Prof Niek van Dijk
Netherlands, Amsterdam
Prof Niek van Dijk
Netherlands, Amsterdam
Niek van Dijk is a leading authority for arthroscopic surgery of the ankle and hindfoot. He is the founder of the Amsterdam Foot & Ankle School. Currently he is working in the FIFA Medical Centers of Excellence in Madrid, Clinic Ripol & DePrado and in Porto, Clinica de Dragão. Between 2002-2016 he was head of the Orthopaedic Department of the Amsterdam University Medical Centre (AMC). He is emeritus professor in Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Amsterdam.
In 2000 he started the first international Amsterdam Foot and Ankle Course. His great interest in teaching and his believe in the techniques of the Amsterdam Foot and Ankle School stimulated him to develop the free access website Ankleplatform www.ankleplatform.com
Today the platform has > 4000 members from more than 120 countries. Niek van Dijk was president of the Dutch Orthopedic Association (NOV), president of the Nordic Orthopedic Federation (NOF), the Dutch Arthroscopy Association (NVA) and president of the European Society for Sport traumatology, Arthroscopy and Knee Surgery (ESSKA). He was also the first president of ESSKA-AFAS. He is honorary member of several Societies and Associations. He is the tutor of >50 PhD students whom he guided to a successful defense of their PhD-thesis. He published over 350 scientific indexed publications wrote over 100 book chapters and is editor of several books. He is founding editor of JISAKOS, the journal of ISAKOS and since 2015 editor in chief of JISAKOS.
Mr David Redfern
United Kingdom
Mr Redfern graduated from University of London in 1993 and gained a breadth of early surgical training including plastic surgery, neurosurgery, general surgery, and emergency medicine in addition to orthopaedics. He demonstrated anatomy at Cambridge University and then returned to London to undertake higher surgical training in Orthopaedic surgery at St George’s Hospital. Mr Redfern completed specialist fellowships in Bristol, UK and Johns Hopkins University, USA. He has been practicing exclusively as a specialist foot and ankle trauma and orthopaedic surgeon since 2004.
He has been in independent practice for the last 10 years and joined The Cleveland Clinic London in 2021. His practice spans the breadth of foot and ankle surgery with an emphasis on less invasive techniques. He also practices as an expert witness including personal injury and medical negligence.
Internationally recognised as an expert in minimally invasive foot and ankle surgery, he is creator of the MICA technique for minimally invasive bunion correction and has pioneered other minimally invasive techniques for the treatment of arthritis of the foot and ankle, toe deformities, and complex foot and ankle deformities including adult acquired flatfoot.
His minimally invasive techniques are applicable throughout the breadth of foot and ankle and sports surgery. Regularly lecturing internationally, he is extensively published in his field, and has won several awards for his innovative contributions to foot and ankle surgery including a life-long membership of the DAF, German F&A society and a European Award in Medicine from the Professional and Business Excellence Institute.
He has served on council for both the British Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society (BOFAS) and the European Foot & Ankle Society (EFAS) as well as chaired the EFAS Scientific Committee, and regularly trains surgeons worldwide in his specialist surgical techniques.
Dr Andreas Toepfer
Switzerland, St. Gallen
Before starting medschool in Munich/Germany, Andreas Toepfer was trained as a paramedic.His medical training included stays abroad in Capetown at Groote Schuur, Royal Melbourne Hospital/ Australia and Stanford, USA.He successfully finished his speciality training in Orthopaedics in 2008 at Technical University Munich/Germany where he was appointed Head of Foot and Ankle Surgery in 2011. Since 2018, Andreas has been living with his family in St.Gallen/Switzerland and working at Kantonsspital St.Gallen as Head of Foot and Ankel Surgery and Head of Tumororthopaedics. His scientific activities focus on minimally-invasive foot and ankle surgery as well as foot and ankle tumors. Andreas is an avid teacher on all levels of medical training and an instructor for international foot and ankle surgery courses. In his spare time, Dr.Toepfer enjoys spending time with his family in the mountains or the sea.
Mr Richard Freeman
United Kingdom
Mr Richard Freeman completed his medical degree, including a
bachelor of science degree in physiology at Guy’s, King’s and St.
Thomas’ Medical School in London. He then trained in the South East
during which time he graduated with a Masters degree in Trauma &
Orthopaedics.
Mr Richard Freeman is dual fellowship trained, working initially in
London working with world experts in foot and ankle surgery gaining experience of managing elite athletes, Premiership footballers and Olympians. He then undertook a further fellowship in Brighton focusing on
lower limb and foot and ankle trauma including complex fractures, bone loss and bone infection.
Mr Richard Freeman has an elective practice including the full range of foot and ankle procedures including minimally invasive surgery (MIS) and arthroscopic surgery. He has a particular interest in treating sports
injuries, plantar fasciitis and Achilles disorders. Mr Freeman is an expert in providing plantar fasciitis and Achilles tendinopathy treatment in Kent and Sussex. He is able to uses advanced modern treatments to succeed in treating these chronic conditions where other methods have failed. Mr Freeman is the only surgeon to perform keyhole bunion surgery in Tunbridge Wells. The majority of his foot and ankle surgery is now performed through keyhole procedures.
Mr Richard Freeman is internationally recognised as an expert in keyhole foot and ankle surgery and is regularly invited to teach internationally. Mr Freeman’s NHS practice focuses on foot and ankle surgery at the Tunbridge Wells Hospital, part of Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust. He regularly accept complex referrals from whole South East region.
Outside of medicine he loves snowboarding, particularly in the delightful Aosta Valley in Italy. In the summer he likes to sail and dive whenever I get the chance.
