Drew Lansdown, MD, AOSSM/ESSKA traveling fellow, at left, and Alan Zhang, MD, AANA traveling fellow, recently completed national traveling fellowships through AOSSM and AANA. (Photo: UCSF Department of Orthopaedic Surgery)
San Francisco, California (May 28, 2026) — The UCSF Department of Orthopaedic Surgery welcomes back Drew Lansdown, MD and Alan Zhang, MD from their traveling fellowships. Following their selection as traveling fellows, they observed surgical cases, participated in clinical discussions, presented techniques and research from UCSF, and learned from their hosts. These opportunities foster the exchange of knowledge and surgical techniques across institutions and cultures.
“As a former travelling fellow, these are life changing experiences where we appreciate how clinical care is delivered across the globe. This really allows the individual to return with additional surgical expertise, experiences with a wider range of patient populations, a breadth of new research ideas, and connections to last a lifetime.” said Dr. C. Benjamin Ma, Chair of the UCSF Department of Orthopaedic Surgery.
Alan Zhang, MD — AANA Traveling Fellowship
Dr. Zhang completed a traveling fellowship through the Arthroscopy Association of North America (AANA). He was hosted by University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa; Naval Medical Center in San Diego, California; and Mayo Clinic Arizona in Phoenix, Arizona. They concluded the fellowship at the 2026 AANA meeting, held May 14-16 in Phoenix, Arizona.
“What an unforgettable experience the past two weeks on the AANA traveling fellowship culminating in a fantastic annual meeting full of engaging talks and exciting new initiative,” said Dr. Zhang. “I’m forever grateful for the friendships made along the way and the hospitality we were shown. Finally, to my co-fellows- thank you for being the best travel companions anyone could have wished for.”
Alan Zhang, MD with his co-fellows at University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa (Photo: Alan Zhang, MD)
Alan Zhang, MD with his co-fellows at Mayo Clinic Arizona in Phoenix, Arizona (Photo: Alan Zhang, MD)
Alan Zhang, MD, with UCSF colleagues at the AANA meeting. From left to right: Stephanie Wong, MD; Evar Saelee, PA-C; Ryan Halvorson, MD; Edgar Garcia-Lopez, MD; and Alan Zhang, MD (Photo: Alan Zhang, MD)
Alan Zhang, MD with his co-fellows at the AANA annual meeting in Phoenix, Arizona (Photo: Alan Zhang, MD)
Drew Lansdown, MD — AOSSM to ESSKA Traveling Fellowship
Dr. Lansdown completed a traveling fellowship through the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine (AOSSM) and European Society for Sports Traumatology, Knee Surgery and Arthroscopy (ESSKA). His co-fellows included UCSF alum, Mia Hagen, MD —both Dr. Lansdown and Dr. Hagen completed their orthopaedic surgery residency at UCSF in 2016— along with Justin Arner, MD and Godfather Kurt Spindler, MD.
He was hosted by Xpert Clinics in Amsterdam, Netherlands; Oslo University Hospital in Oslo, Norway; University Hospital Brandenburg in Brandenburg an der Havel, Germany; Università degli Studi di Milano in Milan, Italy; Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona in Barcelona, Spain; and Lyon School of Knee Surgery in Lyon, France.
They concluded the fellowship at the ESSKA annual meeting in Prague, Czech Republic.
“Thank you to AOSSM and ESSKA for supporting this unbelievable traveling fellowship experience,” said Dr. Lansdown. “The opportunity to observe differences in surgical methods and discuss approaches during scientific sessions was wonderful. We were hosted by amazing professors and their thoughtful teams at each stop. Thank you to my outstanding co-fellows and our excellent godfather, to our wonderful hosts, and to everyone at UCSF for keeping things going here while I was gone.”
Drew Lansdown, MD with his co-fellows in Amsterdam, Netherlands (Photo: Drew Lansdown, MD)
Drew Lansdown, MD presenting in Milan, Italy (Photo: Drew Lansdown, MD)
Drew Lansdown, MD with his co-fellows and the surgical team in Barcelona, Spain (Photo: Drew Lansdown, MD)
Drew Lansdown, MD with his co-fellows at the ESSKA meeting in Prague, Czech Republic (Photo: Drew Lansdown, MD)
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