About Dr Odette Koch
Prof Odette Koch is an orthopaedic surgeon who is regarded for her leadership in the South African Orthopaedic Association and her inspiring work with WALANT (Wide Awake Local Anaesthesia No Tourniquet) techniques. Based in Pretoria, South Africa, she practices upper limb surgery at her private practice at Netcare Pretoria East Hospital, where she specialises in managing complex trauma and elective hand and wrist, elbow and shoulder conditions.
A pioneer in her field, Prof Koch made history as the first female President of the South African Orthopaedic Association (SAOA). She is also a leading authority on WALANT hand surgery in South Africa, championing its integration into public health systems and contributing to improved patient care through cost-effective, resource-sensitive surgical solutions.
Prof Koch previously served as Chairperson of the South African Orthopaedic Registry (SAOR)—the world’s first combined orthopaedic registry—where she played a key role in advancing data-driven quality improvement across the profession. Her current project examines thumb carpometacarpal joint replacement surgery and its outcomes on the SAOR. She also contributed to global orthopaedic education as an international program editor for the AO Trauma Shoulder and Elbow Taskforce, helping shape surgical training materials and curricula worldwide.
A passionate teacher and mentor, Prof Koch holds an honorary lecturer position at the University of Pretoria, her alma mater, where she completed her undergraduate and postgraduate medical training and her specialist qualification through the South African College of Medicine in Orthopaedic Surgery. She was recently promoted to the academic position of adjunct professor at the UP and is involved in the teaches and lector both pre and post graduate students. She is the first female lector at UP’s Orthopaedic Department to be awarded adjunct professorship.
Beyond her clinical work, Prof Koch is passionate about outreach. She is actively involved with Operation Healing Hands, a South African-based non-profit organisation committed to providing surgical care to underprivileged patients. Through this partnership, Prof Koch regularly participates in volunteer initiatives and pro bono procedures, ensuring that quality healthcare reaches those who need it most.
Stepping into the international arena on behalf of the SAOA in her role as Past President of the Association, she has presented on numerous international stages and various sister association’s boards. The SAOA is part of the carousel nations of the English-speaking orthopaedic communities. The Carousel nations consist of the SAOA, British, Australian, New Zealand, Canadian and American Orthopaedic Associations and the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS).
Prof Koch is passionate about her patient’s feedback and uses automated patient reported outcome measures to gather feedback on outcomes that matter to patients. Evidence, informed by patient-reported outcomes, drives better care.
Professor Odette Koch held office as the 47th President of the South African Orthopaedic Association (SAOA) from 2024 to 2025, and was the first woman in the association’s history to hold this distinguished position.
Degree/Diploma | Field of study | Higher education institution | Year | Distinctions |
| MBChB | UP | 2001 | ||
| MMED | Ortho | UP | 2009 | MMED |
| FC(Orth)SA | Ortho | Colleges of Medicine of SA | 2009 |
Courses presented | ||
Course | Level (e.g. second year, Masters) | Self developed (Yes or No) |
AO Principles Course 2010- 2020; 2022 | Basic (Medical officers and junior registrars in Orthopaedic Training) | No |
AO Advances Course 2012; 2013 | Advanced (Senior Registrars and Specialist Orthopaedic Surgeons) | No |
AO Faculty Meeting 2012 | Advanced | Yes |
AO Faculty Education Program 2013 | Advanced | No |
SASSH Refresher Course 2011; 2017 | Advanced | Yes |
