EPOS 2025
Session Rooms / EPOS Mentors
The sessions rooms at the venue are named to honour Past Presidents of EPOS.
Please see their full biographies below.
José M. Cañadell Carafi
Josè M. CAÑADELL CARAFI (1923, Barcelona – 2014, Pamplona, Spain)
EPOS Board Advisor (1989 – 1990)
6th EPOS President (1993 – 1995)
Dr Cañadell graduated from the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Barcelona in 1946.
He specialized in Orthopaedic Surgery and Traumatology, he worked for seven years at the
Hospital Sagrado Corazón, then he oversaw the Orthopaedic Surgery Service (1953-1968),
and he was appointed Deputy Director in 1957 at the Red Cross Hospital in Barcelona.In
1968 he was appointed Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery and Traumatology at the University
of Navarre, Director General of the corresponding University Department for 15 years (1969-
1984) and Medical Director for another 5 years (until 1989).
Alessandro Dal Monte
Alessandro DAL MONTE (1924, Massalombarda – 2012, Bologna, Italy)
EPOS Founder (1982)
3rd EPOS President (1987 – 1989)
Professor Dal Monte graduated in Medicine and Surgery at the University of Bologna in 1946, and in the same year, he joined the “Rizzoli” Orthopaedic Institute as voluntary assistant. In 1954, after one year at the “Codivilla-Putti” Institute in Cortina d’Ampezzo, he came back as assistant at the “Rizzoli”. Anticipating the evolution of paediatric orthopedics into a distinct subspecialty and the need for specialized care for children, he founded the Pediatric Orthopedics and Traumatology Department at the Rizzoli Institute in 1965, officially establishing it as a separate entity from adult orthopedic units. He led the department until his retirement in 1989. Freelancer since 1989, he continued to practice orthopaedics surgery in Bologna for many years.
Jan Willem van der Eijken
Jan Willem van der EIJKEN (1938, Deventer – 2019, Amsterdam, The Netherlands)
Board Advisor (1989-1991)
3rd General Secretary (1993-1995)
8th EPOS President (1997-1999)
Dr Jan van der Eijken graduated in medicine in 1964 at the University of Amsterdam. He
specialized in Orthopaedics in 1972 and defended his Medical Thesis: “De spondylodesis
posterior met toevoeging van homogeen beenbankbot bij de behandeling van de scoliose”.
During his career in Amsterdam, he had different prestigious positions: from 1972 to 2001, he
was Orthopaedic surgeon at the Onze Lieve Vrouwe Gasthuis (OLVG - “Our Lady Hospital”),
and from 1977 to 2001, he was Consultant at the Dutch Cancer Institute.
Jørgen Reimers
Jørgen REIMERS (6.2.1931 – 24.3.2008, Copenhagen, Denmark)
EPOS Founder (1982)
5th EPOS President (1991 – 1992)
After acceptance of his medical doctor thesis [1] from Copenhagen University,
Jørgen Reimers received the highest academic title in Denmark: Dr.med. In the
preface of his thesis [3], he thanked W.J.W. Sharrard he visited in 1970 “whose
consistent application of the principles of muscle imbalance and the deforming forces
has been an inspiration for so many orthopaedic surgeons”. He also expressed his
recognition to John Sharrard, and then Robert B. Salter, Norris Carroll, John Hall and
Mercer Rang he visited in 1971, and he wrote: “(they had) a view of the dynamics of
the hip (which was) not generally accepted at that time”. He retired from National
Hospital, Childrens Orthopaedics, in 2000.