Omer Day 2021

The 2021 Omer Day, Annual Golf Tournament and Graduation banquet were a resounding success. It could not have happened without our Gold and Silver sponsors and many Exhibitors who chose to spend their time with us this day (Donors). The unanimous opinion was that this year’s event both exceeded expectations and surpassed previous year’s events. Thank you!

The entire weekend highlighted the legacy of San Antonio military orthopaedics and that the Association stands on the shoulders of giants. Distinguished Alumni Speaker, 1984 Wilford Hall graduate Distinguished Alumni Speaker, Dr. Richard Grant gave a remarkable keynote lecture at Omer Day and sage wisdom for our graduates at the banquet Friday Night. Other accomplished leaders and proponents of the Association’s vision in attendance were: Dr. Patrick Osborn (former PD and current DCSS), Dr. Mark Bagg (former BAMC Chair), Dr. Kevin Kirk (former BAMC chief), Johnny Owens (former Chief of Human Performance Optimization at the Center for the Intrepid [CFI]), and Dr. Darryl Peterson (1992).

Dr. Andrew Sheean (Research Director; 2017) had the luxury of choosing from an unprecedented number of paper submissions and devised a truly fantastic academic program. The presentations highlighted the groundbreaking work of our department, as well as partners from the Institute for Surgical Research, TSAOG, the CFI, and the UT Health San Antonio Orthopaedic Surgery Department. Thanks to moderators Dr. Ivan Antosh (Chief, Sports), Dr. Casey Sabbag (Faculty, Hand), Dr. Dave Wilson (Chief, Hand), Dr. Justin Fowler (Faculty, Trauma), Dr. Dusty Lybeck (APD; 2013). commentary was thoughtful and the program ran efficiently.

Dr. Nicole Sgromolo (2021) was recognized for her groundbreaking work on perilunate injuries with the George E. Omer, Jr. Award. Tyler Cagle was recognized for his work on IDEO use with the Milton S. Thompson award.

Our ultimate mission as a Department and residency is excellence in patient care. This commitment was evident thanks to Alex Smith sharing his incredible story of recovery, resilience, and perseverance during his complex limb optimization in the face of a devastating injury. Thanks to Dr. Matthew Schmitz (Chair; 2009) and Dr. Jospeh Alderete (MSK Oncology Chief) for leading this engaging and heartfelt discussion.

The day concluded with an amazingly generous donation from Alex and Elizabeth Smith and their partners at Attitude is Free in support of efforts at the CFI. This donation and the steadily growing support of alumni, faculty, and our industry sponsors demonstrates just how valuable these partnerships are. We absolutely could not do this without you. Thank you and join us next year on 23 and 24 June 2022 at La Cantera!