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Chairman |
Dr Weiner graduated from the Medical School, University of Leipzig in 1976. Associate Professor at the same University since 1992 and Professor of Surgery at the Johan Wolfgang Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main since 2000. He has performed more than 3000 bariatric procedures and has developed and standardized the surgical technique for the lap application of gastric-banding (LAP-BAND) "Pars flaccida technique". Professor Weiner has published more than 400 medical articles in journals around the world including Surgical Endoscopy, Obesity Surgery e.t.c. and is a member of several societies, such as: Society of American Gastrointestinal Endoscopic Surgeons (S.A.G.E.S), International Federation for the Surgery of Obesity and Metabolic Disorders (I.F.S.O), European Association for Endoscopic Surgery (E.A.E.S), American Society for Bariatric and Metabolic Surgery (A.S.M.B.S). Professor Weiner was also the President of the German Society for Bariatric Surgery, President of IFSO European Chapter 2010-2012 and IFSO President 2014-15.
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Martin Fried, IFSO President 2001-2 |
Professor Martin Fried graduated from the Faculty of Medicine in Charles University of Prague in 1982. He became Surgical Registrar at the same University between 1982-1989. The following 2 years he worked as a Surgical Registrar at the Law Hospital in Carluke, Scotland. In 1991, he was employed as a Consultant Surgeon and Senior Lecturer at Charles University and in 1993, he was among the first surgeons worldwide to perform laparoscopic non-adjustable gastric banding operations in morbidly obese patients. Between 1994-2001, he was a Vice-Chairman of the 1st Surgical Department & Head of Laparoscopic Centre at the Charles University Hospital. Since 2002, he occupies the Head position of the Clinical Centre for Minimally Invasive Surgery & Bariatric Surgery ISCARE Hospital of Prague. He remains one of the founding members of the International Federation for the Surgery of Obesity & Metabolic Diseases (IFSO), IFSO Vice-President 1995-1997, IFSO President in 2002 and IFSO Executive Director of the European Chapter since 2006.
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Luc Lemmens, IFSO European Chapter President 2008-10 |
Dr Lemmens engaged with bariatric surgery in 1976 under the training of the 1st Belgian bariatric surgeon, Dr Ceulemans. Since then, he has performed more than 2.000 bariatric procedures, 350 of these by laparoscopy. He has presented a number of papers on BPD and Gastric Bypass on most of the International Symposia and congress of IFSO with different topics: personal series, BPD as a redo for failed restrictive bariatric procedures, redo surgery after complications or side effects of BPD, Banded gastric bypass and others. Dr Lemmens is a Founding member (1996) of the Benelux Association of Bariatric Surgeons (BABS) and its current Treasurer. He is also a Founding member of the Section for Obesity Surgery Belgium (SOSB). During the period 2008-2010, Dr Lemmens was the President of the European Chapter of IFSO and is a current Board member of the Federation. He is also a member of the Royal Belgian Society for Surgery and the Belgian Group for Endoscopic Surgery (BGES).
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John Melissas, IFSO President 2006-7 |
Dr Melissas graduated from the Medical School Athens University in June 1974. He was trained as a General surgeon at the 1st Dept of surgery, Athens University Medical School and became a qualified Surgeon in 1981. He then worked at Baragwanath Hospital Johannesburg, RSA as Registrar, senior Registrar and Consultant Surgeon from 1981 to 1988. He returned back to Greece in 1988 as Assistant Professor of Surgery at the University of Crete, Medical School. He was promoted to Associate Professor of Surgery in 1994 and to Professor of Surgery in 2006. He is the Director of Bariatric Unit at Heraklion University Hospital since 1993. He established in 1998 and was the first President (1998-2005) of the Greek Society for Bariatric Surgery. He was the Chairman of the organising committee of the 6th World Congress of IFSO held in Chania Crete in September 2001. He served as the General Secretary and vice President and as the President (2006-2007) of the International Federation for the Surgery of Obesity (IFSO).
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Prager Gerhard, |
Gerhard Prager is Associate Professor of Surgery at the Medical University of Vienna, Austria. He is the Head of Obesity Outpatients Clinic at General Hospital of Vienna. He is also the Head of the Metabolic Surgery Center in Confraternitaet Private Hospital.
He was the Secretary of the 20th World Congress of IFSO with more than 2.000 participants, held in Vienna Austria, August 26-29, 2015. Subsequently, he has served at the International Federation of Obesity and Metabolic Disorders (IFSO) as President-elect from 2016 to 2018 and as the President of IFSO-European Chapter from 2018 to 2020. He was also a former President of the Austrian Society for Obesity Surgery.
Professor Prager has experience of more than 3.000 bariatric/metabolic procedures. He performs Gastric bypass, Sleeve Gastrectomy, LAGB and Intra-gastric Balloon. During his academic career he has organized and participated at numerous workshops, lectures, round-table discussions and teaching courses. Since 2013, he is also a member of the Editorial Board of SOARD Journal. He has published 312 articles with 168 of them being original scientific publications. He has more than 6.643 citations of his published work. His H-index is 46.
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Antonio J. Torres, IFSO President 2011-2 |
Dr Torres graduated from Malaga University School of Medicine in 1978. In 1983, he got his Ph Degree at the Complutense University School of Medicine in Madrid. After completing his residencies, Dr. Torres became staff of the General, Digestive and Thoracic Service at the Clínico San Carlos Hospìtal, in Madrid (Spain). In 1986, he became Associate Professor of Surgery at the Complutense University of Madrid (Spain). In 2000, he became Professor of Surgery at the same University. At present time, he is Professor of Surgery at the Complutense University of Madrid, and Chief of the General, Digestive and Thoracic Surgery Service at the Clínico San Carlos Hospital. He is a member of 28 national and international professional associations including the International Society of Digestive Surgery, the American College of Surgeons, the European Association of Endoscopic Surgery and the Spanish Society of Surgeons. Dr. Torres has authored or co-authored over two hundred journal articles and serves as principal investigator on numerous studies including several grants funded by officials institutions. Currently, he is the President of the Spanish Society for Obesity Surgery (SECO) and President of the International Federation for the Surgery of Obesity (IFSO) 2011-2012.
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Yury Yashkov, IFSO European Chapter President 2012-4 |
Dr Yashkov graduated from the 1st Moscow Medical Institute in 1980. He then specialized in general surgery at the Russian Research Center of Surgery where he worked till 2002. Since 2003 he has worked as bariatric surgeon in Moscow at the Center of Endosurgery and Lithotripsy (CELT), a Center of Excellence in Bariatric and Metabolic Surgery. Professor of the 1st Moscow Medical University and doctor of the Medical Sciences (PhD) since 1999. In 1999 for first time in Russia, he proposed a concept of surgical treatment for Diabetes Mellitus type 2. Dr Yashkov is the author of more than 200 publications and more than 150 presentations mainly in the bariatric and metabolic surgery field. He is a Founding member and President of the Society of Bariatric surgeons of Russia since 2000, member of the Editorial Board of Obesity Surgery Journal and the IFSO European Chapter President for the period 2012-2014.