SHORT BIOS OF THE FACULTY

Rationale for metabolic surgery

IFSO-WOF Joint Session

Controversies of Metabolic Surgery

Kelvin Higa (USA)

Clinical Professor of Surgery, UCSF – Fresno Medical Education Program.
Past President International Federation for the Surgery of Obesity and Metabolic Disorders IFSO 2016-2017. Chair of the IFSO Ethics Committee.
Past President American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery ASMBS: 2007-2008.
Director Minimally Invasive and Bariatric Surgery, Fresno Heart and Surgical Hospital.

Aayed Alqathani (Saudi Arabia)

Consultant of MIS and Obesity Surgery at King Saud University. Chief Executive Officer and Medical Director of New You Medical Center. Director of King Saud University Obesity Chair and is a prominent bariatric surgeon.
He is the chair of the membership committee of the Saudi Arabia Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (SASMBS) and the member of society board.
He was elected President of the International Pediatric Endosurgery Group (IPEG) in 2019 and currently a member of the Executive Committee of the society.
Moreover, he founded the Middle East Chapter of IPEG in 2015.

Barham Abu Dayyeh (USA)

Dr. Abu Dayyeh is an Associate Professor of Medicine, Director of Advanced Endoscopy, Director of Metabolic and Bariatric Endoscopy, and Consultant in Gastroenterology and Advanced Therapeutic endoscopy at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. Dr. Abu Dayyeh has multiple pending patents, and he is the founder of a ventures funded start-up company focusing on the endoscopic treatment of diabetes and metabolic disease.
Dr. Abu Dayyeh has published more than 140 peer reviewed articles, reviews, and book chapters in the field. His work has been highly cited with more than two thousand citations. He received multiple awards and grants in support of his research, including the Star of Science Award given by His Majesty King Abdulla II during the World Science Forum in the Dead-Sea, Jordan 2017.

Wendy Brown (Australia)

Professor Wendy Brown is an Upper GI and Bariatric Surgeon, she is Chair of the Monash University Department of Surgery at the Alfred Hospital and Director of the Oesophago-Gastric-Bariatric unit at The Alfred. Wendy is also Director of the Monash University Centre for Obesity Research and Education and Clinical Director of the National Bariatric Surgery Registry and Victorian State Upper GI Cancer Registry. Her sub-specialist interests are oesophago-gastric cancer, gastrooesophageal reflux disease and bariatric surgery. Her research interests include health outcomes from bariatric surgery, animal models of bariatric surgery and basic mechanisms underlying satiety. She is Past President of OSSANZ and President of ANZGOSA, Past Senior Examiner in General Surgery for the RACS, Deputy Chair of the Victorian State Consultative Surgical Council.
In IFSO: Former Chair of the Scientific Committee and current Chair of the Registry Committee.
She was awarded the prestigious RACS John Mitchell Crouch Fellowship for Surgical Research Excellence in 2018.

Jerome Dargent (France)

General and bariatric surgeon, MD – Polyclinique Lyon Nord, France.
Past president of IFSO-EC and French Obesity Surgery Federation (SOFFCOMM).

Manoel Galvao Neto (Brazil)

Affiliate professor of Surgery at ABC Medical School Sao Paulo, Brazil.
SAB member of ABE/ASGE.
Former Chair of the IFSO Bariatric Endoscopy Member of Bariatric Endoscopy committee.
Board certified in Digestive Surgery, Gastroenterology and Endoscopy.
Innovation Award from ASBMS in 2015.

Ricardo Cohen (Brazil)

Director of The Center for the treatment of Obesity and Diabetes, Oswaldo Cruz German Hospital, Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Past President of the Brazilian Society for Bariatric and Metabolic Surgery. Past President of IFSO Latin America Chapter.
Member of the IFSO Scientific Committee.

