Providing access to world-class training
Drs. Daniel Paccot and Ryan Gao spent a year learning from St. Joseph’s leaders in orthopaedic surgery thanks to donor-funded fellowships.
Growing up in Chile, Daniel Paccot’s life couldn’t have been more different than Ryan Gao, who was born and raised in New Zealand. Despite the 9,000 kilometre distance between their homelands, they shared a connection through their career goals and appreciation for the value of mentors.
As orthopaedic surgeons, they say their lives and careers have been shaped by them. “Surgery is an apprenticeship,” says Dr. Gao, “and you go through life collecting mentors.”
When they were searching for new surgical mentors and a fellowship that could take them to the next level of their careers – there was no question – both wanted to come to St. Joseph’s and work in the Roth | McFarlane Hand and Upper Limb Centre (HULC).
“A St. Joseph’s fellowship is world-class,” says Dr. Gao. “It is really second to none in terms of reputation globally.”
“The physicians at HULC are like celebrities; they are innovators, they are groundbreaking researchers and they are making changes to how we do surgical procedures,” added Dr. Paccot.
Fortunately for Drs. Paccot and Gao, donor-funded surgical fellowships became available at St. Joseph’s in time for their applications to be accepted.
“We are really grateful to the donors who supported the fellowships,” says Dr. Paccot. “It’s quite remarkable that someone would give this type of support to a person they don’t even know. For me this comes with an added responsibility – to keep studying, to keep researching, to keep pushing the boundaries and to keep teaching students, residents and fellows.”
In July 2022, each arrived with their family ready to learn from the best of the best. They were two of seven fellows in a long line of orthopaedic surgical fellows who have refined their skills and contributed to the health and well-being of patients at HULC for more than 30 years.
As fellows, their days regularly began before 7:00 a.m. for an hour of teaching. Then they headed to the clinic or the operating room for the next seven to eight hours providing care. Several times a week they supported the later clinics in HULC or focused on their research projects.
Twelve months after arriving in London, Drs. Paccot and Gao completed their fellowship with their expectations exceeded.
“The physicians here are luminaries in their field of practice and they are so much more. They are excellent teachers and exceptional physicians,” said Dr. Gao.