AOFAS 2022 Quebec City: Le discours du Dr PICLET

My name is Barbara Piclet, as you may tell I am from France … I am a exclusive foot and ankle surgeon since 30 years in 1992.

I’d like to take a moment to give thanks for this special award. It’s special for multiple reasons; My father before me, was a great European surgeon, and I put a lot of effort to live up to his success and make my own as a surgeon. In an environment surrounded by men, I was the first and only woman surgeon in my city, probably one of very few in France.

My colleagues, chiefs, and mentors were all men and so to make space for myself I had to be better and more technical. When I decided to specialise within orthopaedics, I took it upon myself to learn as much as I could, and a lot of that came from American books. This award and being here today, after all these years for me really is coming back full circle.

It is a personal achievement, that I am proud of.

MIS allowed me to get to know better the big family of foot and ankle surgeons around the world. It’s now time for the next stage in my career. In November, I’ll be president of the French foot and ankle orthopaedic society, and this will be the first time a woman held a presidency in an orthopaedic society in France. I am very honoured to be paving the way for future woman surgeon in my country. I will take this opportunity to share my experience with as many surgeons as I can, and continue to learn and exchange from them. I will also try to learn from other specialties in order to better understand why the foot is painful in a holistic approach.

Science brings us together, human and caring  bonds us, I strongly believe we need to integrate that more in our practice.