ESSKA-EKA Mentorship Programme

Autumn programme 21 July 2025 - 30 December 2025. Applications close 15 May 2025

Knee Image

Course details

About

EKA is proud to launch the first ESSKA Mentorship/Partnership Programme in the field of degenerative knee.

The objective of this programme is to advance the careers of younger knee surgeons and update the knowledge of established knee surgeons, while building the foundations of collaboration and friendship that will continue over the years.

EKA will act as a liaison between mentees/partners and mentors. The date, duration and extent of training is decided by the interested parties, which can range from a few days to a month.

EKA will have no financial obligations for mentors and mentees/partners. Travel costs are the responsibility of the mentee/partner. Industry support is possible but not mandatory. This support can be sought out by both the mentors and mentees/partners.

Criteria

We invite EKA teachers & experts willing to host for a short period of time without any financial obligation to come forward as Mentors. There are no restrictions for the mentors in terms of timing and number of accepted mentees/partners.

The Mentorship Programme focuses on surgeons under the age of 40 aiming for a long standing connection and friendship between mentors and mentees.

The Partnership Programme is similar to the Mentorship Programme but is aimed at more experienced and established surgeons who would like to visit colleagues in order to improve their expertise and potentially collaborate with the centre. There is no age limit for the Partnership Programme.

 

How to Apply

Are you interested in becoming an EKA mentor or a mentee?
 

  • Apply as Mentor 
    The current period to host mentorships is from 21 July 2025 to 30 December 2025 but you can apply at any time.
     
  • Apply as Mentee/Partner
    Applications for the autumn 2025 programme are now open.
    The deadline for applications is 15 May 2025.
    The autumn programme will take place between 21 July 2025 and 30 December 2025.
     

 

List of Mentors

Below are the mentors who are willing to host mentees, with a short biography of each, with programme details and topics covered.

 

Riccardo D'Ambrosi
Milan, Italy

RCCS Ospedale Galeazzi - Sant'Ambrogio
Up to 1 week

Description of programme
The programme include one week focused on knee surgery divided into replacement surgery and arthroscopy surgery. The hosts will partecipate in full activity in operating room (average 7-8 surgery for each operating theatre; every day we have 2/3 active operating theatre). Our department is well recognized for huge volume surgery for revision and total knee arthroplasty, medial and lateral unicompartmental knee arthroplasty and arthroscopy surgery (ACL reconstruction with hamstrings or quadriceps, revision ACL surgery). Furthermore, the aim is to develop a scientific collaboration involving the hosts in order to publish high indexed scientific papers.

Topics covered:
1. Primary & revision knee ligament reconstruction;
2. Primary and revision knee arthroplasty;
3. Robotic partial and total knee arthroplasty;

 

Mike H. Baums
Dorsten, Germany

Department of Orthopedics, Trauma Surgery and Sports Traumatologie, St. Elisabeth Krankenhaus
Up to 1 week

Description of programme
Hospital with elective as well as trauma surgery. All kind of special knee procedures are represented form arthroscopy to open surgery (i.e., meniscus treatment, ligament surgery, cartilage treatment, osteotomies, allograft use, arthroplasty and revision arthroplasty). Further focus is on special shoulder surgery.
Department is especially certified as arthroplasty centre and is an academic training hospital of both University of Duisburg-Essen as well als Universitätsmedizin Neumarkt a. M. Hamburg.
City of Dorsten, which is located near by the border to the Netherlands (about 30 km) can be reached easily by plane via Düsseldorf or Dortmund airport or by train via Essen main station.

Topics covered:
1. Primary and revision knee arthroplasty;
2. Primary & revision knee ligament reconstruction;
3. Meniscal repair/replacement;

 

Roland Becker
Brandenburg/Havel, Germany

University Hospital Brandenburg
2-3 weeks

Description of programme
Observation in the OR during surgery such as joint replacement of shoulder, hip and knee. Revision joint replacement surgery primarily at the hip and knee. Arthroscopy surgery mainly knee, shoulder and sometimes ankle.
Visiting the outpatients with the mentee. Optional, small research projects may possible.

