Forum Members ACFAS 2025

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Phoenix is my least favorite big city. There is nothing to do in the city itself (aside from go to a conference..)
I dont understand the attraction.
Pass.
 
ACFAS is looking incredible this year. Lots of big names in podiatry!
 
Adam Smasher said:
Wow, worse than Detroit, Cleveland, and Baltimore.

Anyway, I'm going
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Detroit is a fun city. I would totally go to a conference there. Just dont stray out from downtown... (Its honestly been awhile. Rotated at DMC for a month and that was the last time I was there)

Cleveland OK. Not my favorite but OK.

Cant speak for Baltimore. Never been.

I went to a conference in Phoenix last year and was stuck downtown without a car. Pretty boring place.
 
DYK343 said:
Detroit is a fun city. I would totally go to a conference there. Just dont stray out from downtown... (Its honestly been awhile. Rotated at DMC for a month and that was the last time I was there)

Cleveland OK. Not my favorite but OK.

Cant speak for Baltimore. Never been.

I went to a conference in Phoenix last year and was stuck downtown without a car. Pretty boring place.
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This is the WRONG take. You have spent too much time in the Midwest. You clearly forget your time in other parts of the country.
 
air bud said:
This is the WRONG take. You have spent too much time in the Midwest. You clearly forget your time in other parts of the country.
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If ACFAS was in Tucson I would absolutely go. Love Tucson.

Im never going back to Phoenix for a vacation or conference.

Detroit - dont hate on it. Its got its own feel unlike anywhere else I have been. I enjoyed my time there. Also it has a giant swinging iron fist. Just gotta stay downtown or >10 miles outside of downtown. In between is no mans land.
 
I had an amazing meal at a brewery in Royal Oak outside of Detroit.
My wife had a great time with friends in Scottsdale though she said it was hot as hell.

I'm thinking my future conferences will be merged with vacations.
 
air bud said:
Big names in podiatry? Names don't mean crap, we are all replaceable, even Luka.
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Lakers easily won. Luka and LeBron running the offense while AD sprains an ankle just tying his shoes.
 
DYK343 said:
Phoenix is my least favorite big city. There is nothing to do in the city itself (aside from go to a conference..)
I dont understand the attraction.
Pass.
Click to expand...
Phoenix is ok once pools open up, warms up, all that. March is still a little borderline... cool at night and poolside.

I'm going to PI conf in Phoenix (Tempe) early May... better hotel, better pools, cheaper meeting, can ride motorcycle there if I want, some ppl I know and like. You get to see the desert bloom really well at that time (late Apr or most/all of May typically), and it's variety of info.

I like ACFAS, but it's the same/similar info/speakers to go in back to back years (that was fine when I had cheap conf fees and unlimited time as student/resident, but now not so much). Last year in Tampa was pretty cool with a lot of AOFAS names... Myerson, Anderson, etc etc. I have usually done ACFAS every few years as attending if it's a city where I can visit family/ppl or can drive to.

Adam Smasher said:
Deans chat will not stand for all this Phoenix slander
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He didn't pass ABFAS, so I don't think he goes to ACFAS.
 
heybrother said:
I had an amazing meal at a brewery in Royal Oak outside of Detroit.
My wife had a great time with friends in Scottsdale though she said it was hot as hell.

I'm thinking my future conferences will be merged with vacations.
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Yeah bro, you don't have to justify the conference in Hawaii to some admin person like us employed folk do
 
I treat CME locations as part of my annual family vacation.

IFAF Hawaii is where I will blow my CME money. They make it stupid easy to sign in at 7am and leave. It will be at Grand Hyatt Kuaui later this year, awesome area.

ACFAS vegas again only because of location and friends going. I will sign in and leave but if I can’t, I don’t care. Book a suite at the Wynn and enjoy.

I don’t need residents/fellows and fresh grads giving talks and teaching me pearls.
 
