Q&A with Dr. Ayesha Abdeen, Co-Host of Your Case Is On Hold Podcast

As part of our “Inside JBJS” series, OrthoBuzz is pleased to introduce readers to Dr. Ayesha Abdeen. Earlier this year, Dr. Abdeen joined the JBJS podcast Your Case Is On Hold as co-host alongside Dr. Andrew Schoenfeld. Each episode of the podcast offers insights into the latest issue of JBJS, with an added dose of entertainment and pop culture. We recently featured Dr. Schoenfeld on OrthoBuzz; you can find that interview here.

Ahead, Dr. Abdeen discusses her roles in the orthopaedic community as a surgeon leader, her expanding involvement with JBJS, and what inspires her as an orthopaedic surgeon. This Q&A was lightly edited for style and clarity.

Please share with readers your roles in orthopaedic surgery.

My clinical practice is in hip and knee arthroplasty, including complex revision surgery. My research interests are in clinical outcomes following hip and knee arthroplasty. I have an administrative leadership role as the Chief of the Division of Hip and Knee Arthroplasty at Boston Medical Center and am Associate Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at Boston University. I serve on editorial boards at The Journal of Arthroplasty and Arthroplasty Today and as a guest reviewer for Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research, the Journal of the American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons, and JBJS. I am a member of the American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons; I review the scientific abstracts for our annual meeting and served on the Quality Measures committee. I have enjoyed writing examination questions for the national Orthopaedic In-Training Examination (OITE) as part of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons Educational Assessments and Examination Committee, and for the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery Part I Examination.

How did you first become involved with JBJS, and how has that expanded over time?

I first became involved with JBJS in 2022; I was invited to be a guest reviewer for JBJS Reviews by Dr. Thomas Einhorn (who was the Editor of JBJS Reviews at the time) after he attended our department’s academic symposium held annually in his honor as former Department Chair and Professor Emeritus at Boston University. My roles have expanded at JBJS since that time whereby I have been reviewing manuscripts for JBJS Open Access and JBJS and have had the opportunity to write several commentaries for JBJS. I was honored to have been handed the baton from Dr. Antonia Chen to co-host the podcast Your Case Is On Hold with my esteemed colleague, Dr. Andrew Schoenfeld. An upcoming relationship with JBJS I’m looking forward to this spring is as faculty for the Miller’s Orthopaedic Review Course.

What drew you to the opportunity to host Your Case Is On Hold, and what do you enjoy most about engaging with the orthopaedic community through the podcast?

I have been listening to the JBJS podcasts, including Your Case Is On Hold and OrthoJOE, for several years. Like many orthopaedic surgeons, my day is full and action-packed—whether it is in the OR, the clinic, at conferences, or on the soccer fields and at recitals with my kids. Consequently, life leaves little time to read as many journals as I would like to on a regular basis. One of my favorite things about Your Case Is On Hold is that it enables us to curate and deliver some of the best-quality orthopaedic literature to the busy orthopod and makes it accessible on the fly, whether you are—as we say in the intro—in the gym, on your commute, or waiting around while your case is on hold. I am humbled to work alongside my co-host, Andrew Schoenfeld, who is incredibly well versed in research methodology and statistics and who has expertise extending beyond orthopaedic research to history, philosophy, and pop culture, which makes the podcast a lot of fun. Of course, I’m new to the podcast this year, and am grateful to Drs. Chen and Schoenfeld for their design and production of the podcast for the past 5 years. There is also a whole team behind the scenes that make this all happen, and it’s been great to get to work with everyone. I’m thrilled to be a part of bringing the “hot-of-the press” JBJS literature to our audience so that they can learn, stay up to date, and, hopefully, be entertained along the way.

When reviewing a new issue of JBJS, which studies stand out to you most and why?

Studies that stand out to me span a broad spectrum of topics and themes: most recently these themes involve the interplay between orthopaedics and artificial intelligence, which is such a timely topic. Other topics are legacy studies that chronicle bona fide long-term outcomes (15, 20 years plus) of a technique or treatment. (In particular, I am beholden to long-term outcomes studies in my field of arthroplasty.) Others that catch my attention are incredibly well-designed randomized controlled trials that are difficult to execute in orthopaedic surgery but are so impactful when conducted with sound methodology.

What conversations do you hope to spark around the research published in The Journal?

Over the past several years, the scope of articles published in JBJS seems to have expanded to include an increasing number of international sources. It is an enriching experience to learn different ways of doing things. By considering concepts that represent a departure from the ways we were taught, we broaden our perspective, we think more deeply about orthopaedic problems, and we can be better surgeons. The conversations I hope to spark are those where we can openly debate new concepts and challenge existing orthopaedic dogma.

What inspires you as an orthopaedic surgeon?

I’m inspired by my patients: by their resilience and their gratitude. It’s a huge privilege to contribute to restoring someone’s mobility and getting them back to doing the things they need and want to do in life.

Outside of work, what are your interests and hobbies?

My favorite sports are tennis and golf in summer, and skiing with my family in winter. One of my hobbies is playing classical piano, especially Chopin and Beethoven. I belong to a book club with a group of very dear friends with whom I meet monthly—right now, we are reading The Correspondent by Virginia Evans, which I highly recommend! I have an interest in foreign languages: I learned to speak French in school (growing up in Canada, it is part of our curriculum) and then Spanish later in life during a summer course in Spain followed by mission work in Latin America. I enjoy being able to use these language skills with my patients, many of whom do not speak English as a first language.

Thank you, Dr. Abdeen!