Karlsruhe (GER) — Founded 2001 in Germany, joimax®, the leading manufacturer of medical devices for endoscopic minimally invasive spine surgery, celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. In tandem with this milestone, the company expanded their educational program, ESPINEA®, furthering their global reach.
Despite COVID-19, ESPINEA® (Endoscopic Spine Academy) training programs, which are held in cooperation with the Royal College of Surgeons Edinburgh (RCSEd) and joimax®, were conducted all over the world in 2020, and continue to roll out in 2021. Due to travel restrictions, the programs were adapted to webinars, and remote support and training, totaling 60 sessions last year. By pivoting to online learning, approximately 3000 surgeons were reached in 2020, and 700 surgeons so far in 2021. ESPINEA® was founded by joimax® CEO and Founder Wolfgang Ries in 2019, and was accredited by the RCSEd last year.
“Our goal is to be globally present online, as well as to provide direct local support,” says Ries. “Regardless of lockdowns in many countries, under the ESPINEA® platform, more than 120 surgeons were trained in onsite workshops this quarter, with 70 in the USA and Mexico, 35 in Europe, 15 in Asia, and many more through the joimax® CME-program partnership in China.
ESPINEA® Board Member Alastair Gibson, FRCSEd states: “These efforts demonstrate that joimax® and ESPINEA® can achieve anything together. I’m proud to be part of this impressive blend of online, on-site, and remote events, enabling a strong ESPINEA® community.”
To support the roll out, additional Coronavirus-compliant labs were integrated into the local, onsite education programs. In addition to the company’s existing labs in Karlsruhe and Irvine, California, more labs throughout the USA, including Houston, Minneapolis, New York City, Dallas, and Indianapolis, as well as the Surgical Skills Lab in Mexico City and ORSI Academy in Melle, Belgium, have been added. Also, joimax® opened a branch office in Singapore; the Hong Kong office was opened in spring 2019.
“It is becoming increasingly important to have a personal, on-site presence in order to teach globally-valid learning content,” adds Ries.
