ISS/SIC Newsletter December 2018

Newsletter International Society of Surgery (ISS) Société Internationale de Chirurgie (SIC) December 2018

Welcome by the President

Andrew G. Hill, President ISS/SIC

Dear Friends Being the President of the ISS/SIC is a huge honor for me and I have been working hard since I last wrote.

It’s been a busy time with travel and with working to grow our society. Amongst other things I’ve travelled to Sri Lanka, the USA, and to Switzerland I’ve just completed a trip to Sri Lanka to visit with the College of Surgeons of Sri Lanka (CSSL). I was there with our Secretary General Ken Boffard and we both gave two presentations, including in an ISS/SIC branded session on education.

We spoke with their leadership and they are keen to work with us. As such we in-

Grunwald Monument in Krakow showing King Wladyslaw Jagiello II.

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tend working on an MOU which will include ways that CSSL members can be members of both societies and some practical support. We hope to develop other relationships with other similar societies. If these relationships develop as we hope they do it should lead to increased numbers of members for our society and opportunities to work with surgeons in the developing world.

A few months ago, Ken Boffard and I travelled to Chicago to meet up with leaders from the American College of Surgeons.

We met up with David Hoyt (the CEO), Girma Tefera (Director of Operation Giving back), Barbara Bass (the President) and Ron Maier (the President Elect). We talked in some depth about our two societies and how we could work together.

We have decided on a very practical project of mapping what Surgical Societies are doing in the area of Surgical Education in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMIC). I was able to talk about this with two of the Presidents of the UK Colleges who were also in Sri Lanka and they were very enthusiastic about the ISS/SIC taking the lead on this project. They see the ISS/SIC as being a Society that can rise above the local politics of the major surgical societies who have to look after their own constituents first. I think that the ISS/ SIC is really back on the World Stage and as we develop a strong vision and focus.

Plans are well progressed for the conference in Krakow next year. I remain confident that this will be a fantastic conference and I have added a Global Surgery programme and have invited some exciting international speakers to contribute.

We are currently working on sponsorship and we have a great team working on the details to produce a stimulating and interesting programme that will be of value to surgeons from all over the world.

We have joined G4 (www.theg4alliance. org), a strategic advocacy group of Surgical, Obstetric, Trauma and Anaesthesia Societies. I visited with them in Geneva earlier in the year and when I was in Chicago at the ACS I also visited with their chairman who is based just around the corner from the ACS. This is an exciting opportunity for us to be at the forefront of advocacy efforts towards surgery for all.

Paintings for sale in Krakow

In my travels has become clear to me that the ISS/SIC is valued very highly around the world and we often do not appreciate this. One of our roles is and will be to act as a link between surgical organisations.

It is very clear that some surgical societies in Low and Middle Income countries have a lot to offer to the rest of the world and we are key to helping them to unleash their potential. Our traveller programme (funded by our Foundation) is absolutely key to this. Our biggest supporter in Sri Lanka, for instance, is a previous traveller to our Congress and is a past president

of their national society. He is now our national delegate and is very keen to push forward the relationship between both societies.

We do a lot of good things and we are appreciated for doing so. Growing our brand and our footprint internationally is at the top of my agenda.

Andrew G. Hill President ISS/SIC & Congress President WCS 2019

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Report by the Secretary General Kenneth D. Boffard, Secretary General ISS/SIC

We come towards the end of a momentous year in the Society. As you may be aware there have been important changes which you confirmed at our Extraordinary General Meeting during the American College of Surgeons meeting in Boston, allowing us to become more attractive, to more people, in more parts of the world. Thank you to all our membership for their strong support. Details of the new membership fees appear in this newsletter and as you will notice we have recognised the economic constraints placed on members from lower- and middle-income countries and adjusted our membership fees accordingly. These fees will be effective immediately, for the next membership year. We feel that we are already the world’s most global surgical society, but in order to maintain our place we appreciate the realities and encourage the interaction of surgical care providers from across all income groups.

Making your Society more accessible is one way of doing this. Application for membership is now electronic, with a rapid turn-around time.

meeting. More details are in this newsletter, and the closing date for abstracts is close at hand.

As you will have seen from our President, Andrew Hill’s report, we are placing a large amount of emphasis on working together with other international colleges across the globe, and with organisations such as G4. In addition, we will be activating the ISS Academy, which coordinate our Surgical Education programme.

Too often, programmes are one-sided.

We have members scattered across the globe. Email our office, let us know how we can help initiatives in your country. We are seeking financial resources as well, but the greatest resource we have is you, our members, no matter where you live, nor what you do. Whether it is mentorship for projects, visits, elective periods, or advice on education or training, we can help. We are developing relationships, especially in our Lower-Middle income areas, with local and Regional Surgical Colleges, and forging new Partnerships. We envisage a significant ISS/SIC presence in local areas and partnerships, especially in the alternate years to our own Congress. More details in the next newsletter.

Ye ars ago, a G e r man Philosophe r, T h e o l o g i a n , a n d D o c t o r, A l b e r t Schweitzer, who spent most of his life working in Lambaréné, Gabon, said “Seek always to do some good, somewhere. Every man has to seek in his own way to realize his true worth. You must give some time to your fellow man. For remember, you don't live in a world all your own. Your brothers are here too”.

The International Society of Surgery is the world’s premier International Society, and we all have something to contribute.

For those of you celebrating the holiday season in December, and especially those in the South, who will be doing it in Midsummer, Best Wishes from all of us in the Office at ISS/SIC. Thanks to the team who work here and are so passionate about what they do. To all our members, we wish you a happy December, and a Peaceful and Prosperous New Year to come.

Kenneth D. Boffard Secretary General ISS/SIC

We also recognise the enormous contributions to world surgery made by our more senior members, and as you know, we have introduced the Fellowship of the International Society of Surgery. (F.I.S.S.).

Fellowship is by application, is awarded by the Council of the Society, and the details are on our website. Fellows pay the same membership dues but may use the letters after their names. If you feel you meet our criteria, I would encourage you to apply.

Plans for the Congress in Krakow are well advance, and we are expecting to have another successful and stimulating

Auditorium Hall at ICE, Krakow

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Report General Treasurer Anders Bergenfelz, General Treasurer ISS/SIC

of residence, and stratified according to the World Bank as: high income, upper middle income, lower middle income and low-income countries.