Pass. I’ve been to Phoenix/Scottsdale/Tempe twice in the last year. I’ve had my share of getting my hearing blasted while packed into bottled blonde for a lifetime.
 
Weirdy said:
Went on a weekend date trip with wife there during clerkships years ago.
Lots to do.
Highly recommend the Baltimore Aquarium.
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So the 3 "shiitiest cities" are still better than Phoenix then? Per our testimonies?

Phoenix sucks. So much.
 
Also, I don't know what you guys are talking about who cares what city it's in. You're going there to party with your boys from residency and school. You could put me in Minot North Dakota and we're going to have a good time. I'm not going there because of the world class zoo where the local football team. I need a good steak and a lot of alcohol. Good enough for me Phoenix will do the job.
 
air bud said:
Also, I don't know what you guys are talking about who cares what city it's in. You're going there to party with your boys from residency and school. You could put me in Minot North Dakota and we're going to have a good time. I'm not going there because of the world class zoo where the local football team. I need a good steak and a lot of alcohol. Good enough for me Phoenix will do the job.
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The Korean food is decent
 
air bud said:
Also, I don't know what you guys are talking about who cares what city it's in. You're going there to party with your boys from residency and school. You could put me in Minot North Dakota and we're going to have a good time. I'm not going there because of the world class zoo where the local football team. I need a good steak and a lot of alcohol. Good enough for me Phoenix will do the job.
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Yes. Just not in Phoenix.
 
DYK343 said:
Yes. Just not in Phoenix.
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How did Phoenix hurt you man? Frykberg didn't pick you for Maricopa? The VA...well Phoenix VA gonna Phoenix VA.
 
air bud said:
How did Phoenix hurt you man? Frykberg didn't pick you for Maricopa? The VA...well Phoenix VA gonna Phoenix VA.
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Didnt invite me to the infamous dermagraft parties.

The gaylord in Nashville was in the middle of no where but I still liked the city/location
New Orleans was fun
Vegas is always fun
You know I like Austin
Tampa was OK. Probably my least favorite of the recent ACFAS conferences.

Skipped LA and San Antonio.

Ill probably go to vegas next year
 
Maybe I'm the odd one out but I like to go to conferences where I think I'll learn something and not just for the CME. That's why ACFAS is a great seminar, not just the destinations. Also it's nice to reconnect with people like @air bud was saying. I don't find it to be outrageously expensive compared to other meetings.

Obviously, if you don't have a CME allowance and just want raw CME credits LERexpo and Presents are the best deals out there.
 
DYK343 said:
Didnt invite me to the infamous dermagraft parties.

The gaylord in Nashville was in the middle of no where but I still liked the city/location
New Orleans was fun
Vegas is always fun
You know I like Austin
Tampa was OK. Probably my least favorite of the recent ACFAS conferences.

Skipped LA and San Antonio.

Ill probably go to vegas next year
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Yeah but that Riverwalk beer we had....
 
A few random hot takes on ACFAS 2025:

There's a pretty famous model of crude oil production from an oil well. Over time it follows a bell curve, increasing, then peaking, then declining. I think the same is true for academic inquiry. We find a topic, drill into it, uncover some insight, then gradually the amount of interesting research questions we can ask hits a peak and research production falls off.

I think minimally invasive bunion surgery is at or near its peak in terms of interesting research questions. When you develop a classification scheme for "metatarsal explosion" but treat all stages using the same conservative approach, you're near the bottom of the well. Same for all the acronyms that are cropping up. PECA, MICA, MIBS, and so on. Remember all the eponyms for slightly different variations on the same metatarsal osteotomy we memorized as students in the 00s? Remember the classification system for closing base first metatarsal wedge osteotomies? Remember how liliputian it all was? Let's not do this again.

Not saying I'm for or against it as a technique. Just we're running out of things to write about. But I'm not a speaker or a consultant, just an internet troll, so take my opinion for what it's worth (not much).

