Fortius Surgeons Honoured with Prestigious Lectures at British Orthopaedic Association Congress

The annual British Orthopaedic Association (BOA) conference is the UK's largest annual event for orthopaedic and trauma surgeons. It brings together leading professionals and serves as a key forum for advancing trauma and orthopaedic care through a packaged programme of lectures, research presentations, and clinical updates.   

In a remarkable achievement, Mr. Andy Williams delivered the prestigious Sir Robert Jones Memorial Lecture, the highest honour awarded by the British Orthopaedic Association, while Professor James Calder was invited to give the Naughton Dunn Lecture. 

The Sir Robert Jones Memorial Lecture: A Career's Work Honoured 

Mr. Andy Williams, a world-renowned knee surgeon and a leading figure in sports medicine, was chosen to deliver the Sir Robert Jones Memorial Lecture. This accolade is bestowed upon an individual who has made a significant contribution to the advancement of orthopaedic surgery. It is the highest honour the BOA can grant, with the nomination approved by the Royal College of Surgeons of England, of which Mr. Williams is an esteemed member. 

In his lecture, titled "A Career’s Research Advancing Knee Ligament Surgery in the Most Demanding Patients," Mr. Williams shared insights from his extensive career. He explained how elite athletes, with their unique physical demands and high-performance needs, have driven surgical innovation. "They ask questions we have to come up with answers to," he noted, demonstrating how their challenges test surgeons like no other patient group, with lessons that benefit the wider population. 

Mr. Williams provided a compelling example of this in his work on ACL (Anterior Cruciate Ligament) reconstruction. He discussed how athletes traditionally face high rates of ACL graft failure, with re-rupture rates of 8-20%. Through his research, conducted in Professor Andrew Amis' lab at Imperial College, he was able to advance an old surgical technique—the lateral extra-articular tenodesis (LET)—to reduce stress on the ACL graft. This refined procedure has since been performed on many professional athletes, with clinical follow-up studies showing a dramatic reduction in re-tear rates to just 2%. This remarkable improvement not only benefits professional athletes but also high-risk groups in the general population, such as children and adolescents. 

The lecture also delved into his research on the medial collateral ligament, further cementing his reputation as a pioneer in the field. 

The Naughton Dunn Lecture: Advancing Surgical Techniques 

Professor James Calder also delivered a talk at the conference. His presentation provided a comprehensive overview of his career, demonstrating how his work in the lab at Imperial College, establishing anatomical and biomechanical knowledge, followed by evaluating and fine-tuning surgical techniques has led to significant improvements in patient outcomes proven by his clinical studies of professional athletes. 

Professor Calder emphasized the impact of working with elite athletes. Their demanding requirements serve as the "ultimate test of treatment," driving research that not only benefits them but also trickles down to improve outcomes for the wider population. 

The recognition of both Mr. Williams and Professor Calder at the BOA conference is a testament to their dedication to advancing orthopaedic surgery and highlights Fortius Clinic's position at the forefront of sports medicine and surgical innovation.