In August 2026, Dr James Linklater travelled to Ahmedabad, India, as faculty for the International Skeletal Society Regional Outreach Program, followed by the 2026 AMS/MSS Annual Meeting.
In August I had the privilege of travelling to Ahmedabad as faculty for the International Skeletal Society Regional Outreach Program (ISS ROP), immediately preceding the 27th Annual Meeting of the Asian Musculoskeletal Society, held in association with the 14th Annual Conference of the Musculoskeletal Society of India. The combined meeting was an impressive demonstration of the strength and enthusiasm of the MSK radiology community in India and across Asia.
The ISS ROP was held on 6–7 August and was deliberately small and interactive, with 43 delegates. I taught alongside Prof Winston Rennie and Dr Eva Llopis, with Prof Rajesh Botchu as ISS regional organiser and Dr Ankur Shah as local organiser. My contribution included lectures on ankle and foot imaging together with repeated small-group tutorials. This format was particularly rewarding, allowing detailed case discussion and direct interaction with radiologists at different stages of their careers.
The main AMS/MSS meeting was substantially larger, attracting more than 640 radiologists and around 70 trade participants. More than 385 delegates attended the associated workshops, which included basic and advanced MRI, hands-on musculoskeletal ultrasound, cadaveric image-guided intervention and trauma radiography. I also contributed to the Advanced MRI Workshop and the scientific meeting, including presentations on the reconstructed ankle and the future of global MSK MRI.
A major impression was the combination of high-level scientific content with extraordinary enthusiasm from the delegates. Lecture rooms were consistently full, and there was a strong appetite for practical teaching and international collaboration. Equally memorable was the hospitality of our hosts. A faculty visit to Sabarmati Ashram, together with the faculty and gala dinners and traditional Garba and Dandiya dancing, provided a valuable cultural dimension to the visit.
The experience reinforced for me the value of the ISS outreach model: expert teaching delivered in a setting that encourages genuine exchange rather than simply one-way presentation. I returned to Australia with new professional connections, a better appreciation of the rapidly developing MSK radiology community in India and Asia, and considerable enthusiasm for further collaboration.