This brings me to another hot take. At ACFAS 2017 in Las Vegas, I spent the nights debauching myself but I still was able to replete my electrolytes and rally for the am seminars at 730 every morning. Today's residents and young practitioners just didn't demonstrate that same stamina, and this is an attribute ABFAS needs to cultivate.

Speaking of young docs, I saw a lot of guys wearing black wedding bands. Not sure if they're doing that by accident...or on purpose!

And so we arrive at my main point. Many of you have absolutely slandered the city of Phoenix. This has been a delightful visit for me. Many nice dinners, picturesque weather, outdoor activities. Culturally it's pretty rugged. So if you're the type who knows when to serve pinot grigio or pinot noir with duck confit, or if you understand why it's inappropriate to wear brown shoes in a navy blue suit, I could see how you might dislike Phoenix. Personally I look forward to a return trip.
 
Yes. It’s stupid. I went to every year as a resident and realized it’s the same people. Then the last time I went there were a ton of current fellows talking about things they really had no true perspective on. Have not been back since.

My go to is IFAF Hawaii for the easy CME and nice Hawaiian vacation.
 
Please enlighten me about black wedding rings?
 
Adam Smasher said:
A few random hot takes on ACFAS 2025:

There's a pretty famous model of crude oil production from an oil well. Over time it follows a bell curve, increasing, then peaking, then declining. I think the same is true for academic inquiry. We find a topic, drill into it, uncover some insight, then gradually the amount of interesting research questions we can ask hits a peak and research production falls off.

I think minimally invasive bunion surgery is at or near its peak in terms of interesting research questions. When you develop a classification scheme for "metatarsal explosion" but treat all stages using the same conservative approach, you're near the bottom of the well. Same for all the acronyms that are cropping up. PECA, MICA, MIBS, and so on. Remember all the eponyms for slightly different variations on the same metatarsal osteotomy we memorized as students in the 00s? Remember the classification system for closing base first metatarsal wedge osteotomies? Remember how liliputian it all was? Let's not do this again.

Not saying I'm for or against it as a technique. Just we're running out of things to write about. But I'm not a speaker or a consultant, just an internet troll, so take my opinion for what it's worth (not much).

This brings me to another hot take. At ACFAS 2017 in Las Vegas, I spent the nights debauching myself but I still was able to replete my electrolytes and rally for the am seminars at 730 every morning. Today's residents and young practitioners just didn't demonstrate that same stamina, and this is an attribute ABFAS needs to cultivate.

Speaking of young docs, I saw a lot of guys wearing black wedding bands. Not sure if they're doing that by accident...or on purpose!

And so we arrive at my main point. Many of you have absolutely slandered the city of Phoenix. This has been a delightful visit for me. Many nice dinners, picturesque weather, outdoor activities. Culturally it's pretty rugged. So if you're the type who knows when to serve pinot grigio or pinot noir with duck confit, or if you understand why it's inappropriate to wear brown shoes in a navy blue suit, I could see how you might dislike Phoenix. Personally I look forward to a return trip.
Click to expand...

I was at that lecture, and not only was it largely non-op treated but if I recall it was a rather rare complication anyway. I feel like the article popularity and interest in the speech was at least partly attributed to the name, “metatarsal explosion”. If he would have just wrote a paper describing mis associated metatarsal fractures the interest would have been moderated.

Still enjoyed the conference overall.
 
Adam Smasher said:
A few random hot takes on ACFAS 2025:

There's a pretty famous model of crude oil production from an oil well. Over time it follows a bell curve, increasing, then peaking, then declining. I think the same is true for academic inquiry. We find a topic, drill into it, uncover some insight, then gradually the amount of interesting research questions we can ask hits a peak and research production falls off.