Topics covered:
1. Robotic partial and total knee arthroplasty;
2. Meniscal repair/replacement;
3. Osteotomies around the knee;

 

Guillaume Demey
Lyon, France

Lyon Ortho Clinic
Up to 1 month

Description of programme
Lyon Ortho Clinic is a private center dedicated to research and knee surgery in the fields of sports-related and degenerative disorders. Two esteemed knee surgeons, Dr. David Dejour and Dr. Guillaume Demey, operate within the clinic. Together, they perform over 1000 procedures annually, spanning from sports-related surgeries such as ACL, PCL, and meniscus procedures to degenerative surgeries including TKA, UKA, and HTO. Additionally, they specialize in addressing patellar instability (MPFL, TTO, trochleoplasty). Their particular expertise lies in treating patellofemoral instability and associated disorders, as well as performing Patellofemoral Arthroplasty.

Topics covered:
1. Patellar instability surgery/trochleoplasty;
2. Patello-femoral replacement;
3. Primary and revision knee arthroplasty;

 

Pieter Erasmus
Stellenbosch, South Africa

Mediclinic Winelands Orthopaedic Hospital
Up to 1 month

Description of programme
Dedicated Orthopedic Hospital for elective surgery. Knee unit does from arthroscopic procedures to complex knee revision surgery. Special interest in patello femoral surgery.

Topics covered:
1. Patello femoral surgery, unstable patella and degenerative P-F joint;
2. TKR, both robotic and inverse kinematic;
3. ACL reconstruction, mainly using quadriceps tendon;

 

Pier Francesco Indelli
Brixen, Italy

Krankenhaus Brixen
2-3 weeks

Description of programme
The programme include one week focused on knee surgery divided into replacement surgery and arthroscopy surgery. The hosts will participate in full activity in operating room (average 7-8 surgery for each operating theatre; every day we have 2/3 active operating theatre). Our department is well recognized for huge volume surgery for revision and total knee arthroplasty, medial and lateral unicompartmental knee arthroplasty and arthroscopy surgery (ACL reconstruction with hamstrings or quadriceps, revision ACL surgery). Furthermore, the aim is to develop a scientific collaboration involving the hosts in order to publish high indexed scientific papers.

Topics covered:
1. Primary & revision knee ligament reconstruction;
2. Primary and revision knee arthroplasty;
3. Robotic partial and total knee arthroplasty;

 

Franck Lacaze
St Jean de Vedas, France

Clinique St Jean Sud de France
Up to 1 week

Description of programme
Private activity within the Clinique St Jean Sud de France (opening in 2020). Programmed and traumatological surgery of knee and hip exclusively by 5 practitioners with for each of us the development of a privileged activity:
- Robotic surgery of first intention knee prosthesis (PUC, PFP, bicompartmental, PTG)
- Knee revision surgery
- Simple and complex ligament surgery (multi-ligament) for first intention and revision
- Patellar instability surgery (MPFL, osteotomies, trochleoplasties, patteloplasty)
- Conservative knee surgery (arthroscopy, osteotomies)
- First intention and revision hip prosthetic surgery
- Conservative hip surgery (arthroscopy, osteotomies)
- Robotic surgery is used routinely since January 2019 (Mako/Stryker) with different alignment concepts depending on the practitioner (inverse kinematic, functional, adapted mechanical).
- The care pathway is optimised (ERAS): pre-operative virtual reality, pre- and postoperative telecare, ambulatory surgery.
- Fellows will attend consultations, surgeries and scientific case meetings.

Topics covered:
1. Robotic partial and total knee arthroplasty;
2. Primary & revision knee ligament reconstruction;
3. Patellar instability surgery/trochleoplasty;

 

Simone Perelli
Barcelona, Spain

Hospital del Mar
Up to 1 month

Description of programme
In my department the fellow will be able to join us in OR every morning and some afternoons for knee surgeries.

Topics covered:
1. Osteotomies around the knee;;
2. Meniscal repair/replacement;
3. Robotic partial and total knee arthroplasty;

 

Pietro S. Randelli
Milan, Italy

Istituto Ortopedico Gaetano Pini - University of Milan
Up to 1 month

Description of programme
A full immersion in knee surgery in the oldest and one of the biggest orthopaedic Institute in Italy with 16 concurrent OR all about orthopaedics.

