VB Spine was proud to host our inaugural Beast of the East event, a resident training program that brought together 24 residents and 10 faculty specializing in neuro and orthopedic surgery from teaching institutions across the Northeast for a weekend of education, collaboration, and friendly competition at our headquarters in Leesburg, Virginia.
The participating institutions included MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, Penn Medicine, Northwell Health, Massachusetts General Brigham, the University of Maryland, VCU Health, Stony Brook Medicine, UConn Health, SUNY Upstate Medical University, and the Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS).
The premise of the event was simple: after a weekend of case-based, patient-focused competitions, who would be crowned the Beast of the East?
Learning Through Real-World Cases
The program kicked off on Friday evening with a welcome reception where residents and faculty from the different institutions had an opportunity to get to know one another and earn bonus points in cornhole and grip-strength tournaments, setting the stage for the friendly competition that would carry into Saturday.
On Saturday morning, John Viscogliosi, Co-CEO of VB Spine, spoke to the residents about VB Spine’s mission and led a facility tour to show the behind-the-scenes of how we are able to get our products to them and support them in the OR.
Thomas Canale, VB Spine’s Area Vice President, Northeast, and Beast of the East Chairman, Joseph Ferguson, MD, MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, also spoke, encouraging residents to take advantage of the unique opportunity to get in-depth didactic training in a setting designed solely for them to learn.
Then, the competition began.
Residents were challenged to apply their clinical knowledge to cases that the attending surgeons previously treated. Throughout four main challenges, the faculty presented patient details and imaging, and residents worked within their institution to determine the treatment approach that would best help the patient. Finally, each team presented its approach and rationale to the surgeon faculty in a traditional case-review format.
Competition One: Imaging Interpretation and Diagnoses
Teams reviewed real cervical and lumbar degenerative and deformity cases, considering the patient’s symptoms, health history, demographics and lifestyle, imaging, and previous treatment before discussing the different treatment options and determining which approach they would recommend based on the patient’s needs.
Competition Two: Trauma Evaluation and Management
Residents worked through cervical and thoracolumbar trauma cases, carefully reviewing the circumstances and severity of each injury to determine the appropriate course of treatment. The cases challenged residents to think critically about surgical timing, potential risks and complications, and how their approach could affect a patient’s ability to return to normal or optimal activity.
Competition Three: Spine Case Coding Challenge
To introduce another important element of being a practicing surgeon, Nicola Hawkinson, CEO of SpineSearch, shared insights on coding and the importance of accurately documenting the work performed. Residents then applied those lessons to the cases they had already discussed, considering how procedural details and patient-specific rationale inform accurate coding and ensure the full scope of care provided is appropriately captured.
Competition Four: Complication Management
Faculty presented postoperative images from cases the residents had previously discussed, asking teams to identify the complication, determine the primary concerns, and develop a treatment plan. Residents also considered what information and next steps should be communicated to the patient.
After each challenge, faculty shared their own approach to the case, including why they made particular decisions, challenges they encountered, and what they might have done differently. Hearing multiple perspectives allowed residents to see how different approaches can be considered based on the individual patient.
Teams were then scored based on different types of clinical reasoning, including imaging interpretation, treatment rationale, procedural strategy, initial evaluation, decision-making, and more.
After a full day of case discussions and competition, the Beasts of the East are:
- First place: Massachusetts General Brigham
- Second place: Stony Brook
- Third place: SUNY Upstate and MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, tie
The winning team received a spine model to display at their institution.
Beyond the Competition
While the competitive format brought energy and excitement to the weekend, Beast of the East was designed to position residents for success by beginning to build their support networks before they move from residency into practice.
The program also gave residents the chance to connect with people they may encounter throughout their careers, from attending surgeons and future colleagues to members of the broader spine community. By breaking down barriers between specialties and institutions, residents were able to connect over their shared goal to help patients live a brighter future.
The feedback from the weekend reflected that impact. Residents described the experience as valuable for its faculty perspectives and direct feedback, case-based conversations, and the opportunity to learn how different institutions approach similar clinical challenges.
Putting Patients First
At the heart of everything VB Spine does are the patients we support, and our Medical Education courses are no different.
Beast of the East was driven by the philosophy: patients over process. Rather than focusing on what makes a “perfect” case or a “perfect” surgery, the goal of this weekend was to encourage residents to think through what will lead to the best possible outcome for each individual patient.
As residents move forward, this course will give them the tools, perspectives, and connections to help them put patients first throughout their careers.
