European Hernia Society
| Abbreviation | EHS |
|---|---|
| Formation | 1979 |
| Type | Professional Association |
| Legal status | Active |
| Purpose | Abdominal wall surgery |
| Headquarters | Paris, France |
Official language | English |
President | Filip Muysoms |
| Website | https://www.europeanherniasociety.eu/ |
The European Hernia Society (EHS) [1] is a nonprofit international scientific association founded on 15 June 1979 at Bobigny (France). The overarching aim of the society is to promote best practice in hernia surgery, to the benefit of all patients with a hernia. The purposes of the Association are, among others: the study of anatomic, physiologic, pathologic, and therapeutic problems related to the abdominal wall, the publication of scientific articles, the possible creation of organizations or sections outside Europe contributing with relevant documentation, participating in research studies or providing instructions within the context. Also, the development of interdisciplinary relations and creating activities for improvement of the study of the abdominal wall, the professionals who dedicate themselves to its study, and the Association itself. EHS promotes the professional enhancement of all its members, supports their professional interests, represents its members before public or private entities, advises them on the social, professional, deontological aspects, etc. It also promotes education, training, research in abdominal wall surgery, and joint activities and partnerships between national and international scientific societies.
The EHS is primarily composed of surgeons treating hernia patients, including pediatric surgeons, intensive care specialists, anatomists, physiologists, anaesthesiologists, engineers, scientific investigators, and medical doctors, all of whom are engaged in the study of the abdominal wall.
History
The initial name was “Groupe de Recherche et d'Etudes de la Paroi Abdominale” - GREPA (Group for Research and Study of the Abdominal Wall).
The founding members were JP Chevrel (Paris), P. Duchêne (Paris), J. Escat (Toulouse), PL Fagniez (Paris), J. Hureau (Paris), J. Laygue (Paris), J. Périssat (Bordeaux), D. Rigault (Paris), J. Rives (Reims) and R. Stoppa (Amiens).
Jean Laygue was the first president. The first meeting took place in Paris in 1979. To begin with, this group stayed quite private and organized an annual workshop which was held at Paris-Bobigny under the presidency of the first Secretary-General, JP Chevrel. GREPA gradually outgrew national boundaries by admitting the first Italian surgeon, followed by surgeons from other European countries.
In 1997, the creation of a journal HERNIA, the Journal of Hernia and Abdominal Wall Surgery, the official Journal of the GREPA and AHS (American Hernia Society), provided an international diffusion of their scientific work, and that from other national and international societies. The society's association with this journal was downgraded to affiliation in 2018 by the publisher.
In 1998, the name GREPA was changed to the European Hernia Society - GREPA, although soon shortened to the EHS-GREPA. In 1999 an Internet site was created herniaweb.com which was changed in 2002 to www.herniaweb.org, and then more recently to the current web address.
In 2021, the name of the society changed to simply EHS, with a rebranded logo.
Governance
- Board
The Board of Directors is the body that leads, manages, and represents the Association. It is composed of a President, a Secretary-General, a President-Elect, a Treasurer, and nine Secretaries of the various Advisory Committees.
The current board is composed of: Dr. Filip Muysoms - President Dr. Andrew de Beaux - Secretary-General Dr. Maarten Simons - President-Elect Dr. Yohann Renard - Treasurer Dr. Ralph Lorenz - Secretary of Advisory Committee for National Chapters and Membership Dr. Rene Fortelny - Secretary of the Advisory Committee for Congresses Dr. Knut Borch - Secretary of the Advisory Committee for Education Dr. Cesare Stabilini - Secretary of the Advisory Committee for Science Dr. Hakan Gök - Secretary of the Advisory Committee for Social Media Dr. Barbora East - Secretary of the Advisory Committee for Quality Dr. Maciej Pawlak - Secretary of the Advisory Committee for the Web Dr. Manuel López-Cano - Secretary of the Advisory Committee for Publications Dr. Ferdinand Köckerling - Secretary of the Advisory Committee for UEMS
- General Assembly
The General Assembly is the supreme organ of the Association and the ordinary General Assembly is held once a year, coinciding with the Annual Congress of the Association. The extraordinary General Assembly can be held anytime if the conditions established by the Bylaws are met.
Whether ordinary or extraordinary, the call of the General Assembly must be communicated via email to all EHS members, stating the place, day, and time of the meeting, and agenda.
