The State Fair is in full swing, AAHKS is right around the corner, and Device Nation is serving up a best-in-show double header! Grab a smoked turkey leg, funnel cake and a sweet tater fries s’mores slop bucket as Ryan “RVP” Van Puffelen of DePuy Synthes opens the room. Ryan is a Warsaw, Indiana native and a 25-year ortho veteran. He shares how a “fortuitous mistake” of a co-op launched his career, why the KOL is making room for the DOL (Digital Opinion Leader), and why authenticity beats a sales pitch every time on LinkedIn. He also explains how the ASC gives surgeons control over their finances, their staff, and their lives. And yes, we talk about his famous straight-line lawn-mowing post! Then we welcome Dr. Leonard Buller, Associate Professor of Clinical Orthopaedic Surgery at the IU School of Medicine and adult recon surgeon with IU Health in Fishers, Indiana! He was last year’s AAHKS program chair, and lives by two words: patient first! From massaging a heart in Jackson Memorial’s Trauma Bay 81 to learning arthroplasty history at Chit Ranawat’s feet at HSS, Dr. Buller’s journey is one you won’t want to miss....notably, a tour of research that challenges a lot of conventional wisdom! In this episode: Why the KOL-to-DOL shift is an untapped opportunity for industry“Commenting for reach” and making relational deposits before withdrawalsThe ASC as a path to surgeon control and lifestylePJI: why symptom duration matters, and why patient expectations may matter moreResorbable beads, and what his group found about drainage and HOHis biofilm study on prefabricated antibiotic cement spacers vs. CoCr and polyPatella after two-stage: button or no button? Tracking may matter mostIntraosseous vanc: “the hottest idea in arthroplasty”Obesity and greater PROM improvement after TKA, and whether it’s time to rethink the BMI 40 cutoffHow patient personality and health literacy shape satisfactionCPAK, coronal plane alignment, and where personalized alignment is headedTraditional navigation: old school or great value?The challenge of funding a fellowship in 2026Advice for young Surgeons, first-time Industry Consultants, and RepsJoin us live at AAHKS! Third Annual Surgeon/Rep Town Hall Friday, November 6 | 6:30–8:30 AM | Grapevine 1, Gaylord Texan Surgeons, Reps, and Industry collaborating on one word: CHANGE. Ryan and Dr. Buller are both on the panel. You don’t have to sign up, just show up. Special thanks to our sponsor, OsteoRemedies. Explore their full lineup of infection prevention and management solutions, including BioBrush debridement tools, XP no-rinse surgical irrigation, and the soon-to-launch PolyPlus Hip with SnapFit retention. Visit Booth 933 at AAHKS or osteoremedies.com. Mentioned in this episode: Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder (Dr. Buller’s book pick)AAHKS 2026 Annual Meeting, November 5–8, Grapevine, TexasConnect with our guests: Ryan Van Puffelen on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanvanpuffelen/Dr. Leonard Buller on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/leonard-buller-b51317179/Support the Show with Venmo: @devicenation