SAOA Congress Instructional Course 2018 | Advanced | Yes |
AO Masters Course in Upper Limb Trauma Small Group Discussions 2020 | Masters | No |
MBChB IV GNK 483 | Pre-graduate level | Yes |
American Society for Surgery of the Hand (ASSH) Instructional Course on WALANT 2021 | Masters | Yes |
Kenya WALANT Instruction Course 2021 | Basic | Yes |
AO Masters Shoulder Cadaveric Course Egypt 2022 | Masters | Yes |
AO Masters Elbow Cadaveric Course Egypt 2022 | Masters | Yes |
AO Advances Shoulder and Elbow Course Pretoria 2022 | Advanced | Yes |
AO Advances Fracture Management Course Davos 2023 | Advanced | Yes |
Other education and pedagogic courses presented | ||
Course | Year | Institution |
Synthes Paediatric Instructional Course | 2010; 2011; 2013 | 1MH |
MBChB IV rotating at 1 MH Orthopaedic Department | Since 2010 | 1MH |
MBChB VI rotating at 1 MH Orthopaedic Department | Since January 2019 (MBChB VI program initiated at 1 Mil in 2019) | 1MH |
MMED Registrars in training rotating at 1MH Upper Limb Rotation | Since 2010; Registrar works for a period of four months in the Upper Limb Unit | 1MH |
Surgeon General Academic Days | 2013; 2019 | 1MH |
Small Group Discussion Trauma to the Upper Limb to registrars | Sept- October 2020 | Virtual discussion |
SAOA Registrars Congress | Feb 2024 | Jhb |
Educational publications and products Koch O, Le Roux TLB. Tissue Banking in South Africa: Donor profile, selection and Safety. SA Orthop J 2006 (5) 2: 28-32 Koch O, Visser A. Intraneural bleeding of the ulnar nerve in a haemophilic patient: Case report and a guide to orthopaedic management. SA Orthop J 2009 (8) 3: 79-84 Koch O, Du Plessis A, Olorunju S, McLoughlin H, Le Roux TLB. Incidence of Deep Vein Thrombosis following Shoulder Replacement Surgery: A Prospective Study. SA Orthop J 2017 (16) 4: 33-39 Du Plessis CP, Koch O, Le Roux TLB, Janse van Rensburg C. Indications for Surgical Reinterventions following Reverse Shoulder Arthroplasty: A Retrospective Audit from 2006 to 2015. SA Orthop J 2017 (16) 4: 28- 32 Intraneural bleeding of the ulnar nerve in a haemophilic patient: Case report. Poster; SAOA Congress Drakensberg 2009 O Koch, TLB le Roux. Essex Lopresti injury pattern. Presentation: AO Faculty Education Course, Davos, Dec 2013 O Koch. Transmetacarpal injuries of the hand. Presentation: SASSH Refresher, Bloemfontein, Feb 2014 TLB le Roux, O Koch. Malignant bone tumours of the hand. Presentation: SASSH Refresher Course, Cape Town, Feb 2017 O Koch. New horizons in upper limb rehabilitation. Presentation: 1 Military Rehabilitation Day, Pta, May 2017 Koch O, Alexander A, Olorunju S, McLoughlin H, Le Roux TLB. Grip Strength Following Total Wrist Arthrodesis Using the Same Hand as Reference: A Prospective Study. SA Orthop J 2019 (18) 4: 41-45; presentation SASSH Congress, Pta, Sept 2019. Winner of best research paper O Koch, TLB le Roux, F Zwane. The etiology of brachial plexus injuries in the SANDF. Presentation: Surgeon General Academic Day, Pta, Sept 2019 O Koch. Current concepts of treating proximal humerus fractures. Presentation: Trauma Course, Kwa Maritane, July 2018 Naude JJ, Koch O, Schmidt LW, Le Roux, TLB. Positive patient experience with WALANT in a government setting: A prospective descriptive study. SA Orthop J 2021 (20) 3: 141-146 O Koch, TLB le Roux. Wide Awake Local Anaesthesia No Tourniquet at 1 Military Hospital. Presentation: Surgeon general Academic Day, Pta, Sept 2021 Van Der Watt NP, Meijer J, Koch O, Le Roux TLB. The incidence of vascular injury utilizing the lateral parapatellar approach for malignant distal femoral tumour resections: A case series. SA Orthop J 2021 (20) 3: 147-150 O Koch. No association is limited- Why we need the SA Orthopaedic Registry. Presentation: Carousel session SAOA Congress Sept 2021 O Koch. Clavicle, humerus, elbow and forearm fractures. Distal radius fractures. Hand injuries and pathologies. Muscle, nerve and tendon injuries. Presentations GNK 483 2020, 2021, 2022 O Koch. Anatomy of the median nerve. Presentation: SASSH Refresher Course Feb 2022 O Koch. WALANT in SA- Service with a smile if you are willing to wait a while. Presentation: SASSH Congress Sept 2022. Winner of best research paper |
