Nicola Scopinaro, Italy
1996-1998
Professor Nicola Scopinaro was an innovative surgeon, a scholar, a pioneer of the metabolic surgery era, a teacher, and a most interesting individual. He also developed an entirely new operative proce dure, the Scopinaro biliopancreatic diversion. His procedure, together with its offshoot, the duodenal switch, remain the most effective metabolic and bariatric operations for weight loss and reduction of the obesity comorbidities, in particular type 2 diabetes. In later years, Prof. Scopinaro demonstrated that his metabolic procedure, was highly effective in patients with severe obesity yet could also be performed in patients of normal weight and still achieve resolution of type 2 diabetes despite minimal weight loss. Prof. Scopinaro was a true surgical pioneer. He was the Founder and Honorary President of the Italian Society of Obesity Surgery (SI COB), Founder, First President, and Honorary President for life of the International Federation for the Surgery of Obesity (IFSO), and First President and Honorary President of the IFSO European Chapter. In addition, he was elected as the first Honorary Member of the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS). He was also selected to be an honorary member of the bariatric societies of essentially every nation that had an active bariatric organization. He was also one of a limited number of international Honorary Fellows of the American College of Surgeons. One of Prof. Scopinaro’s greatest professional achievements was that in 1996 he founded the International Federation for the Surgery of Obesity (IFSO). Prof. Scopinaro lived his life to its fullest. His personal motto, “My Way” (courtesy Frank Sinatra), was also the title of his address to the 2000 IFSO Congress in Genoa. Prof. Scopinaro died October 28th 2020.
George Cowan, USA
1998-1999
From 1990 through 1991, Dr. George Cowan was President of the American Society for Bariatric Surgery (ASBS), the leading national obesity surgery society in the world. During this time, he co-founded the journal OBESITY SURGERY, which became the official Journal of IFSO. Dr. Cowan was President of the International Federation for the Surgery of Obesity (IFSO) and Chair of its Board of Trustees and the International Obesity Surgery Task Force. He received the IFSO Gold Medal Award for his outstanding service to the field. During his time in office, IFSO grew from five obesity surgery national and multi-national societies to twenty-three societies, representing forty-three nations around the world. Also under his leadership, IFSO issued definitive guidance statements including obesity surgeon qualifications, obesity surgical indications and innovation. Dr. Cowan authored or co-authored over two hundred fifty publications in the medical and scientific literature, including four books, one of which, INTRAVENOUS HYPERALIMENTATION, was the first book ever published on intravenous nutrition. He regularly lectured nationally and around the world and was listed each year in Who’s Who in America, Who’s Who in the World, Best Doctors in America and Best of the Best in Memphis. Dr. Cowan was also a member of the Board of Directors of the American College of Nutrition, Past President of the University of Tennessee, Memphis, Faculty Senate during which time he received the Claxton Award from the Ameri can Association of University Professors, Past President of the Memphis Surgical Society, Delegate to the American Medical Associa tion-SSS and served on the Editorial Board of the JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN COLLEGE OF NUTRITION.
Emanuel Hell, Austria
1999-2000
Emanuel Hell, Professor of Surgery, was affiliated with University of Graz, and is one of the pioneers of bariatric surgery globally. He also was an IFSO founding member. Prof. Hell was considered the “GODFATHER” of bariatric surgery in Austria. He began developing this discipline in 1960 in Austria, his home country. He also served as President of the Austrian Society of Bariatric Surgery from 1996 – 2000. Prof. Hell headed the Hallein Department of Surgery in Salzburg County, where he trained and mentored many young surgeons. His foundational teachings and his surgical expertise resulted in several of these young surgeons becoming the next generation of expert bariatric surgeons who then elevated the field to new heights. Prof. Hell is also a well published clinical researcher in the field of metabolic surgical treatment. However, despite the many publications that go to his credit, his proudest publication remains the first book on bariatric surgery that he wrote and published in the German Language. Prof. Hell was also very active in organizing scientific meetings and congresses. He brought together the brightest minds in surgery enabling them to share their expertise with the wider surgical community. He presided over the 1999 IFSO World Congress that he organized in his hometown of Salzburg. Prof. Hell is an avid collector of Cigars and a wine Connoisseur. Nowadays he enjoys time with his wife Doris and his family.
