Understanding the Basics of Skiing

For the last three decades, Andrew Collier, MD, has functioned as a physician and orthopaedic surgeon with Philadelphia Orthopaedic Associates in Pennsylvania. Outside of his work as a surgeon, Andrew Collier, MD, enjoys spending time with his family. He is especially fond of taking family ski trips to places such as Austria and Switzerland.

There are a number of techniques individuals must master as they become familiar with the sport of skiing. However, one important piece of information involving how skis actually move on snow is often overlooked. The ability to ski down a mountainside is rooted in the principle that the freezing point for water changes with pressure. In other words, as skis are pressed against the snow, the applied pressure melts the snow. The result of the melting snow is a thin layer of water that allows the skis to travel downhill with little resistance.

This aspect of skiing plays a critical role in the concept of seeking out the path of least resistance. Skis naturally tend to travel in a straight path down the hill. In any other direction, skiers are forced to push more snow out of the way, creating added friction and slowing progress. A person can take advantage of the path of least resistance by taking a sideways position in order to slow down and come to a stop.                            

Patricia Cornwell and the Scarpetta Series

A three-time winner of a patient's choice award, Dr. Andrew Collier served as an orthopaedic surgeon in Philadelphia, PA, for nearly three decades. When he is not in the operating room, Dr. Andrew Collier enjoys reading the mystery fiction of Patricia Cornwell.

Cornwell is known for her series of 22 novels about Kay Scarpetta, a medical examiner. The author of 26 New York Times bestsellers, she had a humble beginning to her literary career. At a signing for her first novel, Postmortem, the book sold only one copy. However, it received critical acclaim, winning five major awards.

Cornwell was born in Miami and grew up in North Carolina, where she joined the staff of the Charlotte Observer. At the Observer she became well known for her articles on prostitution. She later moved to Virginia to work for the Chief Medical Examiner, an inspiration for the Scarpetta character.

Now living in Boston, Cornwell cofounded the National Forensic Academy and appears on CNN as a consultant. She has also made donations to examine a Confederate submarine and excavate historic objects in Jamestown, Virginia.  

Holt International - Facilitating Adoptions of Korean Children

Well established in the Philadelphia, PA, community, Dr. Andrew Collier practices with Philadelphia Orthopaedic Associates. Since the adoption of their oldest son, Dr. Andrew Collier and his wife have made contributions to Holt International Children's Services, an agency that maintains a strong presence in Korea.

Dedicated to the idea that children “need loving adoptive families,” Holt International was established by Harry and Bertha Holt in the mid-1950s, when many young Koreans were orphaned in the wake of the Korean War. After the Holts advocated before the U.S. Congress for a special act that would allow the adoption of Korean children, they were able to create their pioneering international adoption program.

Today Holt International continues in its mission with young Korean orphans, typically matching boys between 6 and 12 months of age with families in the United States. Most of these children are toddlers when they come home to adoptive families. As with children from other countries that Holt International works with, many Korean children have some health issue. This issue is frequently of a minor variety, such that the child is considered healthy upon arrival in the United States.