The reason for the change in fee structure is twofold:

An extraordinary General Assembly of the International Society of Surgery ISS/ SIC was held on Wednesday the 24th of October 2018 in conjunction with the Congress of the American College of Surgeons (ACS) in Boston. Except for some changes to the Constitution of the ISS/ SIC, the most important decision related to a new fee structure of the ISS/SIC, which will be implemented in 2019. The annual fee will depend on your country

1. Fairness for the members in the middle- and low-income countries 2. We need to grow in the middle- and low-income countries. Currently, only 23% of our membership resides in the low- and middle-income countries.

To complement the decision regarding the new fee structure, the application process to become an ISS/SIC member will be electronic, simplified, and with rapid communication of the decision.

We therefore encourage all ISS/SIC members to work actively to recruit new members for the society.

Anders Bergenfelz General Treasurer ISS/SIC

To be able to change the fee structure, the ISS/SIC has decided to invest of our reserves. The return of the investment (new members), will be evaluated by the ISS/ SIC council.

Report Editor in Chief WJS Julie Ann Sosa, Editor in Chief WJS

Hello and fall greetings from San Francisco to members of the ISS/SIC! This is my second contribution to the newsletter as Editor in Chief of the World Journal of Surgery; simply put, we have been busy!

This summer, David Watson MBBS, MD, PhD, FRACS, FRCSEd (hon), FAHMS joined our team of internationally renowned associate editors, replacing Ari Leppäniemi, MD PhD, a gastrointestinal surgeon from the Meilahti Hospital in Finland Dr Leppäniemi faithfully served as associate editor since 2005. Professor Watson is Professor and Head of Surgery at Flinders University, and works

concurrently as an esophagogastric surgeon at Flinders Medical Centre in Adelaide, South Australia. His interests include gastroesophageal reflux, and esophageal & gastric cancer. For more than 25 years, he has led clinical and laboratory research addressing benign and malignant esophageal disease, integrating laboratory, clinical and population research streams. He has published 400 papers and book chapters, led the development of Australian national guidelines for the management of esophageal and gastric cancer, and contributed to national guidelines for the management of Barrett’s esophagus. Professor Watson holds the Matthew Flinders Distinguished Professorship at Flinders University. We are thrilled to have him as a member of our editorial team.

David Watson, Associate Editor WJS

Our associate editors gathered in New York City in August for our biennial retreat; we spent a day and a half together at the Springer headquarters reviewing achievements for the year thus far and formulating strategy going forward. There was tremendous energy, discussion, and creativity, and many new ideas were generated. As a team-building exercise, we took a cooking class together and then created a dinner meal from scratch that was delicious; synergistic collaboration in the kitchen bodes well for great teamwork in the boardroom around journal strategy. Thanks to our publisher Yvonne Chan and managing editor Laura Shearer Hunter for orchestrating the event.

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Submissions to the World Journal of Surgery are continuing to rise; as of September 28, 2018, we had received 1,665 manuscript submissions, not counting revised manuscripts that are resubmitted for editorial consideration. As a result, we have been able to become more selective in the manuscripts that we accept. The newest World Journal of Surgery impact factor was announced, and it increased to an all-time high of 2.766, up from 2.673 last year. Our five year impact factor also increased from 2.922 to 3.052. Adding to the influence of the World Journal of Surgery will be our new relationship with the Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) Society; WJS is the official publication of ERAS, and we are anticipating publishing two sets of evidence-based, high impact ERAS guidelines later this year.

WJS is intentionally highlighting issues of importance to surgeons around the world. We published the Joint Statement of the Surgery Journals Editors Group around eliminating sex bias in research, and incorporated instructions to authors to fastidiously report on the sex of animal and human subjects as part of all submissions to WJS. Finally, I would encourage ISS/SIC members to read our Women in Surgery symposium that has appeared on line, reporting on the personal and professional experiences of women surgeons from Australia, Colombia, France, Germany, Malaysia, Uganda and the United States; several important themes were raised by the authors, casting light on opportunities that still exist to expand equity and inclusion in global surgery.

Associate Editors WJS meeting – after dinner

We are planning for the 48th World Congress of Surgery in Krakow, Poland in August 2019; there, we will carry on the tradition of co-sponsoring the Career Development for Academic Surgeons Course with the Association for Academic Surgery, the International Society for Digestive Surgery (ISDS), and the International Association for Surgical Metabolism and Nutrition (IASMEN) on Sunday, August 11, 2019, and organizing the Writers’ Workshop from Tuesday, August 13 through Thursday, August 15, 2019.

Julie Ann Sosa Editor in Chief WJS

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Report Local Organizing Committee WCS 2019 Adam Dziki, President LOC WCS 2019

Dear All The Congress date is coming up fast and so as the intensive preparation is taking place to ensure that all necessary arrangements are in place. The Conference flyer is now shared through various channels, e.g. on large regional meetings, to attract as many participants from diverse fields and regions as possible. The members of the organizational committee including me were present during the meeting of the ISS/SIC Committee, which was held during the Congress of the American College of Surgeons in Boston last Octo-

ber. During the ACS congress the World Congress of Surgery in Krakow was widely advertised and cordial invitation to participate in Congress was directed to all the fellows of ACS. In previous months other potential sponsors were contacted. For further arrangements, the company representatives were referred to Termedia or ISS/SIC office. The final list of all sponsors is being finally prepared.

Because larger responsibilities have been tackled so far, including venue and organizing company, the Local Organizing Committee could shift its focus to planning the particulars of the Congress.

Much attention is now paid to carefully prepare the Congress schedule and the Social Program. I believe we enable the participants to time for networking both on formal meetings at the Congress and

on casual talks in marvelous surroundings of the medieval city of Krakow.

The Congress is active in the Internet and new feeds are constantly added especially on Facebook and Twitter. This includes the series of posts presenting main members involved into the organization and the history of surgery in Poland, promoting the country and especially the region of Lesser Poland and Krakow itself.

We look enthusiastically forward to welcoming you in Poland next August. Make sure to settle your congress arrangements at a very early stage to profit from availability and best offers.