Jan Mulier (Belgium)

Prof Dr. Jan Paul J. Mulier is chairman of the department of Anesthesiology, Intensive care and Emergency Care at the AZ Sint Jan Brugge-Oostende in Bruges, Belgium. He has been president and founder of the ESPCOP (European society for perioperative care of the obese patient). He is active in the ESA scientific subcommittees of respiration. 
He is the founder of OFA Opioid free anesthesia first used for Bariatric Surgery in the Bariatric center of Dr Dillemans Bruges, Belgium

Sleeves and Gerds

Estuardo Behrens (Guatemala)

Advanced Laparoscopic Surgeon – Bariatric and Metabolic Surgeon, New Life Center Guatemala.
MD, MACG, FACS, FICS, FASMBS.
Past President of Guatemalan Association of Surgery, Past President of Guatemalan Society for Bariatric and Metabolic Surgery, Past Executive Director of IFSO LAC, and Current President of IFSO LAC.

Hazem Al Momami (UAE)

Consultant, General Surgery & Bariatric Surgery.
Dr. Al Momani earned his Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery from Jordan University of Science and Technology, Jordan in 2001. After qualifying, he started his surgical training in the United Kingdom, during which he was awarded the Gwilym Griffith Travelling Fellowship which enabled him to visit the Cancer Institute Hospital in Tokyo where he learnt the principles of laparoscopic gastric surgery. Dr. Al Momani became a fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of England in 2013.
Upon completing his higher surgical training, he further went on to hold the British Obesity and Metabolic Surgery Society (BOMSS) fellowship in Laparoscopic Bariatric Surgery.

Luigi Angrisani (Italy)

Public Health Department, School of Medicine, “Federico II” University of Naples, Italy.
IFSO Past President.
Chair of the Board of Trustees.
President IFSO Rome 2022 Congress.

Ahmad Bashir (Jordan)

Performed surgical residency at St Agnes Hospital, Baltimore, MD, USA. Completed fellowship in Minimally Invasive (MIS) & Bariatric Surgery at USCF Fresno, CA, USA. Moved to Jordan to become founder & director of Gastrointestinal, Bariatric & Metabolic Center (GBMC) at Jordan Hospital, where currently practicing MIS & Bariatric surgery. Also a regular member of IFSO & the Chairman of IFSO communication committee. Former Chairman of communication committee of IFSO Middle East & North Africa Chapter (IFSO MENAC) & the current President-elect of the Pan Arab Society of Metabolic & Bariatric Surgery.

Michel Gagner (Canada)

Senior consultant, Hôpital du Sacre Coeur, Montreal.
Chief of Surgery, Westmount Square Surgical Center, Westmount.
Congress President of IFSO 2014 Montreal.

Gerhard Prager (Austria)

Division of General Surgery, Department of Surgery, Vienna Medical University, Vienna, Austria.
Former President of the Austrian Society for Obesity Surgery.
IFSO European Chapter President and Member of the IFSO Executive Board.

David Nocca (France)

Professor of Digestive Surgery and Director of Bariatric and Metabolic Surgery Unit in Montpellier University Hospital.
IFSO Ambassador 2019 and Founder President of the French League against Obesity at Montpellier, France.

Natan Zundel (USA)

Professor of Surgery, Vice-Chairman of the Department of Surgery at FIU, Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine in Florida. Active member of the following societies, serving on various committees and executive boards: ACS, ASMBS, SAGES, IFSO, IFSES, FELAC, ABE, ASGE, ALACE of which he was also a former President. Current Chair of the IFSO Corporate Committee. Congress President of IFSO 2021 Miami.

 

Intervention for Poor Weight Loss or Weight Regain

Almino Ramos (Brazil)

