Posted On:
17 SEP 2026 5:38PM by PIB Raipur
Silver Jubilee CEZCON 2026, the 25th Annual Conference of the Central Zone of the Indian Orthopaedic Association, concluded in Raipur after three days of academic deliberations, scientific presentations and advanced surgical training, with residents of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Raipur, winning three prestigious Gold Medals.
The conference was held from September 11 to 13 at Mayfair Lake Resort, Raipur, while specialised hands-on workshops were organised at AIIMS Raipur. The event brought together eminent orthopaedic surgeons, academicians, specialists, young surgeons and postgraduate trainees from across the country for scientific exchange, research presentations and practical training in advanced orthopaedic procedures.
Dr Somok Banerjee, a third-year Master of Chirurgiae (MCh) resident in Joint Replacement and Reconstruction at AIIMS Raipur, received the MP Chapter Gold Medal for Best Paper for his research work titled “Correlation of Offset with PROM and Gait Analysis in THR”. The study formed part of his MCh thesis and was conducted under the guidance of Prof. Dr Alok Chandra Agrawal.
Dr Sunit Bhattacharya, postgraduate resident in Orthopaedics, was awarded the Dr T.P. Srivastava Gold Medal for Best Postgraduate Paper for his thesis work on “Acromial Index & Supraspinatus Tear Correlation”. Dr Melvin Shaji, a first-year MCh resident in Joint Replacement and Reconstruction, received the Dr V.S. Singh Gold Medal for Best E-Poster Presentation for his work titled “TKR in Hoffa’s Fracture of Elderly Lady”.
Another significant achievement for AIIMS Raipur was the appointment of Prof. Dr Alok Chandra Agrawal, Head of the Department of Orthopaedics, as President of the Central Zone of the Indian Orthopaedic Association (CEZIOA). The appointment underscores the institute’s expanding role in orthopaedic education, research and academic leadership.
The conference was conducted under the academic leadership of Prof. Dr Alok Chandra Agrawal and was attended by Lt Gen Dr Ashok Jindal, YSM, AVSM, PVSM, Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of AIIMS Raipur, as Chief Guest, besides senior office-bearers and distinguished faculty from across the country.
The Silver Jubilee scientific programme covered a wide range of subjects, including joint replacement, trauma and reconstruction, paediatric orthopaedics, arthroscopy, spine surgery, orthopaedic oncology, deformity correction, Ilizarov surgery and osteoporosis. Sessions also focused on emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, three-dimensional printing, navigation and robotic joint replacement.
The programme featured orations, Silver Jubilee lectures, guest lectures, symposia, debates, medal papers, free-paper presentations, electronic posters, case discussions and a Young Surgeons Forum, with particular emphasis on research, postgraduate education and practical surgical skills.
A major academic highlight was the Hip and Knee Arthroplasty Cadaver Workshop organised at AIIMS Raipur on September 11. The intensive hands-on programme provided training in Total Knee Arthroplasty (TKA) and Total Hip Arthroplasty (THA), covering primary and revision procedures, surgical approaches, alignment, component positioning, soft-tissue balancing, bone-loss management and complex reconstruction.
The workshop was inaugurated in the presence of Prof. Dr Alok Chandra Agrawal and Lt Gen Dr Ashok Jindal. Senior faculty members, including Dr Anil K. Jain, Dr Naveen Thakkar, Dr Debabrata Padhy, Dr Purnendu Saxena and Dr Prashant Dwivedi, participated in the programme. The cadaveric training faculty included Prof. Dr Alok C. Agrawal, Dr S.S. Mohanty, Dr Harshal Sakale, Dr Rehan Ul Haq, Dr R.B. Kalia, Dr Shubhankar Shekhar, Dr Ajith Kumar and Dr Anup Kumar, among other experts.
The workshop further strengthened AIIMS Raipur’s continuing academic initiative in cadaver-based orthopaedic training, building on earlier specialised training programmes in acetabular reconstruction conducted with renowned orthopaedic surgeons Dr Vivek Trikha and Dr Ramesh Sen.
CEZCON 2026 also included hands-on programmes on High Tibial Osteotomy, Clubfoot management using the Ponseti technique, musculoskeletal ultrasound and intervention, and robotic Total Knee Replacement using saw-bone models. Prof. Dr Alok C. Agrawal initiated the robotic Total Knee Replacement programme with a discussion on the clinical need and evolving role of robotics in knee replacement surgery.
The conference concluded on September 13 with a valedictory ceremony, marking 25 years of academic collaboration in the Central Zone and reaffirming the conference’s focus on continuing medical education, research, innovation, practical surgical training and advancement of patient care.
For AIIMS Raipur, the three Gold Medals secured by Dr Somok Banerjee, Dr Sunit Bhattacharya and Dr Melvin Shaji, along with the successful conduct of advanced cadaveric training and the appointment of Prof. Dr Alok Chandra Agrawal as President of the Central Zone of the Indian Orthopaedic Association, marked a significant academic milestone during the Silver Jubilee edition of CEZCON.
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RDJ/BKT/RS