With kind regards, Adam Dziki President LOC WCS 2019

The ICE Congress Center, Krakow

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Street scene in Krakow

Report ISS Foundation Michael G. Sarr, Secretary/Treasurer ISS Foundation

The members of the ISS Foundation are preparing to review the applications for Travel Scholars for the WCS 2019 in Krakow, Poland. As in previous years, the ISS/SIC and IATSIC will use the same, updated application forms which are available on the ISS Foundation website (IssFoundation-ISSF.org). The number of travel scholarships available will be at least 6 and hopefully more. Please

remember that the application needs to be filled out completely and candidate’s need to be 40 years old or less and to have finished with their surgery training.

Emphasis will be given to scholars from the developing world and especially those involved in educational activities. Also please note that these scholarships are also open to anesthesiologists.

Other activities that the ISS Foundation have been involved in this past year include funding to BSI for several outreach educational programs put on in Asia and to IAES for their outreach programs as well. The ISS Foundation encourages all member societies to develop outreach programs in the developing world that will fulfill the mission of the ISS Foundation,

i.e. to provide education of surgeons in the developing world.

As always, the ISS Foundation is in need of donations to suppor t its mission.

Please strongly consider a donation for these worthwhile endeavors.

Respectfully submitted Michael G. Sarr Secretary/Treasurer ISS Foundation

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Report by the Administrative Office ISS/SIC MEMBERSHIP

FELLOWSHIP FISS (protected title)

ISS/SIC reduces membership fees for UMIC, LMIC and LIC from 2019. Active members now pay the following rates (for members below age 40, the fee is 50% reduced):

The International Society of Surgery (ISS/SIC) only admits surgeons and anaesthesiologists to its scholarship whose professional activity is dedicated to practice excellence and who uncompromisingly agree to practice according to the professional and ethical standards of the Society.

High income country Upper middle-income country Lower middle-income country Low income country Get more information at iss-sic.com/membership.html

USD 180.00 USD 120.00 USD 80.00 USD 40.00

The next application deadline is 31 January 2019. Interested in the Fellowship of ISS/SIC (FISS)? Visit our website for more information. iss-sic.com/membership/fellowship.html

NATIONAL DELEGATES/REPRESENTATIVE

AWARDS, PRIZES, TRAVEL SCHOLARS

Do you know who represents ISS/SIC in your country? If you want to know more and contact your National Delegate/ Representative, click HERE.

We are currently looking for nominations for prizes and Honorary Membership. Deadline to hand in nominations is 31 December 2018.

Recently appointed/elected National Delegates: Gustavo Adrian Nari, Argentina Xiujun Cai, China Ho-Seong Han, Rep. of Korea Sebastian Ekenze, Nigeria Supakorn Rojananin, Thailand

Get more information at iss-sic.com/about/awards-of-iss-sic.html A number of travel scholarships will be awarded to surgeons/ anaesthetists below age 40.

For more information on travel scholarships go to wcs2019.org/registration

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The 48th World Congress of Surgery (WCS) 2019 of the International Society of Surgery (ISS/SIC) in co-organization with the Association of Polish Surgeons (APS) is an educational platform for surgeons, young doctors specializing in surgery, medical students and members

of diverse surgical teams. The characteristic feature of the World Congress of Surgery is, on the one hand, the possibility of practical learning and, on the other hand, discussion around the latest developments in surgical techniques and scientific research. It is also a unique pro-

fessional networking platform, providing access to peers, young surgeons, mentors and specialist knowledge from all over the world.

Meet the complete Local Organizing Committee and find out about the members and their professional background at https://www.wcs2019.org/organizing-committee-new.

The other members of the Local Organizing Committee will be presented in the next newsletter.

ABSTRACTS

REGISTRATION

Ready to present your scientific work at the 48th World Congress of Surgery?

Make sure you won’t miss the deadline of 24 January 2019. For submission click the button:

To profit from attractive registration rates, Members registering by 31.1.2019 will profit of lowest fees. A variety of attractive Congress Fees considering backgrounds of delegates has been established by the committee! Check out your Fee on the registration page.

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Also make sure to book your accommodation as early as possible. Krakow is a touristy city and gets crowded in August – hotel accommodation will be sold out very soon! You may arrange your booking directly when registering for the congress.

With our best Season’s Greetings and wishes for a prosperous New Year!

Your Team at the Administrative Office ISS/SIC Keep up to date with ISS/SIC and WCS 2019 on social media

ISS/SIC Administrative Office Staff: Chris Storz, Laurie Lazaro, Mike Iliopoulos, Denise Eggler Braun (FLTR)

Report IAES Gerard M. Doherty, President IAES

Janice L. Pasieka, Secretary/Treasurer IAES

Greetings from the IAES. On behalf of our president Dr. Gerry Doherty, Secretary-Treasurer Dr. Janice Pasieka and the entire council we are pleased to report the upcoming Krakow meeting is shaping up to be one of our best yet.

Krakow, a former royal capital of Poland, is one of the oldest and most beautiful European cities. It is a town where history and modernity intertwine. Situated on

the banks of the Vistula River, Krakow is famous for its priceless historical monuments of culture and art. The Old Town is included in the UNESCO World List of Cultural Heritage. Besides history, art and unforgettable atmosphere, Krakow provides its visitors with entertainment and relaxation; theatres, cabarets, cafes, restaurants and wine cellars offer something for everyone. International festivals and other events usually take place on the Main Market Square or beneath the Royal Wawel Castle.

The Main Market Square with St. Mary's Church and the renaissance Cloth Hall in the middle (a traditional place of trade) is the oldest part of the Old Town. They are most valuable historical buildings in town. Another pearl of Krakow is the gothic building of Collegium Maius, one of the first universities in Europe, founded in 1364. The Wawel hill, the seat of Polish kings is an example of magnificent Renaissance architecture. Near the Royal Castle is the gothic building of the Wawel Cathedral which, over the centuries, has witnessed the most important religious and state ceremonies. Almost all

the monarchs of Poland are buried in the Cathedral crypts. Kazimierz, the former Jewish district, founded in the 14th century, is now one of the most often visited parts of Krakow. Its history and unique atmosphere have helped to make it one of the most famous Jewish quarters in Europe. In 1993 Steven Spielberg filmed “Schindler’s List” there. Since that time, hundreds of tourists have visited Kazimierz every day, wishing to explore “Schindler’s Krakow”. The bustling cafes, pubs and restaurants with their bohemian clientele, local residents going about their everyday lives and the Jewish architecture and culture (historical and contemporary), combine to create unique climate of this part of Krakow.

