The American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons 2021 Annual Scientific Conference Concludes

Last week, the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons (ACFAS) hosted the 2021 Annual Scientific Conference. The in-person component of the meeting was limited to 750 attendees in Las Vegas, NV, while the online meeting was open to all registrants.

The Gist

The 2021 ACFAS meeting was significant in that it was the first national foot and ankle meeting held in person since the COVID-19 pandemic began back in 2020. It was also the first meeting for Patrick (PJ) Andrus, the new executive director for the college, after the retirement of Chris Mahaffey and Mary Meyers last year.

ACFAS should be acknowledged and congratulated for what was surely an arduous process in uncertain circumstances. Keynote speaker Dr. Zubin Damania, a physician and internet personality popularly known as ZDoggMD, and attendees have commented that the meeting’s structure mirrored that of previous meetings in many ways.

Any obvious structural or operational changes to the annual conference by the new executive director are likely to begin in 2022.

Now for some Tea ...

Praise aside, not everyone left Las Vegas sharing the positive sentiments expressed on social media by the college. With the in-person meeting curtailed, comments of an empty exhibit hall and lack of physician industry engagement from employees of some device manufacturers are not entirely surprising.

While the answer to "Was the meeting worth it?" may vary, for the big picture, the short answer is "yes."

One society had to push the first domino, and now with the blueprint out, other national societies are sure follow, and resume in-person meetings moving forward.