- National Chapters
Currently, there are 26 organizations not only in Europe but on other continents too, recognized as National Chapters of the EHS:
Austrian Hernia Society – Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Hernienchirurgie Österreich (AHC) founded in 2005[2]
Belgian Society for Abdominal Wall Surgery founded in 2001
British Hernia Society founded in 2003
Capítulo Parede Abdominal – GREPA - Sociedade Portuguesa de Cirurgia founded in 1977
Chapitre Français de l’EHS-GREPA founded in 2006
Czech Hernia Society / Česká Herniologická Společnost founded in 2014
Danish Chapter of the EHS- Dansk Herniedatabase founded in 2016
Dutch Hernia Society founded in 2001
Finnish Hernia Society - Suomen Herniayhdistys founded in 2017
German Hernia Society – Deutsche Herniengesellschaft founded in 2002
Hellenic Hernia Association founded in 1999
Hernia Interest Group South Africa founded in 2014
Hungarian Work Group for Abdominal Wall Surgery founded in 2005
Israel founded in 2013
Italian Society of Hernia and Abdominal Wall Surgery founded in 2004
Polish Hernia Club founded in 1999
Romanian Hernia Club founded in 2015
Russian herniologists society founded in 2001
Spanish Chapter - Sección Pared Abdominal founded in 1996
Serbian Hernia Society founded in 2001
Slovenian Hernia Society founded in 2004
Swedish Association of Innovative Surgical Technology founded in 2007
Swiss Association for Hernia Surgery founded in 2018
Turkish Hernia Society founded in 2003
Ukrainian Hernia Society founded in 2003
Scientific Work
- Guidelines
The European Hernia Society guidelines are intended to provide surgeons with a set of recommendations for the diagnostic, classification and treatment of hernias. The EHS Guidelines are prepared and reviewed by leading experts and are based on the findings of evidence-based medicine. The guidelines are updated regularly to include new evidence and data.
The EHS has published the following guidelines:
Guidelines on prevention and treatment of Parastomal Hernias (Updated 2019)
Guidelines on the treatment of inguinal hernia in adult patients (2009)
Guidelines for treatment of umbilical and epigastric hernias (joint guidelines with Americas Hernia Society)(2020)
Guidelines on management of rectus diastasis (2021)
Guidelines for the management of groin hernia management (2019)
Guidelines on the closure of abdominal wall incisions
Guidelines on the treatment of primary ventral hernia
Guidelines on the treatment of incisional hernia
- Education
The EHS undertakes several activities focused on educating both surgeons and patients about abdominal wall pathologies. The society organizes a series of seminars, both physical and hybrid/online either alone (Fundamentals of Abdominal Wall Surgery) or in cooperation with other societies and educational institutions. It also endorses a variety of educational activities organized by its strategic partners. The EHS provides fellowships in the form of travel or extended surgical stay grants, in cooperating hospitals that specialize in abdominal wall surgery.
- Research
The EHS promotes and funds scientific research regarding abdominal wall pathologies. Members can apply for one of the research grants that the society awards. Members also gain access to EHS’s own Journal of Abdominal Wall Surgery (JAWS), Hernia Journal, and the British Journal of Surgery through strategic partnerships. In 2021 the Society launched the EHS Registry[3], an anonymized medical data registry about hernia surgeries. Access and data input is free for members.
- Congress
The annual EHS Congress, held every year in a different location, presents the latest developments in scientific research, clinical practice and technological innovation regarding hernia surgery[4]. Every third year, it is held together with the American Hernia Society (AHS) either in Europe or in the USA. About 1000 participants usually attend.
- Fellow of the European Board of Surgery / Abdominal Wall Surgery
In cooperation with the European Board of Surgery of the UEMS (Union Européenne des Médecins Spécialistes - European Union of Medical Specialists) the EHS created the Fellow of the European Board of Surgery / Abdominal Wall Surgery (abrevation FEBS/AWS) certification. The UEMS/EHS fellowship (FEBS/AWS) represents a high-level validated quality control process and guarantees a certain proficiency in abdominal wall surgery. The diploma is awarded to eligible candidates either through an examination, or as an honorary diploma[5].
Publications
In cooperation with Frontiers Publishing, the Society created the Journal of Abdominal Wall Surgery (JAWS)[6]. JAWS is a peer-reviewed Open Access journal that aims to shine a spotlight on the scientific research in the field of abdominal wall surgery and is the official scientific journal of the Society. Through an additional strategic partnership with the British Journal of Surgery, EHS provides several benefits for its members.
Social Media presence
The European Hernia Society has official accounts on most popular social media platforms, posting updates about its activities, hernia-related news, and content and engages with other accounts (Facebook, Instagram, Linked In, YouTube, Twitter) The Society uses frequent tags to refer to certain hernia entities and has created a catalog with proposed Hernia Tags, to help surgeons categorize and find hernia related content easily. It also created the tag #HerniaFriends which references the relaxed and friendly relationships among abdominal wall surgeons.
References
- ↑ https://www.europeanherniasociety.eu/
- ↑ https://www.hernienchirurgie.at/
- ↑ https://ehs-hernia-registry.com/
- ↑ https://www.europeanherniasociety.eu/conferences/event-listing/ehs
- ↑ https://uemssurg.org/working-groups/abdominal-wall-surgery/
- ↑ https://www.frontierspartnerships.org/journals/journal-of-abdominal-wall-surgery
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