Dr. Marcin Barczynski is our local arrangement chair in Krakow and has worked hard to secure two lovely hotels in the heart of the old city as our official IAES headquarters. IAES members need to book their rooms before the end of 2018 as rooms at either the Hotel Stary or Hotel pod Rosa are limited. Instructions on booking these room was sent to the membership earlier this year, please

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tions which will start on Sunday afternoon before the opening ceremonies, and our Eye-opening video session moderated by Dr. Barry Inabnet.

This year we will be trying a new format in our trainee paper free paper sessions, by having invited discussants on four pre-selected papers. These discussants (Drs. Jan Zedenius, Fausto Palazzo, Carmen Solorzano and Quan Duh) will help focus the discussion, bring out the controversies and challenge the presenter and the data. A written discussion will then accompany the manuscript if accepted in the World Journal of Surgery.

New this year, we will hope to bring an informal ‘Update on the basic science literature session’ that will highlight recently published papers of interest to us endocrine surgeons. I have appointed Dr. Stan Sidhu to moderate this session and we will be looking for feedback on this initiative. Dr. Meei Yeung will chair the Program Committee in the selection of our free papers and posters for the meeting along with a distinguish list of international IAES members. Want to get involved in the scoring of abstracts? Let the IAES office know. A reminder to all about the abstract deadline on January 24, 2019. Electronic submission only: https://www.wcs2019.org This October marked the 25 years since the publication of a laparoscopic adrenalectomy by Dr. Michel Gagner. This approach truly changed the way we approach the adrenal glands and helped lead the way for further advancements in the surgical treatment of adrenal lesions.

Look for a historical vignette in our Christmas newsletter.

Krakow at night

follow the directions carefully. Our annual banquet will be held on Tuesday August 13 at the Resturacja Wierzynek in the historical old town. Be sure to secure your banquet tickets when you register as this event usually sells out before the meeting and space in limited.

The program highlights include Dr. Megan Haymart, a leading endocrinologist from the University of Michigan, who will be giving the Peter Heimann Lecture. Dr. Carrie Lubitz and Dr. Peter Stålberg,

will be giving the State of Art Lectures on Patient Reported Outcomes Research and Small Bowel Neuroendocrine Tumours, respectively.

The program will include two panel sessions; one on The Surgeon’s Well-being moderated by Dr. Sally Carty and the other discussing Endocrine Surgery without the high-tech bells and whistles - back to basics…moderated by Dr. Tobias Carling. Back by popular demand is the Interesting Case Presenta-

Our INTEREST program continues to flourish. Drs. Rob Parkyn and Bo Wangberg earlier this year ran a successful course in Viet Nam. Drs. Borel Rinke and Schelto Kruijff will be travelling to Malaysia to help run a combined Endocrine / Breast course with our BSI colleagues. The IAES will be signing a MoU with the Minister of Health Malaysia on Nov 1, 2018 to continue with these important outreach programs. We are grateful for the help and support from the ISS Foundation that has allowed us to continue to run such programs.

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Market place, Krakow

The IAES Post Grad course run by Dr. Dimitrios Linos, had a successful meeting in Athens. The highlight of the meeting was a keynote address in the opening ceremonies by Professor Fotios Pavlatos who was the first to describe the overnight dexamethasone suppression test.

You may have seen a change in the look of our Website. The ad hoc website committee (Drs. Fausto Palazzo, Shirley Liu, Steve Rogers, Keat Cheah, James C. Lee and Barb Miller) have started the process of updating our website to make it more useful to our membership. We plan to launch the new version prior to the Krakow meeting.

The IAES continues to recruit new members from around the world and have just added another 12 new members. Recently the ISS/SIC has changed the fee structure to help recruit younger members and members from lower income countries

by weighting the dues structure. We feel this is a much welcomed addition to our own association as it allows us to reach a broader number of endocrine surgeons.

Report IATSIC Christine Gaarder, President IATSIC

Hope to see you at the Krakow meeting!

Janice L. Pasieka Secretary/Treasurer IAES

Trauma is teamwork! The critically injured patient requires and deserves the same quality of care wherever the injury takes place. Caring for the severely injured is challenging, but also one of the most rewarding and exciting areas to work in. Optimizing trauma care includes developing and implementing trauma systems, making sure every contributor in the trauma chain of survival – from the scene through hospital care to rehabilitation, has the required competence and communication skills. It also includes developing quality

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improvement and reserach programs.

And this everyday system has to work during mass casualty situations such as disasters and conflicts.

Join us in IATSIC, the largest multidisciplinary international trauma society, aiming at improving trauma care globally. IATSIC is moving forward and our main ambitions lie within the areas of education, research, communication and advocacy.

Education By the end of 2018, approximately 100 DSTC courses will have been organized since the beginning of 2017, and the courses currently run in more than 30 countries. Since anaesthetists formally joined IATSIC and the DATC committee was created, active work has been going on to align the surgical and anaesthesiologic aspects of this vital teamwork.

Revised slides and a new Edition of the DSTC manual are expected in 2019. If you are engaged in trauma care and like to teach, you belong as a member in IATSIC!

Global engagement All countries need trauma educational programs. Not all countries are able to or can afford formal DSTC/DATC courses.

We are currently working on other course concepts and being able to offer adjusted educational programs for any country in the world within their resource setting.

Global engagement for the severely injured implies working on educational programs specifically developed for mass casualty incidents like disasters and conflicts. IATSIC will be working on adding a generic disaster preparedness training module to the portfolio.

Recently, an MoU between IATSIC and ICRC was signed, and the aim is to cooperate concerning teaching material, educational concepts, and also possibly to become a hub for recruitment of skilled and experienced clinicians for future missions. IATSIC hopes this cooperation can inspire other agencies to join as well.

Research The most recent ambition of IATSIC is to work towards becoming a research hub for trauma, aiming specifically at facilitating trauma research projects in LMICs. Watch this space!