Past President of the IFSO-International Federation for the Surgery of Obesity and Metabolic Disorders, has Master Degree and PhD proficiency in surgery and is Professor at UNICAMP State University of Campinas and ABC Medical University, both in Sao Paulo-Brazil and Medical Director of Gastro-Obeso-Center Metabolic Optimization Center, a private center of excellence in bariatric and metabolic surgery in Sao Paulo-Brazil. Board certified as general, digestive and bariatric surgery by CBC Brazilian College of Surgeons, CBCD Brazilian College of Digestive Surgery and SBCBM Brazilian Society for Bariatric and Metabolic Surgery. Dr. Ramos has been fully dedicated to bariatric and metabolic surgery since 1999. Former President of the SBCBM (2013-14) was IFSO Latin America Chapter Member at Large (2012-2014), IFSO Secretary-Treasurer (2014-17) and member of Executive Board of IFSO, International and Honorary Fellow of ASMBS and ACS as FACS, member of Advisory Council of SBCBM, member of Bariatric Committee of Brazilian College of Surgeons and member of bariatric department of Brazilian Association for Study of Obesity. Academically Dr. Ramos has been involved in several medical studies as author or co-author of more than 100 peer-reviewed publications involving articles and book chapters. Also has worked in the organizing and scientific committees of several symposiums, courses and congresses. President of the Scientific Committee for the IFSO World Congress in Rio de Janeiro, September 2016. Member of Editorial Board of Obesity Surgery Journal, Surgery of Obesity and Related Diseases (SOARD) and ABCD Journal. He has served as faculty in several courses and congresses all over the world as well performed more than 500 demonstratives live surgeries in different countries. His practice involves experience with all the different laparoscopic bariatric/metabolic procedures with expertise in Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass and Sleeve Gastrectomy with active interest in revisional and metabolic surgery and innovation in the field of training and education, technical systematization, endoscopic and notes, has proposed the simplified Brazilian gastric bypass with large acceptation worldwide. Besides the great experience with laparoscopic surgery, Dr. Ramos has also been working with robotic and endoscopic regular surgery practice and also innovation with different kinds of studies. The dedication to innovation was a constant in his career, always looking for new techniques and devices that could offer less invasive approach, safer and more effective bariatric/metabolic procedures.

Khaled Gawdat (Egypt)

Khaled Gawdat is from Egypt, he is Professor of Surgery. He has done PhD in General Surgery. He is the esteemed Founder and Honorary president ESBS, President elect IFSO MENAc, and Editorial Board of Obesity Surgery.

Harry Frydenberg (Australia)

Surgeon, Director of the Epworth Centre for Bariatric Surgery in Melbourne, Australia, is a highly experienced general surgeon who has been involved in Bariatric (Obesity) Surgery in Australia for more than 30 years. He performs a wide range of Bariatric Surgical procedures including Gastric Banding, Roux-en-Y and One Anastomosis Gastric Bypass and Sleeve Gastrectomy.
He was involved in the early organisation of Bariatric Surgeons in Australia (OSSANZ/ANZMOSS) and is a Past President and Honorary Life Member of the organisation. He is also a Past President and Life Member of the IFSO (International Federation for the Surgery of Obesity and Metabolic Disorders) and the Founding President of the IFSO-Asia Pacific Chapter.

Rachel Batterham (UK)

Professor of Obesity, Diabetes and Endocrinology, University College Hospital, NHS Foundation London.
Member of the IFSO Scientific Committee.

Mohit Bhandari (India)

Bariatric, Metabolic and Robotic Surgeon. He is known for his work in laparoscopic and robot-assisted surgery. He was one of the first to perform robotic bariatric surgery in India, & first in India to perform Single Anastomosis Duodenal-Ileal Switch.Founder Director, Mohak Bariatrics and Robotics, Indore (India).
Director, Bhandari Hospital and Research Centre, Indore (India).

Caroline Apovian (USA)

Professor of Medicine and Pediatrics in the Section of Endocrinology, Diabetes, Nutrition and Weight Management at Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA.
Director of the Nutrition and Weight Management Center and the Fellowship Program in Obesity Medicine and Nutrition at Boston Medical Center (BMC).

Waleed Bukhari (Saudi Arabia)

Senior Consultant of Advanced Laparoscopic Surgery, General Surgery and Obesity Surgery, IMC International Medical Centre, Jeddah (Saudi Arabia).

