As part of the 2026 Big 12 Team Physicians Annual Meeting held at LaPlaya Beach & Golf Resort in Naples, Florida, attendees were given the option to attend a Medical Education workshop hosted at the Arthrex global headquarters.
The Big 12 annual meeting dates back 30 years to when Arthrex faculty surgeon Patrick A. Smith, MD (Naples, Florida), was the head team physician at the University of Missouri and had the idea to organize a meeting to bring together team physicians and athletic trainers within the conference.
“The original idea behind the meeting was to get to know the team doctors who would be on the other sideline in case you needed assistance in the event of an emergency,” Dr. Smith said. “Physicians were also encouraged to bring their families to the meeting - which made for even greater bonding and friendships and made the meeting a highlight for the year.”
When Mizzou moved to the Southeastern Conference (SEC), Head Team Orthopedic Surgeon for the University of Kansas Athletics Department Jeffrey C. Randall, MD (Lawrence, Kansas), took over the responsibility of coordinating the Big 12 annual meeting – which has continued to grow and evolve over the years, rotating through a variety of U.S. cities.
“This was the first time the annual meeting has been held in Naples,” said Dr. Smith, “and Dr. Randall reached out to me to see about coordinating an opportunity for meeting attendees to come to the Arthrex campus to attend a didactic session and tour the facility.”
Hosted by the Arthrex Medical Education team, the course consisted of Dr. Smith and University of Florida Team Physician Kevin W. Farmer, MD (Gainesville, Florida), presenting case studies featuring high-level athletes ranging from high school volleyball players to Division I football players. In total, sports medicine physicians and orthopedic surgeons representing 10 of the 16 conference schools elected to attend the Arthrex session:
Baylor University
Kansas State University
Texas Tech University
Arizona State University
Iowa State University
University of Kansas
University of Central Florida
Brigham Young University
University of Cincinnati
Texas Christian University
Among the topics discussed were ACL reconstruction considerations, which included statistics on reinjury rates, the evolution of repair techniques and a video demonstrating Arthrex’s new TightRope® SB implant. Rotator cuff repairs were another subject covered in the meeting, in particular, when to consider augmentation with autograft tissue, an ArthroFlex® dermal allograft or the new presutured option, the SpeedFLEX™ implant.
The presentation structure and case studies allowed for an open dialogue, encouraging questions, exchanging ideas and opinions and sharing surgical pearls.
Clinical Advisory Division Manager Bethlyn Katz then spoke about Arthrex’s Better with Bio™ initiative, highlighting Orthobiologic options such as the ACP Max™ PRP system, the AlloSync™ Button, the AutoCart™ procedure and the BioACL™ technique to enhance ACL graft incorporation. JumpStart® antimicrobial wound dressings were also discussed, as were PowerHeal® bioelectric bandages for being ideal for cuts, turf burns and blisters.
The course concluded with a brief campus tour that offered a glimpse into the setup for an upcoming Immersive Lab Experience (ILE) course and a stop in Prototyping highlighting Arthrex’s investment in 3D-printed anatomical models, which allow for printing specific pathologies and simulated bone density closely resembling the group’s younger patient population.
Attendees were impressed with the course content and the technology observed during their campus tour, and Dr. Smith said he was pleased to see, firsthand, the Big 12 annual meeting still going strong.
“The Big 12 is the only conference that has a regular meeting like this,” he said, “and I’m grateful I had the opportunity to participate in the meeting again.”