners of the Cup after all the competitions.
  
• Director of the Ilizarov Center Alexander Gubin and the Head of Clinic of bone infection Nikolay Klushin were invited to the 18^th International Educational Course and Forum on Deformity Correction and Limb Reconstruction in Shanghai (China) held on the 22-23 of February.
  
• The 29th of February is a “rare” day that occurs once in four years, that is why the date was chosen as the Rare Disease Day to raise awareness for rare diseases and improve access to treatment and medical representation for individuals with rare diseases and their families. The Ilizarov Clinic of spine pathology and rare diseases organized a meeting of doctors and families involved in treatment of mucopolysaccharidosis. 250 patients were diagnosed with MPS in Russia, 5 of them in the Ural region. Serguey Ryabykh, Polina Ochirova and Dmitry Popkov are Ilizarov surgeons who are included in the expert council on rare diseases in Russia, in the Ilizarov Center 8 MPS patients had already undergone surgical treatment on spine and limbs.