O Koch. SA Orthopaedic Registry: Where are we and where are we going. Presentation: SAOA Carousel session, Cape Town, Sept 2022 O Koch. Data options for the shoulder surgeon on the SAOR. SAOA Shoulder and Elbow Session, Cape Town, Sept 2022 O Koch; R Blumenthal, A Adams. Trauma burden in South Africa- A critical appraisal. Presentation: American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons Congress, Las Vegas March 2023 |
Society Name | Position |
HPCSA | Member |
CMSA | Member |
SAOA | Gauteng North Branch Secretary 2015- 2019 Chairperson 2020 to 2022 EXCO Member 2020 to current Second Vice President 2022-2023 |
SA Orthopaedic Registry | Chairperson 2021 to current |
SASSH | Member |
AOTrauma South Africa | EXCO Member 2014 to 2023 AOPEER Member (Program for Education and Excellence in Research) |
AOTrauma International Technical Education Committee | Member of Upper Limb task force |
- America Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons Annual Meeting (AAOS) Las Vegas March 2023
- AO Trauma Middle East and Europe Meeting Egypt June 2022
- American Society for Surgery of the Hand (ASSH) invited guest speaker annual congress San Francisco
- Sept 2021 (virtual attendance)
- WALANT workshop Nakuru County, Referral & Teaching Hospital. Kenya Feb 2022 (virtual attendance)
- AOTrauma Masters in Upper Limb Trauma Virtual Course Sept – October 2020
- Extra Ordinary Lecturer in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery UP 2013-current
- Journal Club Presentation at UP according to the academic program 2010- current
- Faculty member at AOTrauma Principles of Fracture Management Course in Davos Switzerland Dec 2018
- Guest Lecturer American Society for Surgery of the Hand WALANT instructional Course San Fransisco 2020
- AOTrauma Advances in Fracture Management Course in Davos Switzerland Dec 2023
- AOTrauma Educational Program International Program Editor: Upper limb task force
- American Society for Surgery of the Hand Faculty for WALANT Hand Surgery
- SA Orthopaedic Trauma Instructional Course on fractures of the upper limb
- SASSH Instructional Courses
- Outcome Measurement and Reporting Conference
- SA Orthopaedic Journal Reviewer
Publications in peer-reviewed or refereed journals
- Koch O, Le Roux TLB. Tissue Banking in South Africa: Donor profile, selection and Safety. SA Orthop J 2006 (5) 2: 28-32
- Koch O, Visser A. Intraneural bleeding of the ulnar nerve in a haemophilic patient: Case report and a guide to orthopaedic management. SA Orthop J 2009 (8) 3: 79-84
- Koch O, Du Plessis A, Olorunju S, McLoughlin H, Le Roux TLB. Incidence of Deep Vein Thrombosis following Shoulder Replacement Surgery: A Prospective Study. SA Orthop J 2017 (16) 4: 33-39
- Du Plessis CP, Koch O, Le Roux TLB, Janse van Rensburg C. Indications for Surgical Reinterventions following Reverse Shoulder Arthroplasty: A Retrospective Audit from 2006 to 2015. SA Orthop J 2017 (16) 4: 28- 32
- Koch O, Alexander A, Olorunju S, McLoughlin H, Le Roux TLB. Grip Strength Following Total Wrist Arthrodesis Using the Same Hand as Reference: A Prospective Study. SA Orthop J 2019 (18) 4: 41-45
- Naude JJ, Koch O, Schmidt W, Le Roux TLB. Positive patient experience of Wide-Awake Local Anaesthesia No Tourniquet (WALANT) hand surgery in the Government setting: A prospective descriptive study. SA Orthop J (20) 3: 141-146
- Van der Watt NC, Koch O, Le Roux TLB, Meijer J, McLaughlin H. The prevalence of vascular injury utilizing the lateral parapatellar approach for malignant distal femoral tumour resections – A Case Series. SA Orthop J (20) 3: 147-151