Andrew Jamieson, Australia
2000-2001
Dr. Jamieson was introduced to bariatric surgery in the mid 1970’s with the Jejunoilial Bypass. In 1977 he joined Dr. Michael Long at the Royal Melbourne Hospital and performed over 3500 Long Gastro plasties. The Long Gastroplasty was a variant of the Mason Vertical banded gastroplasty. Dr. Jamieson was instrumental in the formation of the Obesity Surgical Society of Australia and New Zealand (OSSANZ) in 1984. He was President of OSSANZ from 1993-95 at which time he was the princi pal organizer of the 7th International Symposium for Obesity Surgery (ISOS) meeting, which predated the formation of IFSO and was held in Echuca, Australia. Dr. Jamieson was elected IFSO Vice-President in Stockholm at the inaugural IFSO Congress in 1995. He became President of IFSO in 2000. He was also the Executive Director of IFSO from 2003-2006.
Martin Fried, Czech Republic
2001-2002
Professor Martin Fried is a leading Czech surgeon and head of the OB Klinika. He graduated from the Faculty of General Medicine, Charles University in Prague. He worked at the 1st Surgical Clinic of the 1st Faculty of Medicine, Charles University and the General Hospital in Prague, from 1994 to 2001. Prof. Fried has been involved in bariatric surgery since the early 1990s. In 1993, he was the first in the world to perform gastric banding in patients with obesity. Since 2009, he has been the head of the OB Klini ka in Prague for the treatment of obesity and related diseases. Professor Fried also trained surgeons from the United States, Great Britain, Spain, Italy, Poland, Slovakia and other countries.
Aniceto Baltasar, Spain
2002-2003
Dr. Aniceto Baltasar is one of the leaders of the Spanish and Latin American bariatric communities. He was born in Guadalupe, Cáceres, Spain. In 1977, Dr. Baltasar performed the first gastric bypass in Spain and, for that matter, the first in Latin America. In the early 1980s, he became interested in the vertical banded gastroplasty and developed a modified technique with complete division and separation of the vertical staple line to prevent gas tric-gastric fistula. In 1997, Dr. Baltasar pioneered the laparoscopic gastric bypass in Europe and developed a technique that eliminated the need for the no. 33 trocar to pass the circular staplers through the abdominal wall. In 2000, he performed the first laparoscopic duodenal switch in Europe and in 2002 the first laparoscopic sleeve-forming gas trectomy (LSFG). His 2005 paper on LSFG has the 61st highest citation rate of all bariatric publications. The LSFG reduced the incidence of the unexplained leaks at the EGJ of the DS sleeve. His notable clinical accomplishments include the adoption of Dr. Henry Buchwald’s small-bowel diversion for hypercholesterolemia in 1987, and in 2004, he performed the first surgery for diabetes in Spain, thus introducing metabolic surgery (MS) into Spain. Addi tionally, in 2008, he inaugurated bariatric surgery in adolescent patients and in 2015 introduced the use of the first sliding-locking knots in bariatric operations. He also championed the concept of reporting weight loss as the percentage of “expected” BMI. Dr. Baltasar has been a leader in several surgical societies. He founded SECO (the Spanish Bariatric Society) in 1997 and became Hon orary SECO-President in 2002.
Henry Buchwald, USA
2003-2004
During his more than 50 years at the University of Minnesota, Buchwald has been a surgeon, teacher, mentor, researcher, and inventor. He is Professor of Surgery and Biomedical Engineering, Director of Graduate Surgical Training, Director of Resident Training, and Director of In-Training Examination. His long-term research interests include cholesterol and atherosclerosis, obesity surgery, implant able devices, hyperlipidemias, and measurement of blood oxygen transport. Early in his career, he discovered that the part of the small intestine called the ileum is the primary site for the absorption or cholesterol and bile acids (the primary end-products of cholesterol metabolism), and, that per forming surgery – Buchwald’s partial ileal bypass surgery – a procedure that bypasses part of the ile um, lowers cholesterol levels and dramatically improves the lives of those with familial hypercholesterolemia. Throughout his career as a general surgeon, Buchwald has performed many thousands of surgeries, including all open gastrointesti nal surgeries, partial ileal bypasses, jejunoileal bypasses, gastric bypasses, Fobi Pouch, vertical banded gastroplasty, Roux-en-Y by passes, and duodenal switches. Prof. Buchwald introduced and made essential to our mission the term “metabolic.” He was also the first Wangensteen Chair of Ex perimental Surgery at the University of Minnesota and the co-inventor of the first implantable infusion pump and infusion port. He was President of ASMBS (1998-1999) and along with Prof. Scopinaro, he was a co-Editor-in-Chief of the journal OBESITY SURGERY.