 

“Viral Issues” in Bariatric Surgery

Scott Shikora (USA)

Prof. Scott Shikora, MD, FACS, FASMBS is a board certified general surgeon who has been involved in minimally invasive general and bariatric surgery for over 25 years. Prof. Shikora is a member of several surgical societies. He is currently the President-Elect of the International Federation for the Surgery of Obesity and Metabolic Disorders.
Prof. Shikora has authored numerous book chapters and journal publications and has made hundreds of international and national presentations predominantly on bariatric surgery and related topics. He also developed and directs the Bariatric Summit, an annual American bariatric conference and an international meeting held in Israel, The World Congress for the Advancement of Surgery (now known as the International Diabesity and Metabolic Surgery Summit). He has been recognized by Castle Connolly, as one of America’s Top Doctors from 2005-2019 and Boston Magazine’s Top Doctors from 2008-2019. He has won many distinguished awards including President’s Award from International Federation for the Surgery of Obesity and Metabolic Disorders and the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award from Marquis Who’s Who.

Jaime Ponce (USA)

IFSO NAC President.
Medical director of CHI Memorial’s Weight Management Center. He served as the medical director of the bariatric surgery program at Hamilton Medical Center in Dalton, Georgia. Dr. Ponce received his medical degree from I.T.E.S.M. School of Medicine in Monterrey, Mexico. He completed his general surgery residency at East Tennessee State University. He has been practicing bariatric surgery since 1998 and has extensive experience with the laparoscopic adjustable gastric band, gastric sleeve procedures, endoscopic procedures like the intragastric balloon, and revisional surgeries and gastric bypass. He is a past president of the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) and was vice president and founding member of the ASMBS Tennessee State Chapter. He has treated thousands of morbidly obese patients and has dedicated his career to advocate and support obesity care by working with insurance companies and lawmakers to establish better policies for the surgical treatment of obesity.

Cunchuan Wang (China)

President Elect IFSO APC.
Professor Wang is a pioneer of laparoscopic surgery in China. He started performing metabolic and bariatric surgery in China in 2000, becoming the first surgeon to perform the laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (LRYGB) in mainland China. Additionally, Professor Wang performed a LRYGB on a male with a BMI of 99 who was at the time considered as the man with highest BMI in China. Professor Wang initiated the founding of the Chinese Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (CSMBS) in 2012 with experts from Shenyang and Shanghai. He is currently the President of the CSMBS, Vice-President of the First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, and Director of the Department of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (International Bariatric Center). He s also the Editor-in-Chief of the first Chinese journal pertaining to the clinical and basic research of metabolic and bariatric surgery named the Chinese Journal of Obesity and Metabolic Diseases and the Editor-in-Chief of the first Chinese textbook on bariatric surgery named Bariatric and Metabolic Surgery.

Nasser Sakran (Israel)

Clinical Assistant, Professor of surgery at the Technion, Israel Institute of Technology, Faculty of Medicine, Haifa, Israel. Member of the executive board of Israeli Surgical Association.
Member of the Steering Committee for the Israeli National Bariatric Surgery Registry, Israel Center for Disease control, Ministry of Health. Member of IFSO-EC Multi National Advisory Group (MNAG).

Eric DeMaria (USA)

Professor and Chair of the Division of General and Bariatric Surgery at East Carolina University.
Professor of Surgery at Virginia Commonwealth University and Duke University.
Immediate Past-President of the American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgeons.

Henry Buchwald (USA)

Professor of surgery and biomedical engineering and the Owen H. and Sarah Davidson Wangensteen Chair in Experimental Surgery Emeritus at the University of Minnesota. A pioneer of bariatric surgery with over 4,000 bariatric cases is the professor of surgery and biomedical engineering at the university of Minnesota. He served as president of the international federation for the surgery of obesity (IFSO), American Society for Metabolic/Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS), Central Surgical Association, International Study Group for Implantable Insulin Delivery Devices, and the Owen H. Wangensteen Society. Dr. Buchwald is also the author of over 360 peer-reviewed publications and about 100 books and book chapters.