Communication Our website has obvious potential for improvement. We want young trauma interested clinicians to join and to help us make our website a strong communication platform, providing exchange of experience and ideas, interesting publications, information about ongoing activities and exchange programs, in addition to the upcoming congress and planned courses.

You can really make a difference! Maybe

we can tempt students from the associated IASSS to join us and be our social media representative?

The next WCS will take place in Krakow 11th to 15th August 2019. The IATSIC program runs the full 4 days and we are extremely excited about the content – amazing presenters, a variety of topics, and the excitement lasts until the very last session on Thursday. Check the program and join us in beautiful Krakow. There will be an IATSIC dinner on Tuesday evening.

For DSTC course directors and instructors there will also be a pre-congress workshop on the Sunday.

IMPORTANT NOTICE With this we also remind all IATSIC members to book your hotel rooms early. IATSIC has chosen the charming Hotel Unicus Palace as their society hotel (www.hotelunicuspalace.pl). We have negotiated the rates and have reserved the whole hotel. You just need to email the hotel (kzemla@ hotelunicuspalace.pl) and quote IATSIC as the reference. Mark the dates in your calendar already, book your hotel room and help us make this a memorable event!

Sincerely Christine Gaarder, President, IATSIC On behalf of the IATSIC Executive Committee

Hotel Unicus Palace, IATSIC Headquarters Krakow

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Report BSI Omar Z. Youssef, President BSI

BSI Outreach activities In the past few months, BSI has carried out several outreach activities in low and middle income countries. To carry these outreach activities, BSI would like to thank the ISS Foundation for a donation of USD 20’000.

In 2012, BSI and IAES signed an MOU with the College of Surgeons Academy of Medicine Malaysia, and the Ministry of Health Malaysia to run 5 breast and

The 6th Breast and Endocrine Surgery Course – Kuala Lumpur 2 and 3 Nov 18

BSI Faculty, Dr Sharon Chan and Professor Mikael Hartman with participants at the 6th Breast and Endocrine Surgery Course in Kuala Lumpur 2-3 Nov 18

endocrine surgery (BES) courses for Malaysian surgeons. The 5th and last BES course was held in Kota Kinabalu on 1718 Nov 2017. The signing of a new MOU to continue the collaboration took place on 1 Nov 2018 in the Ministry of Health Malaysia, followed by the 6th BES Workshop on 2-3 Nov 2018 in Kuala Lumpur. It is hoped the BES Course will continue to train breast surgeons in Malaysia, a middle income country in South East Asia.

Besides Malaysia, BSI has held a breast s u r g e r y wo r k s h o p w i t h t h e S o u t h East Asian Breast Cancer Symposium (SEABCS) every year, in Vietnam in 2016, Myanmar in 2017 and Kuching Malaysia in 2018, and again at the next SEABCS in Bangkok in 2019. The recent BSI workshop in Kuching Malaysia on 5 August 2018 was aimed at general surgeons who perform breast surgery, noting that in most parts of South East Asia, there is a lack of breast surgeons and breast surgery is performed by general surgeons.

There were almost 60 participants from around the region. The BSI team, namely Gaurav Agarwal from India, Omar Youssef from Cairo, and Owen Ung from Australia, were joined by surgeons from the region, and included in the programme was a discussion on breast surgery training in South East Asia.

The latest activity was the participation of BSI in the Association of Breast Surgeons of India Conference (ABSICON) at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences from 9-11 Nov 2018. BSI was the academic partner and the Treasurer of BSI, Professor SVS Deo was the Organising Secretary of the conference. BSI was represented by the President-Elect of BSI, Professor Gaurav Agarwal and C o u n c i l M e m b e r Profe s s o r M i k a e l Hartman. The conference was attended by 400 delegates and faculty. Novel sessions such as Breast Cancer Genetics for Surgeons, Low Cost Innovations, and dedicated sessions for survivors and support groups were organised. A cadaveric course of breast oncoplastic and reconstructive surgery was organised to train surgeons. BSI promotional activity was carried out including prominent display of BSI as an academic partner on all signages and websites and BSI pamphlets were distributed to delegates.

A keynote lecture delivered by Professor Mikael Hartman was named as the BSI Lecture.

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ABSCOM 9-11 Nov 2018.

Professor Mikael Hartman, Professor Gaurav Agarwal and Professor SVS Deo

BSI Faculty in SEABCS Kuching 5 Aug 2018 – Professor Owen Ung and Professor Gaurav Agarwal

BSI Faculty in SEABCS Kuching 5 Aug 2018 – Professor Omar Youssef and Professor Gaurav Agarwal

BSI programme in WCS Krakow Aug 2019 BSI has prepared an exciting programme for the WCS in Krakow in August 2019, with a theme of breast cancer in young women. There will be 2 preconference workshops on Sunday, 11 August 2019, one on Oncoplastic and Reconstructive Breast Surgery, and the second workshop on Innovative Surgical Procedures.

There will be symposia, debates, as well as one combined session with the Polish Society of Surgical Oncology, and another combined session with ASAP (Alliance for Surgery and Anaesthesia Presence).

I am pleased to announce that the Umberto Veronesi Lecturer 2019 is Professor Kerstin Sandelin, founder member of BSI and Honorary Fellow of the International Society of Surgery.

BSI will award 5 travel fellowships of USD 1’000 each. There will also be a prize of USD 400 resp. USD 200 for the two best posters, and two prizes for the breast oral presentation (First Prize USD 500 and Second Prize USD 250.)

I would like to invite everyone to have a look at the programme on the website: https://www.wcs2019.org/. The deadline for abstracts is 24 January 2019.

Omar Z. Youssef President BSI

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Report ISDS Hiroyuki Konno, President ISDS

Dear Friends, I invite all ISDS members across the world to join the 48th World Congress of Surgery (WCS), to be held Aug 11-15 next year, in Krakow, Poland. It was my great honor to take over the President of International Society for Digestive Surgery (ISDS) in Basel 2017. Since then, ISDS Executive Committee Meeting was held several times. It has been my pleasure to work with Prof. Alessandro Fichera, the President-Elect of ISDS and the other Executive Committee members; we worked very well together and they have been an unending source of productive suggestions on how to run the Society. Especially, Prof. Fichera has made his best efforts to help me seek solutions for important ISDS-related issues and controversies.

its 50th anniversary of incorporation. We are preparing to hold a special event to celebrate this important milestone at the ISDS Presidential session.