Arthur Garrido, Brazil
2004-2005
Dr. Arthur Garrido was born 1941 in São Paulo, Brazil. He graduated from the University of São Paulo School of Medicine in 1966 and did his General and Digestive Surgery residency at the Hospital das Clínicas (1967–1969). Dr. Garrido followed an academic career at that institution. He was appointed Assistant Professor in 1971. He researched disaccharides absorption and was granted his PhD in 1973. Dr. Garrido was promoted to Associate Professor of Gastroenterology and Digestive Surgery in 1980 and kept that academic title until his retirement from the university in 2011. Dr. Garrido also spent 2 years (1975–1977) as a Postdoctoral Scholar, doing animal research studies at the G.I. Research Laboratory of the University of California, San Francisco, under the supervision of Professors Young Kim, Rudi Schmid, Marvin Sleisenger, and Lawrence Way. The focus of his research was the absorption of amino ac ids and oligopeptides in different small intestinal segments after jejunoileal bypass in rats. This study attracted his interests in the morbid obese patient and bariatric surgery. In 1980, he introduced into Brazil the following modern bariatric procedures: vertical banded gastroplasty, Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (learned from Rafael Capella and Mathias Fobi), laparoscopic adjustable gastric band (with Hilton Libanori, learned from Franco Fa vretti and Mitiku Belachew), duodenal switch (learned from Aniceto Baltasar), and laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (with Thom as Szego, learned from Alan Wittgrove and Wesley Clark). Dr. Garrido has served on the IFSO Executive Council since 1997. He has served as the society’s Secretary-Treasurer, Vice-President, President Elect, and President (2004–2005). He served on the IFSO Board of Trustees and received the IFSO Lifetime Membership Award.
Jan Willem M. Greve, Netherlands
2005-2006
In 1996, together with Dr. Mitiku Belachew from Belgium, Prof. Greve founded the Benelux Associa tion of Bariatric Surgeons (BABS) for which he was secretary from 1996 to 2000 and president from 2000 to 2004. Dr. Greve was the committee chair for the Dutch guideline on obesity surgery and a member of the Dutch obesity guideline committee. He was co-organizer of the 3rd World Congress of the International Federation for the Surgery of Obesity and metabolic disorders (IFSO) in Bruges, Belgium in 1998 (con gress president Mitiku Belachew) and organizer and congress president of the 10th World Congress of IFSO held in Maastricht, Netherlands, in 2005. Professor Greve has been a member of the Executive Board of IFSO from 1996 until 2009 and has been member of the Board of Trust ees of IFSO since 2005. He has been Executive director for IFSO from 2006-2009 and during that period the name of IFSO was changed to International Fed eration for Surgery of Obesity and Metabolic Disorders. He established together with Harry Frydenberg the IFSO website and secured the IFSO.com site name and negotiated with Springer the contract with OBESITY SURGERY. He initiated the first professional office for IFSO. Prof. Greve also became an Officer in the Order of Oranje Nassau, a high order in the Netherlands mainly based on the national and international work on metabolic and bariatric surgery. He is currently the Chair of the Board of Trustees.
John Melissas, Greece
2006-2007
Professor John Melissas was trained in laparoscopic bariatric surgery at Mount Sinai and Deaconess Hospitals in the United States in 1996. He returned to Greece and founded the Greek Surgical Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery and was its first President. Under his guidance, the Society became a member of IFSO. Prof. Melissas took over and organized the 6th IFSO World Congress in Chania, Crete in 2001. He was honored with the IFSO golden pin award in 2002. Prof. Melissas served 4 years as Secretary of IFSO and then as President-Elect and finally, as President in 2006. During his Presidency, Prof. Melissas, representing IFSO, participated in the meeting of Ministers of the European Union in which it was decided that severe obesity is a chronic disease and that its surgical treatment will be covered by the health systems of the European countries. Prof. Melissas was the inventor of the sleeve plus jejunoileal anastomosis procedure for the treatment of obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus, a method that was accepted and standardized at the Bariatric Metabolic Sur gery Procedures Standardization World Consensus Meeting in 2018 in New Delhi. He published his results in OBESITY SURGERY in 2019. During his service as IFSO’s President, Prof. Melissas’ main administrative achievement was establishing the IFSO-European Chapter Centre of Excellence Program (COE) for the Europe, Middle East, and Africa regions. He is currently the Director of the European Ac creditation Council for Bariatric Surgery (EAC-BS) – the organization that administers the COE program.
