Clubfoot, a leading cause of disability in developing countries, is the most common musculoskeletal birth defect. Despite extensive research, its etiology and underlying pathogenetic mechanism(s) are still unknown. For the past 40 years the standard treatment has been many months of casting (Kite's method) followed by surgery in up to 95% of the cases. Interestingly, even when hundred of thousands of surgeries have been performed worldwide, there is little information on the long-term outcomes of these procedures. In contrast, the Ponseti Method of treating clubfoot has demonstrated corrections in more than 95% of the patients, and long-term results showed most patients have functionally normal feet at 34 years follow-up. Based on these results, there has been a strong global interest in this method as it could help eradicate neglected clubfoot. Under the sponsorship of the United States Bone and Joint Decade, Ponseti workshops have been held for the last 7 years in several centers in the United States and around the world. These meetings have provided the opportunity to bring together orthopaedic surgeons, physical therapists, and nurses to learn this simple, effective and safe method of treatment. Despite these clinical workshops, there remains a knowledge gap between clinicians and basic scientists regarding this deformity. An International Clubfoot Symposium will permit discussions of the current knowledge of epidemiology, etiology and mechanisms causing this deformity; the identification of future basic and translational research goals; to create an International Clubfoot Research Network; to help in the development of foreign research capacity; a rigorous evaluation of treatment outcomes; a discussion of public health related issues such as prevention and eradication of neglected clubfoot, and help to raise public awareness of the findings. The meeting will have a workshop format in which a lecture on a specific topic will be followed by oral presentations of hypothesis driven findings with a focused discussion period. This proposal is a request to provide support for the organization of this meeting and for travel stipends for fellows, junior faculty, and a selected number of speakers. Public Health Significance An International Clubfoot Symposium will permit to identify future basic and translational research goals for clubfoot; a rigorous evaluation of treatment outcomes; a discussion of public health related issues such as prevention and eradication of neglected clubfoot, and help to raise public awareness of the findings. ? ? ?
