This year’s 17th Annual Meeting of the Korean American Spine Society will be truly special. I invite you to be part of it. For 2022, we’re doing things a little different, while preserving the things that have made this the favorite of many.

Rex Marco, MD and Ray Hah, MD have put together a program outstanding for its breadth and the quality of its speakers. This year’s program will have a focus on spinal cord injury that is comprehensive, cutting edge, and practical, featuring some of the most respected experts in the field. In addition, there will be sessions on complications avoidance, minimally invasive technique, free papers, lively debates that are so thought-provoking to watch, and more.

The meeting is March 10–12, 2022, in Austin, Texas, at the Hyatt Regency Lost Pines Resort and Spa. Sitting on 405 acres just 20 minutes from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, it offers plentiful outdoor activities like biking, hiking, and a waterpark. The weather is beautiful this time of year with average high temperatures in the low 70’s. Come see what’s made Austin the fastest growing city in the United States.

In addition to the annual golf tournament, a KASS tradition, there will be an alternative for us non-golfers. I’m proud to announce the inaugural KASS Games. It will be a series of (mildly) competitive activities where we can enjoy the outdoor riches of the resort for a good cause: proceeds will be donated to the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation.

As we enter our third year of life in a pandemic, I invite you to take a pause from COVID’s disruptions to focus on our important field. The annual meeting is a time to learn, teach, meet old friends and make new ones, and together move forward the field of spine surgery.

I look forward to meeting you personally in Austin.