Rafael Alvarez Cordero, Mexico
2007-2008
Dr. Rafael Álvarez Cordero is one of the pioneers of bariatric surgery in Mexico and has been the men tor of many bariatric surgeons in Latin America. While visiting California in 1980, Dr. Cordero met Dr. Mathias L. Fobi. With Dr. Fobi’s guidance, Dr. Cordero started performing gastric bypass surgery in Mexico. Over the years, he introduced to Mexico several bariatric techniques and is the author of three books on this topic. Dr. Cordero is the founder of the Mexican Society of Bariatric Surgery, (now Mexican College of Bar iatric Surgery and Metabolic Diseases) was cofounder of IFSO in Stockholm in 1995, and was the host and President of the 2nd World International Federation for the Surgery of Obesity (IFSO) Congress that was held in Cancún, in 1997.
MAL Fobi, USA
2008-2009
Dr. Mathias A. L. Fobi is one of the pioneers in Bariatric Surgery. He is an internationally recognized bariatric surgeon, also known as the surgeon to the stars, who has changed the lives of Hollywood heavyweights such as Roseanne Barr, Etta James, Jennifer Holiday, and American Idol’s Randy Jackson. Dr. Fobi is also an innovated surgeon. His modification of the gastric bypass (the banded gastric by pass) is one of his major contributions to the field of Bariatric Surgery and has been adopted by many bariatric surgeons worldwide. He is a founding member of the American Society for Bariatric Surgery (ASBS) and past president of the American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Foundation (ASMBS Foundation). He was President of IFSO in 2008-2009, President of the IFSO World Congress in Long Beach in 2010 and Chair of the Board of Trust ees. He’s also a Life Member of IFSO.
Harry Frydenberg, Australia
2009-2010
Dr Harry Frydenberg was the Director of the Epworth Centre of Bariatric Surgery in Melbourne, Austra lia, He is a highly experienced general surgeon who has been involved in bariatric surgery in Australia for more than 49 years. Dr. Frydenberg performed a wide range of bariatric operations including gastric banding, gastric bypass, sleeve gastrectomy, as well as the endoscopically placed, Endoluminal Sleeve. Dr. Frydenberg was involved in the early organization of Bariatric Surgeons in Australia (OSSANZ) and is a Past President and Honorary Life Member of the organization. He is also involved in the International Federation for the Surgery of Obesity and Metabolic Disorders (IFSO), as a Past President and Past Secretary/Treasurer, Life member and presently on The Board of Trustees of IFSO and is the founding President of the IFSO-Asia Pacific Chapter. As a Registrar at the Royal Melbourne Hospital, he obtained his FRACS in 1971 and together with Michael Long probably performed the first bariatric operation in Australia in 1974 as an Honorary Surgeon at the hospital. Dr. Frydenberg received an AM “Member of The Order of Australia” in 2020 for his contribution to Bariatric surgery worldwide.
Karl Miller, Austria
2010-2011
Dr. Karl Miller, Professor of Surgery, associated with the University of Innsbruck, is one of the pio neers in laparoscopic bariatric surgery. He has spent more than 40 years practicing general surgery of which he dedicated 32 years to the development and perfection of bariatric surgery. He is world renowned for being an avant-guard clinical researcher, a leading practitioner, a passionate teacher, and an exceptional mentor. He is credited for developing laparoscopic techniques such as the “pars flaccida” technique for placing gastric bands, “circular stapling techniques” for performing the Gas tric Bypass, and endoluminal obesity surgery, all considered groundbreaking procedures in the sur gical treatment of obesity and metabolic diseases. Prof. Miller’s dedication to research earned him the prestigious recognition from the journal OBESITY SURGERY that granted him the Annual Outstanding Author Award, crowning his substantial publication efforts that include over a 100 peer-reviewed articles that he has authored or co-authored and published in international medical journals. Dr. Miller’s passion for education and training has enabled him to establish the Hallein Department of surgery, which he headed from 2000 to 2015, as a Centre of Excellence in Bariatric Professional Education, attracting more than 700 bariatric surgeons from across the world eager to learn from him and benefit from his expertise. Prof. Miller has an impressive body of work. His efforts in the field of bariatric surgery, include being an IFSO founding member, a President of the Austrian Society of Bariatric Surgery for 15 years as of 2000, and President of the 2015 IFSO Vienna World Congress.