Ashish K. Jha (USA)

Dean of the School of Public Health, Professor of Health Services, Policy and Practice, Brown University School of Public Health.
A practicing physician, Ashish K. Jha, M.D., M.P.H., is recognized globally as an expert on pandemic preparedness and response as well as on health policy research and practice. He has led groundbreaking research around Ebola and is now on the frontlines of the COVID-19 response, leading national and international analysis of key issues and advising state and federal policy makers. He comes to the Brown School of Public Health after leading the Harvard Global Health Institute and teaching at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Harvard Medical School.
Dr. Jha has published more than two hundred original research publications in prestigious journals such as the New England Journal of Medicine and the BMJ, and is a frequent contributor to a range of public media. He has extensively researched how to improve the quality and reduce the cost of health care, focusing on the impact of public health policy nationally and around the globe.
Before joining the Brown School of Public Health, Dr. Jha was a faculty member at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health (HSPH) since 2004 and Harvard Medical School since 2005. He was the Faculty Director of the Harvard Global Health Institute from 2014 until September 2020. From 2018 to 2020, he served as the Dean for Global Strategy at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
A general internist previously with the West Roxbury VA in Massachusettts, Dr. Jha will continue his practice at the Providence VA Medical Center.

 

The Physiologic Benefits of Weight Loss

Nasreen Alfaris (Saudi Arabia)

Chair of the Integrated Health Committee of IFSO MENAC.
Adult Endocrine Department Obesity and Endocrine Metabolism Center King Fahad Medical City “KFMC”.
Master of Public Health (MPH).
Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center. Lebanon, New Hampshire.
Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS).
American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM).

Ali Aminian (USA)

Section of Advanced Laparoscopic and Bariatric Surgery, Department of General Surgery, Cleveland Clinic – Cleveland, Ohio, USA.

Pablo Omelanczuk (Argentina)

FACS, FASMBS, IFSO Member, Fellow SAGES – Chief of Italiano de Mendoza, Argentina

John Dixon (Australia)

Head of Clinical Obesity Research at Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute, Melbourne Australia.
IFSO APC IH Committee.
Member of the IFSO Registry Committee.

Jacques Himpens (Belgium)

MD, PhD, FACS, FASMBS (Hon), is an associate professor of surgery and chief of bariatric surgery at the Delta CHIREC hospital, Brussels.
On March 3, 1997 he performed the world’s first “robotic” laparoscopic cholecystectomy with the Intuitive Surgery “Mona” prototype.
Since 1999, he performed over 15000 laparoscopic bariatric-metabolic procedures, many of them revisional.
He published over 150 articles in peer reviewed medical journals, authored numerous chapters in surgical and bariatric books and co-edited five books on bariatric surgery. He is co-editor for the “Obesity Surgery” journal and member of the editorial board of “SOARD”.
He is senior past president (2017-2018) of IFSO (the International Federation for the Surgery of Obesity and Metabolic Diseases).

Maurizio De Luca (Italy)

MD, PhD. Director of the department of general and metabolic surgery at the Center of Excellence of Bariatric and Metabolic Surgery Castelfranco Hospital and Montebelluna Hospital, Treviso, Italy. He is also the Vice President of Italian Society of Bariatric Surgery and Metabolic Disease (SICOB) and Treasurer IFSO European Chapter. He is a Board Member of Italian Society of Obesity (SIO), Editorial Board Member of Obesity Surgery, and Editorial Board Member of SOARD.

Shanu Khotari (USA)

Vice Chair of Medical Staff Affairs at Prisma Health in Greenville, SC.
Past President of the Wisconsin Surgical Society – a chapter of the American College of Surgeons, Past Chair of the ASMBS Clinical Issues Committee.
President elect of ASMBS.

 

Integrated Health Session: Keeping on Track

Tracy Martinez (USA)

RN, BSN, CBN
Program Director, Wittgrove Bariatric Center, Del Mar, Calif, USA.
Former Chair, IFSO Integrated Health Committee.
Past President, ASMBS Integrated Health.
Board Member Obesity Action Coalition.
Committee Member ASMBS CBN committee.

