Ron Te Slaa: 1956 - 2009
Far too young our dear colleague and friend Ron te Slaa, orthopaedic surgeon in Delft, the Netherlands, has passed away on the 3rd of may, at the age of 53.
He was a long time member of the SECEC and for many years an active member of the Dutch Shoulder and Elbow Society. As one of the leading and inspiring members of the Dutch Shoulder and Elbow Society he has served as secretary for the last 8 yrs.
He started practice in 1989 in the Reynier de Graaf Hospital in Delft, where he has developed a large shoulder and elbow service, attracting many patients from all over the Netherlands.
Before studying medicine he was a talented soccer player and was offered a professional contract, which he declined, as he preferred to start his medical training.
He finished medical school at the University in Amsterdam in 1980 and obtained his medical degree at the University in Leiden in 1982.
He then started his orthopaedic training in 1983 with 2 years of general surgery, followed by 4 years of orthopaedic training in the St Joseph Hospital in Eindhoven.
During his residency he got interested in shoulder pathology and was a visiting fellow of Dr Charles Neer II at the Columbia Presbyterian Hospital, New York.
After finishing his residency in 1989 he started his practice in Delft.
Being especially interested in the pathology and epidemiology of shoulder dislocations he started several epidemiological studies related to this topic, which finally resulted in his PhD thesis:“The acute first time shoulder dislocation “ .
Ron has published many outstanding articles on this topic.
During his career he was also active in the organisation of many congresses and courses related to shoulder surgery. For a long time he was member of the organisation committee of the Utrecht Cadaver course on Shoulder Arthroscopy and Arthroplasty.
Despite his heavy workload he always found time to spend with his family.
Ron is survived by his wife, 2 sons and a daughter.