ISDS scientific program will have great sessions and highlights. Basic surgical principles and advanced surgical skills will be discussed in the ISDS main sessions to contribute to the education of medical students and young surgeons. To foster discussions in the cancer sessions, the ISDS will launch Tumor Board type sessions involving the entire spectrum of specialties in cancer care and physicians from Poland and neighboring countries.

Scientific and educational presentations followed by productive discussions will be carried out. According to the Local

Organizing Committee, a large body of Polish surgeons is expected to attend the Krakow’s meeting. I hope that presentations and discussions in the scientific sessions and informal get-togethers will promote cultural exchange with our Eastern European colleagues.

Aside from the scientific program, Krakow is very beautiful city, and I am sure you will enjoy your stay in Krakow. Together with the ISDS Executive Committee Members, I look forward to seeing you in Krakow.

Sincerely, Hiroyuki Konno, President of ISDS

The ISDS Executive Committee has worked hard to make sure that ISDS will continue to be an integral component and contributor to the development of ISS/ SIC and to work to support the success of ISS/SIC. As a part of our efforts, we have decided to form a team to attend the Peruvian Surgical Society Annual Meeting in Lima in March 2019, in conjunction with Prof. Andrew Hill, the President of ISS/ SIC. The ISDS will continue to contribute to develop surgery and education of young surgeons in low and middle income countries as an integrated society of the ISS/SIC. If you are interested in global digestive surgery, I strongly encourage you to become a member of the ISDS and ISS/SIC. For our society, the 48th WCS 2019 has a special meaning, as the ISDS was incorporated in 1969 as the Collegium Internationale Chirurgiae Digestivae (CICD). At the WCS in Krakow, the ISDS will celebrate

Typical courtyard in Krakow

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Report ASAP Kathleen M. Casey, President ASAP

Dear Colleagues and Friends I am excited to share the many wonderful things currently happening within ASAP and the ISS/SIC that have great potential to impact our mission to advance surgical and anesthesia care for the underserved around the world.

ISS/SIC and Global Surgery First - under Andrew Hill’s leadership as ISS/SIC President, the ISS/SIC is embracing global surgical care as central to its mission. This is obviously great news for all of us dedicated to this work. President Hill has been exploring a variety of partnerships with organizations in LMICs and will chair a special panel on the topic in Krakow, Poland which will nicely augment the strong program ASAP has put together for the 48th World Congress of Surgery WCS 2019.

Second - several important updates to the ISS/SIC Constitution and Bylaws were unanimously passed at the “extraordinary General Assembly” of the ISS/SIC held during the American College of Surgeons’ annual Clinical Congress in Boston MA in late October. Going forward, the membership dues for ISS/SIC will be stratified according World Bank country income levels, with low income country members prorated at 25% of full dues; lower middle income country members at 50%; and upper middle income country members at 75%. In addition, dues for members under the age of 40 will be assessed at half the cost at each level, including in high income countries. This new dues structure will be active as of January 1, 2019.

In addition, the updated Constitution now includes provisions for medical students

to become members. Lastly, there is clarification that all “persons and entities who identify themselves with the purpose and the objective of the Society may apply for membership,” inclusive of medical doctors and non-medical specialists . . . i.e., our nursing colleagues, global health coordinators, and others who have traditionally been part of the ASAP “family”.

dedic ated to childre n’s he alth and well-being, which presented some unique opportunities to remind others in the field of the critical importance of surgical and anesthesia care and discuss possibilities for collaboration across disciplines. Great thanks to ASAP Secretary Liz Drum for all of her many contributions to the success of this event.

Please spread the news widely on each of these advances in ISS/SIC membership policy, which can be reviewed online (http://iss-sic.com/files/iss_ sic_2019_constitution.pdf). Another positive development is that the ISS/SIC Administrative Office has been committed to improving the membership process, implementing an online application and a streamlining quicker approval notifications. We are hopeful that these proposed changes in dues structure will enable more of our colleagues from LMICs to join ISS/SIC and also hope to reengage many of our former associates who have previously been unable to formally join ISS/SIC.

ASAP is honored to have played a role in planning the upcoming 2018 COSECSA conference to be held in Kigali, Rwanda in early December. This year’s conference has dual themes – Surgical Infection and Global Surgery and will feature a panel sponsored by ASAP. In what we believe is a new element at a COSECSA meeting, ASAP has also facilitated a joint meeting of the Rwandan Anesthesia Society (RAS) within the COSECSA conference. Taking advantage of the synchronicity of ASAP Council member, Paulin Banguti currently serving as President of the RAS, ASAP will be contributing to the both the COSECSA and RAS programs. We are also thrilled to have the support of ISS/ SIC President Andrew Hill at these events and welcome the opportunity to showcase the work of ASAP and the ISS/SIC.

Over the coming months ASAP will be formally updating our Constitution and Bylaws so that they align with the revised ISS/SIC Constitution. We’ll formally vote to adopt these in Krakow next August and will share the proposed changes in advance to allow a comment period from the ASAP membership.

ASAP on the Agenda 2018 continues to be a particularly busy year for ASAP. We’ve just wrapped up our official annual meeting which was held in conjunction with the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) in the US. It was another successful conference with a strong faculty and plenty of opportunities to engage participants in dialog.

We featured speakers from global surgery, anesthesia, obstetrics, and surgical nursing, representing the academic and research perspective, the NGO perspective, and the medical student and resident perspectives. Topics covered included global health ethics, educational partnerships and collaborations, best practices and challenges, pain management, innovations, and global health advocacy.

In addition, we were able to network with the broader global health community

Over the past year, I’ve had the pleasure of being an invited speaker at the two largest international gatherings of medical students interested in surgical careers, the International Association of Student Surgical Societies (IASSS) conference in Bucharest, Romania and the International Student Surgical Network (InciSioN) conference in Leuven Belgium.

I’m so energized by these two groups and look forward to welcoming members of both into the ISS/SIC in the coming year and particularly welcome the opportunity to collaborate with them on the future of global surgery.

