The next Mark Paterson Travelling Fellowship (supported by BJJ and EFORT) will take place in Padova (Italy), Lisbon (Portugal) and Madrid (Spain) from 02 to 14 September 2019. Due to time constraints, the fellowship will exceptionally this year take place in autumn. In each centre the fellows will learn about the specialty work of that unit and will participate in clinical conferences and presentations.

The final decisions will be communicated to the accepted three fellows on Monday 20 May so that the fellows have a possibility to attend to the EFORT Annual Congress which will be held in Lisbon from 05 to 07 June 2019. The congress registrations for the fellows will be waived by EFORT. In addition, the fellows are also invited to attend the EFORT Annual Congress the following year to present their fellowship report.

Mark Paterson Travelling Fellowship is initiated and funded by the British Editorial Society of Bone and Joint Surgery (BESBJS) and supported by the EFORT.

In 2018, the guidelines of the fellowship were revised:

1. The fellowship will only be held every second year and always in the EU. The rotation system is herewith abandoned and the fellowship will no longer be organized every second year in the UK.

2. Every second year three young (less than 40yo) European, including the UK and Northern Ireland, orthopaedic surgeons will be selected to spend two weeks visiting orthopaedic centres of excellence across Europe, ideally, culminating in an attendance at EFORT Annual Congress.

For a senior trainee or a newly-qualified consultant, the fellowship will provide an excellent opportunity to broaden clinical experience, to make important professional contacts and to gain experience in presenting their own work and opinions in an international setting.