Nancy Levine Photography, Nancy Levine

It was the first time he visited Montana as Northwest Tissue Services’s medical director. But in some ways, it looked like “old home week.”

Among the 60 or so physicians attending the Western Montana Orthopaedic Society’s two-day January conference at Big Sky were many who knew Dr. Ernest “Chappie” Conrad as teacher, mentor or peer. More than a few had referred patients to him. All greeted him warmly.

Dr. Conrad, who is also director of the Pediatric Bone Tumor Clinic at Children’s Hospital and Regional Medical Center and professor and director of Orthopaedic Services, Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Department at the University of Washington, spoke to the group on several topics, including current trends and safety in tissue banking.

Specifically, he stressed the importance of surgeons doing diligent research in choosing a tissue bank. He went on to discuss Northwest Tissue Services standards and his use of large allografts in limb-sparing procedures for adolescents with bone cancer.