Among the many meetings each year that feature ASAP members speaking about Global Surgery, the General Surgeons Australia (GSA) meeting in Fiji in early October was particularly ASAPrich event, featuring our Past-Presidents Kelly McQueen and Steve Bickler, honorary Past-President David Watters, and current Vice-President, Russ Gruen as speakers.

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Important Deadlines for your Calendar There are several rapidly approaching deadlines over the next several months to be aware of.

December 31, 2018 - Nominations are due for the various prestigious ISS/SIC Awards which will be formally recognized in Krakow, including the ISS/SIC Prize, the Robert Danis Prize, the René Leriche Prize and ISS/SIC Honorary Membership. Application forms and further information on each are available online at http://iss-sic.com/about/awards-ofiss-sic.html.

January 24, 2019 – Deadline for submission of abstracts to be considered for both oral and poster presentation during International Surgical Week / the World’s Congress of Surger y in Krakow Poland, August 11-15, 2019. https://www.wcs2019.org/abstracts January 31, 2019 – Applications for ISS Fellowship should be submitted by December 31, 2018 in order to be considered for induction at the 2019 World’s Congress of Surgery in Krakow in August. To learn more about this honorary category of ISS/SIC membership which has been recently implemented, visit ht t p: // iss-sic.com /mem ber s hip/ fellowship.html.

Mary Church, Krakow

We have requests for speakers at a number of events – if you are interested in representing ASAP in this capacity, please let us know.

Krakow As you are all aware, the next biennial World Congress of Surgery of the ISS/ SIC will be held August 11-15 in Krakow, Poland. ASAP has assembled a robust and forward looking agenda that runs throughout the four days of the conference. Be sure to make your plans so as to be able to enjoy the entirety of the meeting. We are thrilled to share that half the expert speakers included in ASAP program for Krakow hail from LMICs. And

we are pleased to be jointly presenting plenary sessions with the International Association of Trauma and Surgical Intensive Care (IATSIC), the International Association for Endocrine Surgery (IAES), Breast Surgery International (BSI), the Association of Women Surgeons (AWS) and the Global Initiative for Children’s Surgery (GICS).

Our traditional ASAP dinner will be on the evening of Tuesday, August 12, held in conjunction with IATSIC again which promises to be another energetic, enjoyable and unforgettable event in a wonderful setting in historic Krakow. Stay tuned for further details!

Lastly, please keep in mind that it will soon be time to consider nominations for a number of leadership roles in ASAP, including the Treasurer position (2 year term), the ASAP representative to the WJS Editorial Board (5 year term), as well as committee chairs which also serve on the ASAP Council.

As the upcoming holiday season approaches, I wish health and happiness to you and yours -

Respectfully submitted, Kathleen M. Casey President, Alliance for Surgery and Anesthesia Presence

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Report IASSS Gabriella Hyman, IASSS President

We, at the International Association of Student Surgical Societies (IASSS), are honoured and excited to be formally included as the official pre-specialist society of the ISS/SIC. We are confident that our partnership will continue to enrich aspiring surgical care physicians’ academic careers; facilitate meaningful interpersonal experiences; and provide more collaborative opportunities in the field of surgery.

We are particularly excited to be hosting the Future Surgeon Track at the World Congress of Surgery (WCS) next year.

Having led the first student delegation to WCS in Basel last year, we look forward to expanding the program to encompass career development, research capacity development and leadership development. Our focus will be on enhancing

mentorship opportunities for the world’s brightest and most inspired aspiring surgeons, with the worlds most respected and influential surgeons - WCS members.

We acknowledge students’ crucial role to play in establishing and actualising global surgical care priorities and facilitating this contribution is a core priority for our organisation and the Future Surgeon Track.

IASSS, as a grassroots organisation, has grown significantly since its inception in 2011; we are proud to represent member societies from every continent. Our organisation prides itself on providing members with annual international symposia that provide students with the opportunity to engage the most recent surgical innovators and innovations; network with like-minded individuals; engage fellow students’ research; and learn crucial surgical skills at our renowned workshops. Both high and low-middle income countries including the Namibia, Romania, Australia and South Africa - have hosted our symposia. We prioritise affordability and equitable access to the unique career development opportunities we offer. In the spirit of collaboration, our most recent meeting was co-hosted in Cape Town earlier this year by 2 universities: Stellenbosch University and the University of Cape Town.

We are looking forward to our upcoming symposium in Australia 2019, which we will be co-hosting with the Australasian Students Surgical Association.

The IASSS team is committed to making a meaningful contribution to the field of surgical care. We are in the process of registering as a Non-Governmental Organisation, hosting a series of career development webinars, supporting the establishment of a student surgical journal and undertaking research projects, all the while supporting the establishment of local student surgical societies across the globe. We remain committed to fostering a pre-specialist passion for surgery and global surgery, in particular, to nurturing a passion for safe, equitable, accessible surgical care for patients and to working towards establishing an equitable, accessible and productive environment for surgeons to redefine the future of surgery.

The future of surgery is exciting; the journey towards it more so! We look forward to seeing you at our Future Surgeon Track in Krakow.

Gabriella Hyman, IASSS President On behalf of the IASSS Executive Team 2018/19

Global Surgery Report Breast and Endocrine Surgery Course in Malaysia – collaboration between BSI, IAES and Malaysia (MOH Malaysia and CSAMM) One of the objectives of ISS/SIC, including BSI and IAES is to partner with surgical societies and organisations in lowand middle-income countries for capacity building, specifically to assist these countries with educational and training efforts for surgeons within their own countries.

BSI is committed to the advancement of the science and art of breast surgery, and maintenance of high standards in practice of breast surgery - with an area of emphasis toward developing quality breast cancer care in the developing countries.

IAES on the other hand, provides an educational mechanism to enhance the quality of endocrine surgery on a global

perspective through its global outreach programmes.

On 25th May 2012, the Honourable Minister of Health Malaysia witnessed the signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MOU between the College of Surgeons, Academy of Medicine (CSAMM) Malaysia, and IAES and BSI, to introduce the Breast and Endocrine Surgery (BES) Course in Malaysia, with active involvement of MOH Malaysia. Following this MOU, five BES Courses were conducted, and during each course, 2 faculty from BSI and IAES respectively came to Malaysia and gave lectures at the course, which were

organised by local organising committee.