Antonio Torres, Spain
2011-2012
Professor Torres is Professor of Surgery at the Complutense University of Madrid, and Chief of the General and Digestive Surgery Service at the Clínico San Carlos Hospital. Professor Torres’ main areas of interest are bariatric surgery, metabolic surgery, obesity, gastroin testinal hormones, intra-abdominal infections, surgical oncology and video-endoscopic surgery (An ti-reflux procedures, hepatobiliopancreatic surgery, and obesity surgery procedures) Prof. Torres has authored or co-authored over two hundred peer-reviewed journal articles and serves as principal investigator on numerous studies including several grants funded by official institutions. Prof. Torres was the President of SECO (2007-2011) and the European Representative at International Federation for Obesity Surgery (IFSO) General Council (2008-2011). He was also IFSO President (2011-12), Chairman of the IFSO Board of Trustees (2015-2019) and he was President of the IFSO World Congress in Madrid in 2019. After analysing the medium and long term results obtained with the Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, sleeve gastrectomy and duodenal switch, he and his team realised that for overweight and/or metabolically ill patients, the best results were obtained with the lapa roscopic duodenal switch. Nevertheless, the laparoscopic duodenal switch was technically very complex, not easily reproducible, and may result in severe nutritional deficiencies. In 2007 he and Dr. Sánchez-Pernaute described a new surgical hypoabsortive procedure: the Single Anastomosis Duodeno-Ileal with Sleeve Gastrectomy (SADI-s procedure). This procedure was noted to be a more metabolic approach than the standard Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, while less complex and hypoabsortive than the duodenal switch. This contri bution represented an important step forward in the surgical treatment of overweight and metabolically ill patients. Additionally, it would be an option for patients who don’t achieve good results after sleeve gastrectomy.
Pradeep Chowbey, India
2012-2013
Dr. Pradeep Chowbey’s leadership has left an undeniable mark on the field of bariatric surgery. He served as President of the Asia Pacific Chapter of IFSO, APMBSS (2011-2013) and then as Worldwide President of IFSO (2012-2013), championing collaboration that propelled significant advancements. He was also the President of Obesity & Metabolic Surgery Society of India (2006-2010). He was President of the IFSO World Congress in New Delhi, India in 2012. Dr. Chowbey’s pioneering spirit extended beyond leadership roles. He established the Founder Center of Excellence for Bariatric and Metabolic Surgery in India, significantly enhancing surgical expertise across the Asian subcontinent. His commitment to patient care shines through his focus on a multidisciplinary approach, ensuring comprehensive treatment for obesity. Dr. Chowbey’s dedication goes beyond the operating room. He actively advocated for public awareness about obesity management, and his white paper on obesity surgery guidelines continues to be a valuable resource. His distinguished career has been recognised with prestigious awards like the Padma Shri, one of India’s highest civilian honors, and honorary memberships from esteemed orga nizations like the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS). The publication of his biography in the IFSO Obesity Journal in 2016 further cements his legacy.
Luigi Angrisani, Italy
2013-2014
Luigi Angrisani is an Associate Professor of Surgery in the Department of Public Health at Federico II University of Naples in Italy, where in 1996 he introduced the techniques of laparoscopic bariatric surgery. Professor Angrisani continued his studies and carried out his practice in London, Pittsburgh, Lyon, New York, Los Angeles, Birmingham and Cambridge. In 1999 together with his “Mentor and Friend” Nicola Scopinaro, Prof. Angrisani Chaired in Naples the First International Symposium of Laparoscopic Obesity Surgery (ISLOS) collecting the limited world experience available in the field at that time. In 2006 Prof. Angrisani was elected President of the Italian Society of Obesity Surgery (Sicob) and in 2013 he became IFSO PRESIDENT. In 2010, together with Manuela Mazzarella, he established in Naples the General Quarter of the IFSO organisation following the original vision of Nicola Scopinaro and what is now one of the largest international medical associations in the surgical field. Prof. Angrisani has also continued the Scopinaro/Buchwald tradition of publishing the IFSO Worldwide Survey which summarise the global trend of the most commonly performed bariatric and metabolic procedures. It remains one of the most quoted papers published in the Journal, OBESITY SURGERY of which he is an Associate Editor. Early in his clinical experience (1999) Prof. Angrisani recognised the frequent association of obesity, hiatal hernia and esophageal reflux publishing several studies on this intriguing topic in primary and revisional operations. For this specific research interest, the Italian Surgical Society awarded him the prestigious Ettore Ruggeri Prize in 2018. Prof. Angrisani performed surgeries transmitted live to many national and international meetings including some of the most prestigious institutions in Europe and Middle East. In 2023 Prof. Angrisani was President of one of the most successful IFSO Word Congresses which was held in Naples, Italy. There were 3500 participants with delegates from 153 countries. Although considered a pioneer in laparoscopic bariatric and metabolic surgery, Prof. Angrisani continues to perform General and Di gestive Surgeries.
