Daniel Mesko, DO (center) became the 2,500th member of AAHKS. He joins his brother Nathan Mesko, MD (left) and his father Wes Mesko, MD (right) in AAHKS membership.
The AAHKS Board of Directors approved the most recent round of membership applicants at its board meeting on Wednesday, March 25, 2015 in Las Vegas. Included in the list was the 2,500th member of AAHKS – Daniel R. Mesko, DO. Dr. Mesko, who joins AAHKS as a resident member, is the son of AAHKS charter member, Wesley J. Mesko, MD and the third member of the family to join AAHKS. His brother, Nathan W. Mesko, MD, joined AAHKS last year as a candidate member. This legacy has a special meaning to Dr. Wes Mesko who attended the AAHKS Board of Directors meeting to witness the membership approval.
He didn’t suggest occupations to his sons as they were growing up, but rather advised them to choose careers that energized them. As they got older, Nathan and Daniel traveled with him on medical mission trips, made rounds and observed surgeries. He said that he was pleasantly surprised when they chose medicine and ultimately adult reconstruction as their interest in orthopaedics. “I remember when I ran faster than they – now they do triathlons and Iron-mans. I remember when I skied better than they – now they wait for me to arrive at the bottom after they have jumped cliffs, did complex moguls and skied the tightly-packed trees. I now fully expect them to do the same in adult reconstruction,” said Dr. Wes Mesko. Today, the three surgeons share complex cases and educate each other in the interest of giving their patients better care.
Dr. Daniel Mesko and Dr. Nathan Mesko both participated in Annual Resident Arthroplasty Courses during AAHKS Annual Meetings. Dr. Wes Mesko said that “the decision AAHKS leadership made a few years ago to sponsor PGY3s to the meeting, to let them get a first-hand look, played a large role in their wanting to join AAHKS early. I am looking forward to being able to share time, instruction, and the opportunities of AAHKS with my sons.”
As for his sons’ future careers, he hopes “that they will honor God, love and support their families, give excellent orthopedic care to the patients who are entrusted to them, and to look critically at the profession they have trained in. And intentionally make our profession better thru teaching, research, innovation, and volunteerism.”