Philippe Hardy Endowment Fund

Who we are?

Our Mission

The French-speaking Arthroscopy Society (SFA) has 2 main missions: the annual congress and the training of young arthroscopists. It is on this second mission that the path crossed with Pr Philippe Hardy who has deployed all his energy and his career to train a whole generation of surgeons: hence the Philippe Hardy Arthroscopy Teaching and Research Endowment Fund to continue his action.

The SFA is recognized by the Collège Français de Chirurgie Orthopédique et Orthopédique (CFCOT) and by the Conseil National Professionnel de Chirurgie Orthopédique et Traumatologique (CNP-COT) for its expertise and the harmonization of theoretical and practical training in arthroscopy throughout France and at all levels: from initial training to continuing education

Theoretical training is based on teaching by the panel of experts, members of the College and of the DIU of arthroscopy, of each joint within the framework of the numerous annual events, and especially within the pedagogical program of the DIU of arthroscopy in partnership with the Universities.

The practical training is based on teaching modules that are perfectly integrated into the training program for interns in Orthopaedic Surgery and respect the recommendations of the CFCOT. There are 4 modules of increasing difficulty and technicality with the need to validate each module to be able to access and train at the higher level. The first 2 modules are mandatory in the curriculum of any orthopaedic surgeon: the first module is based on arthroscopy simulation and the second module on basic arthroscopy procedures in the anatomy laboratory. The 3rd module (recommended) focuses on advanced arthroscopic techniques in the anatomy laboratory and with the training members within the framework of the practical teaching of the IUD in arthroscopy. The 4th module (optional) focuses on specialized arthroscopic techniques in the anatomy laboratory as part of the Master Courses for young surgeons at the end of their training or for experienced surgeons.

The global training in arthroscopy is also based on the companionship allowing exchanges between arthroscopic surgeons of all levels, creating a real national and international network and favouring the transmission of knowledge and know-how, emulation for research and teaching and the improvement of practices. The SFA has been organizing for many years various grants: national and international travel grants with different learned societies, research grants.

In recent years, many educational and legislative elements have modified the organization of training for medical and surgical interns:
The Reform of the 3rd cycle (2016);

  • The decrees setting the training models (April 12, 2017);
  • The Deans’ Ethical Charter (2017) on Ethics and Transparency of teachers’ relations with industry;
  • Article L.1453-7 of the Public Health Code, adopted by law n°2019-774 of July 24, 2019 on the organization and transformation of the health system;
  • The information note DGOS/RH2/2020/157 of September 11, 2020 on the application of Article L.1453.3 of the Public Health Code for the purpose of implementing the “benefit frameworks” device.

The SFA has adapted since the beginning of these reforms in consultation with the CFCOT and the CNP-COT to pursue its mission of training in arthroscopy in order to transmit the passion of arthroscopy and all the knowledge related to it.

Project 2021

The year 2020 was a black year in terms of training because the face-to-face congress, the JJA, all the practical courses were cancelled due to the COVID crisis. To try to make up for it, in 2021, training will be the main mission of the SFA whatever the cost! An eJJA with a record number of participants (260 connections), the travel grant doubled, the return of the NAC courses at the IRCAD in Strasbourg…

Since the anti-gift law forces us to compartmentalize our relations with the industry and the training of young people, we have temporarily drawn on our members’ dues to continue financing all these projects. Obviously, this is not a permanent solution, hence the need for the Philippe Hardy Teaching and Research Fund to seek anonymous sponsors to train the arthroscopists of tomorrow. More and more operations are now performed under arthroscopy and their number increases every year (100,000 arthroscopies per year in 2019). We will probably all undergo them one day! It is therefore essential to train our surgeons if we want to be well operated!

Dr Johannes Barth – President of the SFA
Prof. Thomas Bauer – Vice President of the SFA