Rudolf Weiner, Germany
2014-2015
Professor Rudolf Weiner has always been an early adopter of new technologies and procedures. He introduced many new techniques in Germany. In fact, he performed the first Roux-en-Y-gastric by pass, biliopancreatic diversion with duodenal switch, and sleeve gastrectomy in Germany. He also in troduced endoluminal suturing and specialized conditioning therapies for patients with severe obe sity. Amazingly, until 2016 he and his team performed more than 50% of the bariatric procedures in Germany. Additionally, his department was the first in Germany to receive both the national and international “Centre of Excellence” certifications. Prof. Weiner is the founder of the German Society for Surgery of Obesity and Metabolic Disorders as a sub-chapter of the German Society for Visceral Surgery, of which he was a board member. He was President of IFSO in 2014-2015 and President of the IFSO World Congress in Hamburg in 2011. He also was President of the IFSO European Chapter in 2010-2012.
Natan Zundel, Colombia/USA
2015-2016
Prof. Natan Zundel has served as a founder, active or/and honorary member of surgical, laparoscopic and/or bariatric societies in 46 countries around the world. In addition to being a world class edu cator in laparoscopic and bariatric surgery, Prof. Zundel was also President of several international surgical societies such as the World Congress of Endoscopic Surgery (2012), the Latin-American chap ter of IFSO (2013-2015), the VI IFSO Latin American Congress in Los Cabos, Mexico, (July 8-11,2015) and the International Federation for Obesity Surgery World Congress in Miami (IFSO) (2015-2016). Prof. Zundel is also a former President and now currently serves as Governor for the American College of Surgeons, South Florida Chapter. He has published extensively in peer-reviewed journals, books chapters, and other educational platforms. Prof. Zundel has lectured extensively all over the world on minimally invasive and bariatric topics. He also trained and proctored hundreds of surgeons, fellows and surgical residents on bariatric and minimally invasive procedures. Prof. Zundel or his research has received more than 40 awards both nationally and internationally. He received the Society of American Gastrointestinal Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES) International Ambassador Award in 2015, the ASMBS Master Educator Award in 2017, the ASMBS Surgical Innovation Award 2018, and the Walter Pories Award for a Career in Innovation in Washington D.C in 2021. However, Prof. Zundel’s biggest honor was receiving the Master of Colombian Surgery Award that was given to him in a ceremony in November 2021. He was awarded for his Lifetime acheivements. Recently, Prof. Zundel was awarded the Outstanding Achievement award by ASMBS this past June. He also received the IFSO Life Mem bership in August 2022 and the Surgical Innovator Award IFSO 2022. In 2023, ACOCIB, the Colombian Bariatric Association decided to name the contest for best abstracts the NATAN ZUNDEL CONTEST (for life). Furthermore, Prof. Zundel received an Honorary, Membership Award from EAES (European Association of Endoscopic Surgeons) which, was given in Rome in June 2023 and SAGES just awarded him with the SAGES Pioneer in Surgical Endoscopy Award given at the SAGES meeting Cleveland April 2024. Lastly, Prof. Zundel was awarded the academic rank of Professor of Surgery at various universities in 6 countries. Natan Zundel lives in South Florida, has 3 children. His favourite hobbies include reading, theatre, music and sports.
Kelvin Higa, USA
2016-2017
Professor Kelvin Higa served as President of IFSO in 2016-2017. He has also served as President of the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery, the California chapter of the ASMBS and the ASMBS Foundation. He is recipient of the American Society for Bariatric and Metabolic Surgery Foun dation – Lifetime Achievement Award, the ASMBS Foundation LEAD Award for Excellence in Clinical Care and IFSO President’s Award. He is honorary member to several international societies, including Association Mexicana de Cirugia Edoscopia, Spanish Society of Bariatric Surgery and Metabolic Dis ease (SECO), Colombiano De Cirugia and Honorary President of Sri Aurobindo Medical College. Prof. Higa is currently the Medical Director of the Minimally Invasive and Bariatric Surgery Program and serves as VP Chief Medical and Quality Officer at the Fresno Heart and Surgical Hospital. He is co-director of the ALSA Minimally Invasive-Bariatric Surgery Fellowship program and holds the appointment of Clinical Professor of Surgery with UCSF-Fresno. Prof. Higa and his wife Gloria have been residents of Fresno, California since graduating from UCLA in 1983. They have (4) children and (4) grandchildren. He continues to be active teaching, lecturing and advocating for universal access to quality health care and especially metabolic/bariatric surgery.
