Brazilian Shoulder and Elbow Society Meeting 2026, São Paulo.
Dear Colleagues:
I just returned from a fantastic meeting in Brazil. The Brazilian Shoulder and Elbow Society Meeting drew almost 1,000 shoulder surgeons from around the country, which is the fifth largest in the world (8,515,767 square kilometers or 3,287,956 square miles). For comparison, the United States is the third largest country (approximately 9,833,517 square kilometers or 3,794,100 square miles). If one excludes Alaska and Hawaii, then Brazil is larger than the lower 48 U.S. states by roughly 166,000 square miles.
According to Gemini AI (Google), Brazil is known as “The Melting Pot” while the United States is known as the “Salad Bowl.” Brazil “is historically described as a blending of Indigenous, African, and European roots. About 43% of the population identifies as pardo (multiracial/brown), alongside white (48%), Black (7.6%), Asian (1%), and Indigenous groups.” Whereas the United States “highlights distinct cultural and ethnic communities that maintain separate identities, traditions, and neighborhoods. Diversity in the U.S. is heavily defined by high rates of recent, distinct foreign-born immigration waves creating vibrant enclave communities.”
From the standpoint of healthcare, both Brazil and the USA are structured with government insurance and private insurance, but Brazil is much more heavily weighted to government insurance. There are many Academic Medical Centers in Brazil. “Brazil has nearly double the number of medical schools compared to the United States, with roughly 389 schools versus about 200 in the U.S.” The total number of orthopedic surgeons in Brazil is 4,200 (up to 20,000 depending on source data) versus the United States which has between 22,990-27,000 orthopedic surgeons. Per capita, Brazil has 2 Orthopedic Surgeons per 100,000 population versus the U.S. which has 7-8 Orthopedic Surgeons per 100,000 population.
Finally, the percent of GDP spent on healthcare in Brazil is 9.7% vs 18% in the U.S.
So, it is clear to me that Brazil is remarkably innovative in orthopedics given the numbers I list above and the resources to accomplish such innovation. What follows are a few photos of a great experience. The blend of hospitality with intellectual appetite and debate and conversation was extraordinary.
Obrigado to all my Brazilian friends, both old and new.
Kind Regards,
Jon “J.P.” Warner MD
Founder, CSS
(Source: Gemini/Google AI)
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