Prof. Citak is working in the ENDO-Klinik Hamburg (Germany), which is the largest arthroplasty center in Europe. Besides his routine clinical work as high-volume arthroplasty surgeon, he is also the Director of the Research and Fellowship Department. Since his doctoral thesis in 2009, he has been working on diverse research projects and was granted a research fellowship at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York, where he did experimental studies in the field of Computer-Assisted Orthopaedic Surgery. He earned his Privatdozent degree in 2016 at the Ruhr-University Bochum. In 2022, he also received his Professor degree for his outstanding clinical and research work. Additionally, in December he earned his MBA degree in Health Management at the Faculty of Business, Economics and Social Sciences of University Hamburg. He has currently published more than 250 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters in several highly ranked journals including the The American Journal of Sports Medicine, The Journal of Arthroplasty, The Bone and Joint Surgery American, Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Surgery, The Bone & Joint Journal and Lancet Infectious Diseases. Moreover, he took part in the organization of the International Consensus Meeting (ICM) for periprosthetic joint infection, which took place in Philadelphia in 2013 and 2018. His research work was rewarded with numerous awards including the “Evidenced-Based-Medicine-Award” and the “SICOT/CCJR Meeting Award”. He is also in the Editorial Board in several Journals such as such as Archives of Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgery, HSS Journal and Technology and Health Care.He is the Co-Editor in Chief of Joint Diseases and Related Surgery. Currently, he is the Chair of the SICOT Research Education and Mentorship Committee from the World Orthopaedic Organization SICOT. In 2023, he was honoured for his research contribution in the field of arthroplasty with a coronary membership of the Turkish Hip and Knee Arthroplasty Society. Dr Mustafa Akkaya has an associate professor degree in the Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology at Ankara Guven Hospital Health Campus in Turkey. He completed his orthopaedics and traumatology residency at Ankara Yildirim Beyazit University. He has a PhD degree in Musculoskeletal System and Regenerative Medicine. He is the former president of the Turkish Residents and Young Attendings Council and was a board member on several boards of the Federation of Orthopaedic Trainees in Europe. He has over 50 publications in peer-reviewed international scientific journals, over 15 book chapters and has completed several European Union and national projects. Dr Mustafa Akkaya had been at Atos Clinic in Germany and Rizzoli Orthopaedic Institute in Italy for short-term fellowships. He worked in a clinical research fellow position in Helios ENDO-Klinik-Hamburg, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery in Germany in 2021. He won the European Knee Society arthroplasty travelling fellowship program in 2022 and worked in several arthroplasty departments for a month in Europe. Dr Mustafa Akkaya is interested in knee & hip arthroplasty, revision surgery and advanced joint replacement. Thorsten Gehrke holds the position of Medical Director and Chief Physician at the ENDO-Klinik Hamburg, Germany, which is doing about 8.000 Joint Replacements / Year. His main focus is primary and revision hip and knee replacement, especially septic revision surgery in hip and knee. Thorsten Gehrke has published more than 300 Peer Reviewed Papers and wrote more than 30 Book Chapters. Prof. Gehrke performed difficult surgeries in all corners of the planet from China, India to South Africa and Latin America, totally in 38 different countries. Additionally, he got worldwide reputation by organizing and chairing together with Dr. Javad Parvizi at the International Consensus Conference on Periprosthetic Joint Infections (PJI) in Philadelphia in 2013 and the International Consensus Meeting (ICM) in 2018.