Jacques Himpens, Belgium
2017-2018
Jacques Himpens is clinical professor of bariatric/metabolic surgery at the European School of Lap aroscopic Surgery, Brussels. He performed the first robotic surgical procedure in the world (a laparo scopic cholecystectomy) using the Intuitive prototype “Mona” on March 3, 1997. After having personally performed about 1000 adjustable gastric band procedures (AGB), he performed the first laparoscopic gastric bypass in Belgium in 1999 and the first laparoscopic sleeve gastrecto my, followed by the first biliopancreatic diversion with duodenal switch in 2001. Since 2003, he and his team at the St Blasius Hospital have performed close to 2000 laparoscopic bariatric procedures per year. However, by 2004, they stopped inserting AGBs. All of the other classic bariatric procedures were systematically performed in the department according to an empirical algorithm that Prof. Himpens designed and published. By 2016, he had performed over 15,000 laparoscopic obesity procedures, many of them revisional. Prof. Himpens was President of IFSO in 2017-2018 and is now a member of the Board of Trustees and Life member of IFSO. He is currently Chair of the Senior Advisory Board of IFSO European Chapter.
Almino Ramos, Brazil
2018-2019
Professor Almino C. Ramos has a master’s degree and PhD proficiency in surgery and is a Professor at UNICAMP State University of Campinas in Sao Paulo-Brazil and Medical Director of Gastro-Obe so-Center Metabolic Optimization Center, a Center of Excellence in bariatric and metabolic surgery in Sao Paulo-Brazil. Prof. Ramos is a former President of the Brazilian Bariatric and Metabolic Society (SBCBM). He has been involved in several medical studies and is an author or co-author of more than 100 peer-reviewed publications consisting of articles and book chapters, He is a member of the Editorial Board of OBESITY SURGERY and SURGERY FOR OBESITY AND RELATED DISEASES and ABCD Journals. Although Prof. Ramos performs all of the classic laparoscopic bariatric/metabolic procedures, he has expertise in performing the Roux-en-Y gastric bypass and sleeve gastrectomy. He also has an active interest in revisional and metabolic surgery. Besides his great experience with laparoscopic surgery, Prof. Ramos has also been working to include both robotic and endoscopic procedures to his regular surgery practice. Prof. Ramos was President of IFSO in 2018-2019.
Lilian Kow, Australia
2019-2022
Professor Lilian Kow pioneered laparoscopic gastric band surgery and, later, other bariatric surgical procedures in Australia. She was the first female President of obesity surgery societies nationally, regionally, and internationally. These include the Australian and New Zealand Metabolic and Obesity Surgery Society (ANZMOSS), the Asia–Pacific Chapter of the International Federation for the Surgery of Obesity and Metabolic Disorders (IFSO), and IFSO. Prof. Kow also holds the distinction of being the longest-serving President of IFSO. She was the IFSO President during the COVID years disrupting the normal process of selecting the next President-Elect. The IFSO Executive Board decided to not select a new President that year. Prof. Kow was asked to continue as President until 2022 and she graciously accepted. Prof. Kow believes that the eradication of barriers to women in surgery will require fundamental and long-last ing social changes to how people perceive the role of women within society. There also needs to be an increased understanding that a person’s career opportunities should not be limited by their gender, race or sexual orientation. Prof. Kow encourages young women to take an active role in advocating for better policies on gender discrimination to be implemented at universities, as well as larger professional health care institutions. In this way, we can make surgery a better profession not just for women, but for everyone seek ing to provide healthcare in an environment free from discrimination. In recognition of her distinguished service in bariatric and obesity medicine, she was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia OAM in 2022.
Scott Shikora, USA
2022-2023
Professor Scott Shikora became Professor of Surgery at Tufts University School of Medicine in 2005. In 2011, he became the Director of the Center for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery at Brigham and Wom en’s Hospital. In 2015, he was promoted to Professor of Surgery at Harvard Medical School. He became the Editor-in-Chief of OBESITY SURGERY. In 2016 he published a series of short bios of surgeons who have championed the discipline of metabolic/bariatric surgery to provide a living history of our disci pline. He was awarded the Air Force Meritorious Service Medal and the Air Force Commendation Award, in 2011 the Distinguished Alumni Award from his alma mater, Muhlenberg College. In 2015 he was given the ASMBS Foundation Outstanding Achievement Award. In 2017, he was honored with the President’s Award from IFSO and the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award from Marquis Who’s Who. He is a Past President of the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (2004-2005). From 2008-2009, he was the President of the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS). In 2023-2024 he was President of the International Federation for the Surgery of Obesity and Metabolic Disorders (IFSO). Prof. Shikora has authored numerous book chapters and journal publications and has made hundreds of international and national presentations, predominantly on bariatric surgery topics. His most important contri bution to the field was to enable IFSO to partner with the ASMBS and create evidence-based criteria for metabolic and bariatric surgery, replacing the 30-year-old, non-scientific guidelines that were still being used.
