Andrew Sheean, M.D.’s AANA Traveling Fellowship: A Revolutionary Experience
5:15 a.m.: It was just another April morning for Maj. Andrew Sheean, M.D., USAF. He went to sit down at a local Starbucks in San Antonio with his coffee in hand when his cell phone rang. On the other side of the receiver was none other than Dr. Denver Stanfield, previous Chair of AANA’s Fellowship Committee, letting Dr. Sheean know that he’d been selected as a 2019 AANA Traveling Fellow. Bursting with excitement, Dr. Sheean immediately called his wife to let her know the exciting news.
But little did Dr. Sheean know the journey he was about to partake in would bring him new friendships, a lifelong mentor, unique experiences and arthroscopic skills and techniques he’ll be using for years to come.
Dr. Sheean is no stranger to being at the peak of his game, serving as active duty for the United States Air Force since 2009. In his current role as an Associate Program Director of Research for the San Antonio Military Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas, he regularly sees and treats a young yet active population where the best methods of treatment usually require having an arthroscope in hand.
There were numerous opportunities for him to hone his skills at the different sites he was able to visit during his Traveling Fellowship, starting with the Mississippi Sports Medicine and Orthopaedic Center in Jackson, Mississippi. The Traveling Fellows’ first host, Larry Field, M.D., who is now AANA’s President, described several arthroscopic techniques that left Dr. Sheean beyond impressed.
“Spending time with Dr. Field and a number of other master arthroscopic surgeons during the Traveling Fellowship was the experience of a lifetime,” Dr. Sheean says. “I gained new insights and an appreciation for a number of novel techniques that I can add to my repertoire to become the most skilled military surgeon I can be.”
Dr. Sheean would also say the journey and his military background drew him even closer to the 2019 Traveling Fellows Godfather, John Richmond, M.D.
“In the military, you need to be up and on the top of your game pretty quickly, and John [Richmond] definitely did that,” Dr. Sheean laughs. “There were days where he would be the first one ready to go in the morning and the last one to call it quits at night.”
In addition to that, Dr. Sheean thanks his Traveling Fellowship experience for introducing him to Dr. Richmond, who he now considers a great friend and mentor.
“It’s really nice when you get to meet guys who are professionally and personally squared away,” Dr. Sheean remarks.
As for the Traveling Fellowship trip as a whole? Dr. Sheean was amazed at the excitement and energy he saw in the thought leaders surrounding him.
“I can’t think of a better way to get immersed in the culture of AANA – seeing how much AANA matters to my colleagues and the way they handle procedures differently and operate in their own atmosphere was truly an experience in and of itself,” Dr. Sheean says.