Published full-length conference papers/keynote addresses
- Metacarpal hand. SASSH Refresher Course; Bloemfontein February 2011
- Current concepts in fractures and non-unions around the elbow. AO Advances Geriatric Course; Irene July 2012
- The Essex- Lopresti injury. AO Faculty Meeting; Davos Switzerland December 2012
- Surgical management of fractures around the wrist; Forearm fracture fixation; fractures in the paediatric population. AO Principles Course; Johannesburg 2011 and 2014; Cape Town March 2013; Port Elizabeth 2015; Durban 2016; Johannesburg 2017; Cape Town 2018; Durban 2019
- Classification and treatment of distal radius fractures. AO Faculty Education Program; Zurich Switzerland. June 2013
- Emergency management of pelvic ring fractures; Approach to fractures of the proximal humerus. Trauma Congress; Kwa Maritane. March 2014
- Incidence of deep vein thrombosis following shoulder replacement surgery: A Prospective study. COMOC; Cape Town. April 2016
- Ankle fracture fixation; Fractures in the paediatric population; Implant removal. AOTrauma Principles in Fracture Management Course; Gaborone Botswana. October 2016
- Malignant bone tumours of the hand; SASSH Refresher Course; Cape Town. February 2017
- Grip strength following total wrist arthrodesis: A Prospective study. SASSH Congress. CSIR Pretoria September 2018
- Current concepts in intramedullary nailing of the humerus: Trauma Instructional Course SAOA Congress. CSIR Pretoria September 2018
- Principles in ankle fracture treatment. AOTrauma Principles in Fracture Management Course. Davos Switzerland December 2018
- Wide Awake Local Anaesthesia No Tourniquet (WALANT) Surgery Instructional Course. SAOA Congress. Cape Town November 2020
- SA Orthopaedic Registry at Carousel Meeting SAOA Congress Cape Town Sept 2021
- Positive patient experience with WALANT in a government setting in South Africa. American Society for Surgery of the Hand (ASSH) Congress Sept 2021
- How and why, I started WALANT in a government setting in South Africa. Kenya WALANT Workshop Feb 2022
- Anatomy of the Median Nerve. SASSH Refresher Course; Irene Feb 2022
- SA Orthopaedic Registry Keynote Address. SA Arthroplasty Congress; Cape Town March 2022
- Supracondylar Humerus Fractures Current Concepts. AO Trauma Masters Elbow Egypt June 2022
- Clavicle Fractures. AO Trauma Masters Shoulder Course Egypt June 2022
- SAOA Carousel Session Keynote Address: The value of data to orthopaedic surgeons; SAOA Congress Cape Town Sept 2022
- WALANT in SA. SASSH Congress; Cape Town Sept 2022
- SAOR to shoulder surgeons. SASES Instructional Course; Cape Town Sept 2022
- Trauma burden in South Africa- A critical appraisal. AAOS Congress: Las Vegas March 2023
Operation Healing Hands Non-Profit Organization (www.operationhealinghands.co.za): Supporting surgeon providing free orthopaedic services and surgery on specialist upper limb procedures.
Triomf Clinic Pretoria West: WALANT surgery pro bono
Consulting one day every second-month pro bono with underprivileged members of the community with orthopaedic related conditions. Performing specialized upper limb reconstructive surgery WALANT surgery at Triomf Clinic
- SASSH Affordable Medical Annual Award for 2016
- SASSH Stratmed Best Original Research Paper Prize 2018 for the presentation of the study with the title “Grip strength following total wrist arthrodesis: A prospective Study”. The prize included attending the International Society for Surgery of the Hand Congress in Berlin and travelling costs.
- SASSH Acme Best Research Paper Prize 2022 for “How to start WALANT practice in South Africa”. The prize was monetary in nature.
- SAOA Annual Congress 2022 Discovery Clinical Excellence Award for Best Poster for WALANT in South Africa. The award consisted of a seat at the Henley Future-proof your Healthcare Practice course with full tuition reimbursement.
Dr Odette Koch - Affiliations