Gerhard Prager, Austria
2023-2024
Gerhard Prager is a recognized expert in the field of metabolic and bariatric surgery and has made an international name for himself through his research and work at the Medical University of Vien na. Together, Gerhard Prager and IFSO are committed to raising awareness about the prevention and treatment of obesity and promoting metabolic and bariatric surgery worldwide to improve the lives of millions of people. Prof. Prager is the Head of Metabolic & Bariatric Surgery at the Medical University of Vienna, Depart ment of General Surgery. In July 1992, Prof. Prager received his doctorate in Allied Health from the Medical Faculty of the University of Vienna. In 2003, he was appointed senior physician at the Uni versity Department of Surgery at MedUni Vienna, and since 2004 he has also served as head of the “Obesity Surgery” working group. From 2011-2015, Prager was chairman of the scientific advisory board of IFSO (International Federation for the Surgery of Obesity and Metabolic Disorders). From 2018-2020, Prof. Prager served as President of the European Federation for Obesity and Metabolic Surgery: IFSO-European Chapter. He was president of the IFSO European Chapter Congress held in Vienna, Austria in 2024. Since September 1, 2021 Prager holds the professorship for Bariatric Surgery at MedUni Vienna. Up to date he published more than 200 peer reviewed papers resulting in an H-Index of 58, his work was cited more than 12.000 times. He has chaired the IFSO Consensus Conference on the Use of Obesity Management Medications in the context of Metabolic Bariatric Surgery in Vienna in 2024.
Ricardo Cohen, Brazil
2024-2025
Dr. Cohen is the Director of the Center for Obesity and Diabetes at the Oswaldo Cruz German Hospital located in São Paulo, Brazil. Dr. Cohen is also the former President of the Brazilian Society of Bariatric and Metabolic Surgery and Past President of the International Federation for the Surgery of Obesity and Metabolic Disorders (IFSO), Latin America Chapter. He was President of the IFSO World Congress held in Rio De Janeiro in 2016. Dr. Cohen has been the primary investigator (PI) for 15 studies, including the first study of metabolic surgery in people with diabetes without severe obesity and diabetes kidney disease outcomes. He has published more than 180 papers and is considered a leader in the field of surgery for patients with type 2 diabetes and non-severe obesity.
Khaled Gawdat, Egypt
2025-2026
Khaled Gawdat is the pioneer of severe obesity surgery in the Middle East. He introduced obesity sur gery to Egypt in 1996. He has pioneered performing obesity operations through a very small incision as well as performing all procedures laparoscopically. His approach to obesity surgery is to tailor the obesity procedure to the individual patient and he specializes in revisional bariatric procedures. He is the founder and honorary president of the Egyptian society for bariatric surgery (ESBS). He is the past president of the IFSO MENA chapter and the President elect of IFSO.
Jaime Ponce, USA
2026-2027
Dr. Ponce is an internationally recognized bariatric surgeon, educator, and leader dedicated to ad vancing the global treatment of obesity through innovation, integration, and collaboration. Based in Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA, he is the founder, President, and Medical Director of the Weight Loss Center of Chattanooga, and serves as Medical Director of Bariatric Surgery at HCA Parkridge Medical Center and Hamilton Ambulatory Surgery Center. A Past President of the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS, 2012–2013) and the IFSO North America Chapter (2021–2024), Dr. Ponce has been a key contributor to IFSO’s global mission, actively participating in scientific, consensus, and educational initiatives. He has played a central role in advancing education and certification in metabolic and bariatric surgery, including leadership in the American Board of Surgery Focused Practice Designation. As Principal Investigator in eleven FDA clinical trials, he has contributed to the development of innovative technologies in the field. He serves on the editorial boards of Surgery for Obesity and Related Diseas es and Obesity Surgery, and is an editor of the ASMBS Textbook of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery. Dr. Ponce has received numerous international honors, including the ASMBS Foundation Master Educator Award and the Outstanding Lifetime Achievement Award (2023). His presidency reflects a vision of IFSO as the global home of obesity care, incorporating obesity medicine, endoscopy, and integrat ed health within its organizational structure alongside surgery, while expanding global awareness and improving access to effective, evidence-based educational tools for clinicians and patients worldwide.