Sana Abdul Salam Saudi Gazette JEDDAH — A two-day medical conference, which discussed findings and cases in spine care and surgery, concluded here Friday. The Jeddah Spine Summit was organized jointly by the International Medical Center (IMC) and King Abdulaziz University (KAU). Leading specialists in the field of orthopedics and spinal surgery were invited from a number of countries, such as the US and France. Areas discussed included scoliosis in adults and children, lumbar spine fusion, degenerative lumbar spine and cervical spine trauma. According to the organizers, the main purpose of the conference was to share knowledge in the field of spinal surgery, provide an opportunity for different specialists to get in contact with each other and encourage continuous collaborations for better patient outcome. Fostering interaction between medical students in the Kingdom and specialists from around the world was also an essential goal. Dr. Saleh Baissa, head of neurosurgery at King Abdulaziz University, said: “Spine surgery is a dynamic field with new findings and techniques developed every month. So, this kind of conferences can help specialists learn from each other's experiences.” Speakers included specialists from different medical centers in the Kingdom such as the King Fahd Hospital in Madinah, Dr. Soliman Fakeeh Hospital in Jeddah and Saad Specialist Hospital in Al-Khobar. “I specialize in the area of pediatric spine care, so it was interesting for me to see the problems faced by doctors specializing in adult spine care, and the solutions they have to offer,” said Dr. Charles Johnston, one of the invited faculty speakers. Johnston is the assistant chief of staff at the Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children in Dallas. Organizers of the conference concurred that especially since the spine is a restricted specialty, they had not expected an attendance of more than a hundred people. However, they were pleasantly surprised to see the attendance reach the 350 mark. “For me, the success of the conference is not indicated by certificates of recognition, but from attendance. So, I am grateful to all the people who have come here, especially considering it's the weekend, to share their knowledge and experiences,” said Farid Kassab, Director of the Musculoskeletal Center at the IMC. Dr. Kassab also urged Saudi universities to be more open to interaction with the private sector. “Such collaborations are common around the world but need to be enhanced in the Kingdom, as it is an important way for students to see the application of what they have learned,” he said. The organizers said the reaction from the invited speakers was very positive, as they were impressed by the knowledge and research present in the Kingdom regarding spine care and surgery. The IMC and KAU have a long history of association. However, the Jeddah Spine Care Summit was one of the first collaborations for such a large scale event. The university hopes to organize similar events in the future, which will be based on the feedback received from this summit.