Jumana Bashiti (Jordan)

Jumana Bashiti earned her Bachelor of Science (BSc.) in Nutrition and Dietetics-Coordinated Program (CP) with Distinction from the American University of Beirut (AUB) in 2014. She received her training as part of the program at Saint George Hospital University Medical Center (SGHUMC) in Beirut, acquiring different specialties in areas such as General Medicine, Oncology, Intensive Care Unit, Cardiac Care Unit, Pediatrics, OBGYN, Surgery, Renal, Geriatrics, and outpatient clinics. Jumana moved back to Amman and joined GBMC to become a part of the multidisciplinary team of experts. Her duties at GBMC include conducting a comprehensive preoperative assessment to gather information about the patient’s medical condition and eating habits. She then uses this information to tailor individualized interventions that include meal plans and nutrition education and counseling through goal setting, self-monitoring, problem solving, and self-management. She also helps patients determine strategies for behavior modification and lifestyle management to ensure successful long-term results, in addition to educating and supporting non-surgical patients as needed.

Mary O’Kane (UK)

Former consultant dietitian in the Obesity Centre at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust (retired in July).
She is on IFSO Executive Board and Chair IFSO Integrated Health Committee.

Aurélie Baillot (Canada)

Professor at Université du Québec en Outaouais in the nursing department. She holds a PhD in sciences and techniques of physical activities and sports from the University of Orleans (France), She has completed her training with two postdoctoral fellowships  at the research center at Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Sherbrooke and at Institut universitaire de cardiologie et de pneumologie de Québec.

Silvia Leite Faria (Brazil)

Vice-Chair of IFSO I.H. Committee.
Ph. D and Master in Human Nutrition, Dr. Silvia Leite Faria is committed to broadening her investigative work in the field of nutrition related to bariatric surgery.
She is a member of ASMBS, IFSO, Brazilian Bariatric and Metabolic Society and American Dietitians Association. She is also a Researcher at the University of Brasilia.

Kate Berridge (New Zealand)

Is a nurse, researcher and businesswoman. As a Bariatric Nurse Specialist Kate was part of establishing the Bariatric Service currently provided at CMH Auckland New Zealsnd. After nine years in this role she left to complete her Masters Degree and begin developing a path toward greater awareness and comprehension of why obesity is not the choice it is assumed to be.
She is passionate about ensuring that long term support is available for those who have undergone Weight Loss Surgery (WLS). Subsequently founding Beyond Obesity which aims to improve the lives of people living with obesity. This is provided through individual support, clinical care, education and consultancy to health care providers and attempting to be part of meaningful change in policy, marketing and systematic approaches to our current obesity syndemic.

Abd Tahrani (UK)

MD, MMedSci, FRCP (London), PhD, SCOPE (International Fellow).
Senior Lecturer in Metabolic Endocrinology and Obesity Medicine and NIHR Clinician Scientist; University of Birmingham.
Honorary Consultant in Endocrine, Diabetes and Weight Management, Lead Weight Management Research & Diabetic Neuropathy services; University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust.
Translational Research Lead, Centre of Endocrinology Diabetes and Metabolism (CEDAM); Birmingham Health Partners.
Communication co-lead, Institute of Metabolism and Systems Research (IMSR).
Co-Chair the Clinical Practice and Obesity Management Committee, ASO (UK).

Jason Lillis (USA)

Ph.D., is an Associate Professor (Research) in the Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University and a Research Scientist at the Weight Control and Diabetes Research Center of The Miriam Hospital.
He is the author of two books: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and The Diet Trap.

Violeta Moize (Spain)

Clinical and Research Dietitian-Nutritionist.
Obesity & Diabetes Units.
IDF Centre of Education and Excellence in Diabetes Care Endocrinology and Nutrition Department.
ICMDM.IDIBAPS
Hospital Clínic i Universitari Barcelona, Spain.