The airfares of the faculty were provided by their respective organisations, while CSAMM provided the local travel and accommodation. These 5 courses were very successfully held, with inaugural course done in Putrajaya (2012), followed

by Kuala Trengganu (2013), Johor Bahru (2014), Kota Bharu (2016) and Kota Kinabalu (2017). In 2015, there was no BES Course due to the overlapping World Congress of Surgery which was held in Bangkok that particular year.

After the expiry of the 2012 MOU, discussions were held between the BSI, IAES,

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Signing of the MOU between IAES, BSI, Ministry of Health Malaysia, and College of Surgeons, Academy of Medicine Malaysia.

From L to R: Dato’ Dr Imi Sairi Ab Hadi (Head of the Breast and Endocrine Unit, MOH Malaysia), Professor Emeritus Dato’ Dr ChengHar Yip (ISS/SIC National Delegate Malaysia), Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah (Director General of Health Malaysia, ISS/SIC Global Surgery Chair) The Honourable Minister of Health, Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad, Professor Rosmawati Mohamed (Master, Academy of Medicine Malaysia), Dato’ Dr Azman Hj Abu Bakar (Deputy Director-General of Health Malaysia) and Professor Dato’ Hanafiah Harunarashid (President, College of Surgeons, Academy of Medicine Malaysia)

CSAMM, and the Ministry of Health Malaysia to continue this strategic partnership. It was collectively decided that the partnership shall continue with a new MOU for another 2 years, rather than five years, due to concerns on adequate funding from IAES and BSI. On 1st November 2018, two concurrent MOUs were signed at the Ministry of Health Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur. The first MOU was between the CSAMM, signed

by Professor Rosmawati Mohamed and the Ministry of Health, signed by Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah. Under this MOU, CSAMM will organise the course while the Ministry of Health will provide the facilities and support the participants from the Ministry of Health. The second MOU was between CSAMM, signed by Professor Rosmawati and Professor Emeritus Dr Cheng-Har Yip, immediate Past President of BSI and ISS/SIC National Delegate for Malaysia, on behalf of BSI. The MOU was subsequently signed by the IAES representatives,

IAES Faculty with the MOU L to R: Dato’ Dr Imi Sairi Ab Hadi, Professor Inne Borel Rinkes, Dr Schelto Kruijff, and Professor Emeritus Dato’ Dr Cheng-Har Yip

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Sharon Chan, Hong Kong

Professor Inne Borel Rinkes and Schelto Kruijff. Under this MOU, CSAMM will organise the course, while BSI and IAES will appoint two faculty respectively to deliver lectures at the course. Both of these MOUs were signed in the presence of the Honourable Minister of Health, Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad.

Following the MOU, the 6th Breast and Endocrine Surgery Course was held in Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre on 2nd to 3rd November 2018.

This immensely successful course was attended by more than 200 participants.

The first day was on Breast Surgery, with

Mikael Hartman, Singapore

2 BSI faculty from abroad, Dr Sharon Chan from Hong Kong and Professor Mikael Hartman from Singapore, supported by two local faculty, Professor Emeritus Dr Cheng-Har Yip and Professor Nur Aishah Taib. The second day focussed on Endocrine Surgery, with IAES faculty, Professor Inne Borel Rinkes from Utrecht Medical University in the Netherlands, and Dr Schelto Kruijff from the University of Groningen, Netherlands.

It is hoped that the strategic partnerships and collaborations between the two integrated societies of ISS/SIC (BSI and IAES), CSAMM and Ministry of Health

Malaysia will continue to grow in the future. Breast and endocrine surgery is a rapidly developing subspecialty in Malaysia and international networking between local and international societies will help to bring further recognition to Malaysia.

This is coherent with Malaysia’s vision to be the hub for specialty and subspecialty training in the region. Kuala Lumpur, represented by CSAMM, has won the bid to hold the 49th World Congress of Surgery (to be renamed the International Surgical Week) in Malaysia in August 2021.

Hisham Abdullah Chair Global Surgery Committee

INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY OF SURGERY Administrative Office (ISS/SIC) Seefeldstrasse 88 CH-8008 Zurich Switzerland Phone: +41 44 533 76 50 Fax: +41 44 533 76 59 E-Mail: surgery@iss-sic.com Web: www.iss-sic.com

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Leading the world INSTITUTE OF to better health GLOBAL SURGERY

The RCSI Institute of Global Surgery (IGS) will implement a programme of work to achieve its strategic objectives across 3 pillars – Education and Training, Research, and Advocacy. These pillars reflect RCSI’s strengths and will enable the IGS to build on the relationships and achievements of the COSECSA collaboration, COST-Africa and SURG-Africa; as well as the global reach of RCSI’s alumni and professional networks

O’BRIEN CHAIR OF GLOBAL SURGERY RCSI (Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland) is seeking to appoint an outstanding and passionate individual to the position of O’Brien Chair of Global Surgery to lead the newly established Institute of Global Surgery (IGS) in RCSI’s Dublin campus.

The Chair will have the opportunity to make a major impact working with a world class team focused on making quality surgical care available to underserved populations and will participate in generating high impact research outputs, while setting the foundation for greater growth.

The O’Brien Chair of Global Surgery is a full-time, permanent Professorial appointment.

For further details and to apply please visit www.rcsi.com/dublin/globalsurgery Applications should be made no later than 5pm on Friday, 25 January 2019.

Informal enquiries may be made to Judy Walsh, RCSI Recruitment Lead at judywalsh@rcsi.ie or on +353 1 402 2440

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Deadline for Abstract submission: 24 January 2019

International Society of Surgery / SociĂŠtĂŠ Internationale de Chirurgie (ISS/SIC) and its Collective Member Societies: IAES - International Association of Endocrine Surgeons IATSIC - International Association for Trauma Surgery and Intensive Care IASMEN - International Association for Surgical Metabolism and Nutrition BSI - Breast Surgery International December 2018 ISDS - International Society for Digestive Surgery ASAP - Alliance for Surgery and Anesthesia Presence

SAVE THE DATE #WCS2019 www.wcs2019.org

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