Dr. Christie’s vision for the WSF started with a shift in the mindset of Missionary Orthopedic Arthroplasty Surgeons. The former mindset is illustrated by Operation Walk, an organization that brings a team of Arthroplasty surgeons with their supporting staff to a place of need around the world to perform hip and knee replacements. A visit by an Operation Walk team results in a significantly improved quality of life for many recipients of replacements and their families—perhaps 20 or more over a week period. The cost of the mission trip could exceed $500,000 donated by the surgeons, implant manufacturers and others.

The shift is to devote those resources to training local orthopedic surgeons how to successfully perform hip and knee replacement surgery and provide them with high-quality, low-cost implants to allow hundreds of patients in each location of need life-changing surgery year after year.