 

Minimizing Complications

Abdelrahman Nimeri (USA)

Associate Professor & Chief, Bariatric Surgery Carolinas Medical Center , Atrium Health.
Director, Atrium Health Weight Management, Director, Carolinas Bariatric Fellowship Program.
Secretary/Treasurer, IFSO 2019-2021.
Diplomate of the American Board of Obesity Medicine.
Associate editor, Obesity Surgery Journal 2019-2022.
Past President IFSOMENAC & PASMBS.
He was Chief of Division of General, Thoracic, & Vascular Surgery, Director of Bariatric & Metabolic Institute (BMI) Abu Dhabi, & Surgeon Champion of ACS NSQIP & MBSAQIP at SKMC.
In addition, he is the lead surgeon champion for the ACS NSQIP Middle East Collaborative established in 2016. He is an adjunct staff at the Cleveland Clinic’s Endocrine and Metabolic Institute in Cleveland Ohio and an Adjunct Associate Clinical Professor of Surgery at the UAE University.
Dr Nimeri was Associate Program director of the first ACGME-I accredited Surgery Residency Program in the Middle East at SKMC in Abu Dhabi and the Fellowship program director for the MIS and Bariatric surgery fellowship program at SKMC. Dr Nimeri is the Secretary – Treasurer of the International Federation for Surgery of Obesity’s (IFSO) Communication committee, and Past President of PASMBS (the Pan Arab Society for Metabolic & Bariatric Surgery 2017. In addition, he is a member of the IFSO Ethics Committee, Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES) Global Affairs committee & the American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) communication committee.

Wei Jei Lee (Taiwan, China)

IFSO APC Scientific Committee.
Professor Lee was trained as a gastro-intestinal surgeon in Taiwan. However, he not only dedicated his time to clinical service but also continuously looked at developing innovative surgical techniques and performed multiple clinical studies. Since 1990 he has moved conventional gastric surgery into the era of laparoscopic surgery. He later developed laparoscopic bariatric surgery for the treatment of severe obesity in Asia in 1997, helping thousands of the Asians with obesity thereafter. He innovated in the surgical treatment of diabetes using laparoscopic gastro-intestinal or metabolic surgery in 2005. Through his effort, this innovation will in turn help millions of diabetic patients worldwide. He is one of the expert committee in IDF 2012 statement about diabetes surgery.

Mohammad Alnaami (Saudi Arabia)

Saudi Journal of Obesity, Upper GI Surgery Unit, General Surgery Division Department of Surgery, College of Medicine King Saud University and Affiliated Hospitals, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Scott Shikora (USA)

Professor of Surgery, Harvard Medical School – Director, Center for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery, Brigham and Women’s Hospital – Boston, Massachusetts.
President-Elect and on the Executive Council of the International Federation for the Surgery of Obesity and Metabolic Disorders. Editor-in-Chief of Obesity Surgery, the official Journal of the Federation.

Christine Stier (Germany)

Head of the Surgical Endoscopy Department, Head of the Interdisciplinary Obesity Center – University Hospital Würzburg, Germany.
Member of the IFSO Endoscopy Committee.

Antonio Torres (Spain)

Professor of surgery and Governor Capítulo Español del American College of Surgeons (ACS). He has served as the President of IFSO in (2011-2012).
He was also the esteemed chairman at IFSOs Board of trustees (2015-2019). He has received the prestigious 2019 innovation award ASMBS.
Congress President IFSO Madrid 2019.

Lilian Kow (Australia), IFSO President

Prof. Lilian Kow is current President of IFSO, Senior Past President of IFSO Asia Pacific Chapter and Senior Past President of the Obesity Surgical Society of Australia and New Zealand (OSSANZ).
Prof. Kow is a senior consultant surgeon at Flinders Medical Centre and Clinical Associate Professor at Flinders University of South Australia. She has been involved in training surgeons in bariatric surgery nationally and internationally. Over the years, Prof. Kow has visited many bariatric clinics around the world and is of the firm belief that bariatric surgery works better with an effective support programme.  She has been at the forefront along with her colleagues at the Adelaide Bariatric Centre in developing a very effective multidisciplinary programme for supporting our patients in their weight loss journey.  The programme in Adelaide was one of the initial ones adopted in Australia and internationally and the first to be used in South Australia.