I think minimally invasive bunion surgery is at or near its peak in terms of interesting research questions. When you develop a classification scheme for "metatarsal explosion" but treat all stages using the same conservative approach, you're near the bottom of the well. Same for all the acronyms that are cropping up. PECA, MICA, MIBS, and so on. Remember all the eponyms for slightly different variations on the same metatarsal osteotomy we memorized as students in the 00s? Remember the classification system for closing base first metatarsal wedge osteotomies? Remember how liliputian it all was? Let's not do this again.

Not saying I'm for or against it as a technique. Just we're running out of things to write about. But I'm not a speaker or a consultant, just an internet troll, so take my opinion for what it's worth (not much).

This brings me to another hot take. At ACFAS 2017 in Las Vegas, I spent the nights debauching myself but I still was able to replete my electrolytes and rally for the am seminars at 730 every morning. Today's residents and young practitioners just didn't demonstrate that same stamina, and this is an attribute ABFAS needs to cultivate.

Speaking of young docs, I saw a lot of guys wearing black wedding bands. Not sure if they're doing that by accident...or on purpose!

And so we arrive at my main point. Many of you have absolutely slandered the city of Phoenix. This has been a delightful visit for me. Many nice dinners, picturesque weather, outdoor activities. Culturally it's pretty rugged. So if you're the type who knows when to serve pinot grigio or pinot noir with duck confit, or if you understand why it's inappropriate to wear brown shoes in a navy blue suit, I could see how you might dislike Phoenix. Personally I look forward to a return trip.
Click to expand...
If I hear one more new acronym, I’m gonna need a CPT code for emotional trauma + metatarsal explosion sounds like a band I’d form after a long clinic day.
 
Bored Snorlax said:
If I hear one more new acronym, I’m gonna need a CPT code for emotional trauma + metatarsal explosion sounds like a band I’d form after a long clinic day.
Click to expand...
My idea for a band name was "the tarsal coalition"
 
Feli said:
Phoenix is ok once pools open up, warms up, all that. March is still a little borderline... cool at night and poolside.

I'm going to PI conf in Phoenix (Tempe) early May... better hotel, better pools, cheaper meeting, can ride motorcycle there if I want, some ppl I know and like. You get to see the desert bloom really well at that time (late Apr or most/all of May typically), and it's variety of info.

I like ACFAS, but it's the same/similar info/speakers to go in back to back years (that was fine when I had cheap conf fees and unlimited time as student/resident, but now not so much). Last year in Tampa was pretty cool with a lot of AOFAS names... Myerson, Anderson, etc etc. I have usually done ACFAS every few years as attending if it's a city where I can visit family/ppl or can drive to.


He didn't pass ABFAS, so I don't think he goes to ACFAS.
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I think I’ll be doing that for my CME this year. Running out of time and it seems cool. Way cheaper than ACFAS. Price for ACFAS this year is just too much for it to not be in a fun destination (Vegas, New Orleans, etc). Don’t get me wrong, Phoenix is fun, but it’s not 2k+ for event cost, flight, and hotel fun. The price diff for the PI one is huge compared to the ACFAS this year. The topics for the lectures also seem better geared towards PP and realistic podiatry.

If you wanna meet up for drinks lmk
 
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Hybrocure said:
I think I’ll be doing that for my CME this year. Running out of time and it seems cool. Way cheaper than ACFAS. Price for ACFAS this year is just too much for it to not be in a fun destination (Vegas, New Orleans, etc). Don’t get me wrong, Phoenix is fun, but it’s not 2k+ for event cost, flight, and hotel fun. The price diff for the PI one is huge compared to the ACFAS this year. The topics for the lectures also seem better geared towards PP and realistic podiatry.

If you wanna meet up for drinks lmk
Click to expand...
Yeah, we'll be getting there later 05/01.

Prob connect with some guys I know from IHS and from pod school/residency, maybe some of the dudes I ride motorcycles with who live in Phoenix metro. I will PM you my cell.

Tons of good places to go out in Phoenix area.
 
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