Join me in first thanking Colonel Colin Miller, MD for his dedication and years of service to the US Army.

Colonel Colin Miller, MD will be presenting a keynote Friday, August 6 on Orthopaedic Life in Iraq & Afganistan. He’ll present to you what he experiences during his tours of duty. You’ll learn what life on the ‘front line’ and working in a field hospital is really like. It may make you have second thoughts next time you are frustrated at your hospital.

Colonel Miller is also a talented photographer. He’s lecture will be filled with great photography and video. Some of Colonel Miller’s photographs were part of the AAOS Wounded in Action art exhibit at the 2010 AAOS Annual Meeting in New Orleans. Take a look at his great work, click here.

Now here is a restaurant and dining option you may not have at home…Le Colonial, an upscale French-Vietnamese restaurant. This restaurant serves great food with great atmosphere. I like to say the upstairs has a South Pacific feel for all you musical lovers. This again is a personal favorite of mine. Visit there website to check out the menu and make a reservation.

Visit Le Colonial at 937 N Rush Street or on the web.

We’ve received such great feedback on our past beer & biologics session that we’ve decided to add a debate topic throughout the course. We’ve also expanded the scope of our debate only session on Friday afternoon. We’ve changed the name to “Controversies Over Cocktails”. Our knowledgeable, experiences and opinionated faculty will debate each other on the latest techniques and practices. We hope you can join in and spur some heated debates.

For amazing Mexican food and even better margarita, I choose Frontera Grill! This is by far my personal favorite for Mexican food in Chicago.

Celebrity chef Rick Bayless defines authentic regional Mexican cuisine for north-of-the-border diners at Frontera and Topolobampo, where the latter provides fine dining and the former offers a rustic take. Topolobampo accepts reservations but I never mind waiting for a table at Frontera while enjoying a margarita.

Click here to check out their website to learn more about this great dinig choice.

Check out what ExtraOrtho has to offer!
Their sole purpose is to provide surgeons with the most innovative and easy-to-use solutions for all external fixation needs. Dedication to this singular focus allows us to develop unique external fixation products. The XtraFix® External Fixation System offers a new level of choice and control compared to other systems in the market.

XtraFix is advanced because it is designed to quickly, simply and simultaneously address the needs of multiple traumatic conditions. With XtraFix, the surgeon, not the system, dictates how to best address a patient’s external fixation needs.

Visit them in the exhibit hall to experience the tilt & angulation clamp first hand.

Looking for something to do in the evening? Chicago has some great shows while you’ll be in town. These shows are within walking distance of the Palmer House Hilton.

Billy Elliot click here for more information and to purchase tickets.

Shrek the Musical click here for more information and to purchase tickets.

I’ve seen Billy Elliot and highly recommend it. I have tickets to see Shrek the Musical the weekend following the course with my family. I’m sure you would enjoy either one.

These are popular Tony Award winning productions. Buy your tickets now if this is something you’d like to do while in town.

The Synthes Angular Stable Locking System (ASLS), when used with Synthes cannulated titanium intramedullary nails, is intended to aid in the alignment and stabilization of tibial, humeral, femoral and ankle fractures. It is designed to allow users who want fixed angle locking in a nail.

Fixed angle locking is achieved when the gap between the locking screw and the nail is filled by an elastic material (PLA) which gives a firm initial connection after which resorption will gradually increase micromotion and load sharing to the levels of a typical interlocked nail.

For more information click here for the product guide.

What is better than a good debate?

The orthobiologics session of the course is formatted as an Oxford style debate to be enjoyed with a beer or soft drink. Our distinguished facutly will debate current issues and options in orthobiologics. We are proud to historically have course participants that are eager to join in on these debates as well.

This debate is a great way to end the day. Don’t forget to bring your challenging questions or comments!