Topics covered:
1. Primary and revision knee arthroplasty;
2. Primary & revision knee ligament reconstruction;
3. Small implant knee resurfacing;

 

Christian Schaller
Brixen, Italy

Ospedale di Bressanone
Up to 1 week

Description of programme
General Hospital with focus on endoprosthetics, incl. robotic surgery (ROSA). sports trauma, arthroscopic surgery and joint reconstruction.
We speak italian, german and english. You are welcome to visit us!

Topics covered:
1. Robotic partial and total knee arthroplasty;
2. Primary & revision knee ligament reconstruction;;
3. Meniscal repair/replacement;

 

Marco Schiraldi
Verduno, Italy

Struttura complessa di ortopedia e chirurgia protesica - Ospedale Michele e Pietro Ferrero
2-3 weeks

Description of programme
The candidate will participate to all the activities concerning knee surgery and clinics observing in the operating theatre, during the round and in any area of specific interest.
Knee surgery is performed on daily basis both traditional and robotic aided.
Depending on the availability we may host at our expense.

Topics covered:
1. Primary and revision knee arthroplasty;
2. Robotic partial and total knee arthroplasty;
3. Primary & revision knee ligament reconstruction;

 

Reha Tandogan
Ankara, Turkey

Cankaya Orthopedics Hospital
Up to 1 week

Description of programme
Cankaya Hospital is a 15 surgeon specialty Orthopedic Hospital focusing on sports medicine, joint preservation surgery and joint replacement. The facility is a center of excellence for robotic arthroplasty with 2 image based robotic systems and 5 operating theaters dedicated to orthopedic surgery. The mentee will be exposed to primary and revision partial/ total knee arthroplasty, osteotomies around the knee, cartilage regeneration procedures and the use of orthobiologics. A large volume of knee ligament reconstructions and surgery for patella instability is also performed.
Free meals and airport transfers are provided. Low cost accommodation close to the hospital can be arranged if needed.

Topics covered:
1. Robotic partial and total knee arthroplasty;
2. Primary & revision knee ligament reconstruction;
3. Osteotomies around the knee;

 

Philippe Van Overschelde
Ghent, Belgium

Hip & Knee Unit, AZ Maria Middelares
Up to 1 month

Description of programme
eam of 3 surgeons specialized in all aspect of knee and hip pathology: Surgeries are performed 5d a week as well as clinics.
Primary and Revision Hip and Knee Replacement (uni/total).
Usage of assistive technologies: robotic (SkyWalker/Rosa) and AR (Pixee).
Hip and Knee artroscopies including cartilage repair procedures, meniscal sutures, primary and revision ligament reconstruction.
Knee osteotomies using personalised guides.

Topics covered:
1. Primary and revision knee arthroplasty;
2. Robotic partial and total knee arthroplasty;
3. Primary & revision knee ligament reconstruction;

 

Bruno Violante
Rome, Italy

Hospital Isola Tiberina - Gemelli Isola
Up to 1 week

Description of programme
All About Primary TKA, Revision TKA, Partial Knee Arthroplasty, PPJI treatment, Robotic, AI applied to TKA.
The Isola Tiberina Hospital is very old with the presence of a Roman Temple underground located in the Rome City Center on the Tevere river.
The programme includes Dinner of Team introduction, case discussion, active part in Operating Theater, Post op case discussion plus a nice Social part.

Topics covered:
1. Primary and revision knee arthroplasty;
2. Robotic partial and total knee arthroplasty;
3. Small implant knee resurfacing

 

Stefano Zaffagnini
Bologna, Italy

IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Rizzoli
2-3 weeks

Description of programme
OR session 2-3 times per week.
Office 3 times per week.
Research activity on Sports Medicine and Replacement Surgery in collaboration with our team.

Topics covered:
1. Meniscal repair/replacement;
2. Osteotomies around the knee;
3. Primary and revision knee arthroplasty;

 

Past Mentorships

Spring 2024 Programme:
Details coming soon.

Autumn 2023 Programme:
Filipe Machado (Portugal) to Riccardo d'Ambrosi (Italy)
Lorenz Pichler (Germany) to Reha Tandogan, (Turkey)
Giuseppe Petralia (Italy) to Marco Shiraldi (Italy)
Szymon Prusaczyk (Poland) to Simone Perelli (Spain)

ESSKA Continuous Professional Education Partners