Andrew Wallace Kirkpatrick is a Professor in the Departments of Surgery and Critical Care Medicine at the University of Calgary, and the former Director of Trauma Services. He graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Ottawa, with fellowships in Surgery and Critical Care at the University of Toronto and a Master’s degree in Epidemiology at the University of British Columbia. He is the past President of the Trauma Association of Canada and Abdominal Compartment Society. He has more than 500 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters, mainly concerning telemedicine, intra-abdominal hypertension, and aerospace medicine. He is a past president of the Trauma Association of Canada and the Abdominal Compartment Society, as well as a past executive member of the Canadian Emergency Ultrasound Society and the Canadian Association of General Surgeons Evidence-Based Reviews in Surgery Committees. He has
consulted for the Canadian Space Agency and the National Space and Aeronautical Agencies. He retains a reserve commission in the Canadian Forces and has served overseas on several occasions. He is a former Paratrooper and Flight Surgeon and currently maintains a private pilot’s license. He has completed over 500 parabolas of parabolic flight research. He is also the Global Principal Investigator for the COOL Trial and Director of the TeleMentored Ultrasound
Supported Medical Interventions (TMUSMI) Research Group.
Federico Coccolini is a consultant general, emergency, and trauma surgeon working at the Pisa University Hospital (Pisa, Italy), one of the biggest Level I trauma centers in Italy. He obtained a Ph.D. in Medical Science from Ospedali Riuniti, Italy. He teaches Emergency and Trauma Surgery at the University of Pisa. He is the principal investigator of multicentre studies and registers. He authored hundreds of papers and tens of book chapters. He has edited several books and a book series. He served as a reviewer and member of the board for several journals. He is a world opinion leader in emergency general surgery and trauma.
Matti Tolonen is a specialist in abdominal surgery. He currently works as an emergency abdominal surgeon at the Abdominal Center, Helsinki University Central Hospital. Matti does research in traumatology, surgery, and gastroenterology. In addition to clinical work, he regularly gives lectures internationally and in Finland. He is an active member of emergency and trauma surgery associations in Europe and USA. He does clinical research and trains other doctors both internationally and in Finland.
Dr. Samuel Minor, MD, FRCSC, FACS, is a Professor at the Department of Critical Care and Department of Surgery Division of General Surgery, Dalhousie University. He graduated from University of Toronto's Medical School in 2000. Subsequently, he completed a residency in general surgery and the Critical Care Fellowship at Queen's University. His research interests include trauma, simulation, open abdomen management, and abdominal wall reconstruction. He is the Chair of the ACS Committee on Trauma for the Maritime Provinces. Dr. Minor has developed various programs at the Dalhousie Surgical Skills Center including percutaneous tracheostomy insertion, critical care skills (difficult airway management, percutaneous chest tube insertion, US guided interventions), open abdomen management, and abdominal wall reconstruction. He also teaches crisis resource management at the Atlantic Canada Simulation Center which focuses on ACLS and ATLS utilizing the SimMan 3G.
Prof. Dr. Fausto Catena, currently the Chief of the Department of Emergency Surgery at Parma University Hospital, graduated in Medicine and Surgery from the University of Bologna, Italy. He also serves as the General Secretary of the World Society of Emergency Surgery (WSES) and directs the WSES Educational Program. With a wealth of experience, he has held positions such as Consultant General Surgeon at the St. Orsola-Malpighi University Hospital, University of Bologna, Italy. Prof. Dr. Fausto Catena’s editorial roles include being Editor-in-Chief of the World Journal of Emergency Surgery and serving on the editorial boards of multiple esteemed journals. His extensive contributions to academia are underscored by over 450 scientific papers, multiple book chapters, and three books. Notably, he has been honored with 13 national and international scientific prizes for his outstanding work, reflecting his significant impact in the field of surgery. His diverse research interests encompass colorectal surgery, emergency surgery, hernia surgery, kidney transplantation, sarcoma and carcinomatosis, and minimally invasive surgery, showcasing his broad expertise and dedication to advancing surgical care.
Andrea Celotti graduated in Medicine from the University of Brescia in 2005 and specialized in General Surgery in 2017 at the University Clinic of Spedali Civili di Brescia. He has worked as MD General Surgeon at Spedali Civili of Brescia from January 2011 to August 2017 and currently works as an MD General Surgeon at the Department of Surgery, AAST Cremona, Cremona, Italy.
His main field of interest is oncologic surgery, especially for diseases of the pancreas, liver, stomach, esophagus, and colorectum. He also does functional esophagogastric joint surgery, wall surgery with laparoscopic technique, and emergency surgery.
Dr. Gennaro Perrone is a Medical Doctor at the Department of Emergency Surgery, Parma University Hospital, Parma, Italy. His research interests include trauma, minimally invasive surgery, abdominal surgery, laparoscopic cholecystectomy, and laparoscopic colorectal surgery. He is the author of more than 60 publications in peer-reviewed journals.
Gianluca Garulli was born on 18 June 1962 in Bologna. He enrolled in the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery of the University of Bologna, academic year 1981-1982, and graduated on 3 April 1989 with honors. On 22 June 1994, he graduated with honors from the School of Specialization in General Surgery of the “I Clinica Chirurgica” institution, directed by Prof. Domenico Marrano. From 20 March 2006 to the present, he has been working as an attending physician in the Division of General Surgery at the Department of General and Thoracic Surgery of the hospital Ceccarini in Riccione (part of the Local Health Unit of Rimini), directed by Dr. S. Artuso. From 12 February 2007 to 31 December 2017, he was the head physician of the Department of General and Thoracic Surgery at the hospitals of Riccione and Cattolica, both part of the Local Health Unit of Rimini. From 1 January 2018 to present, he has been Head Physician of the Dept. Of General and advanced laparoscopic surgery at the Hospital Infermi of Rimini. He is a certified member of the Board of Medical Practitioners and Dentists of the city of Rimini. He is proficient both in written and spoken English (he earned a “Threshold level” English proficiency certification at the Wall Street Institute in Bologna), and he has a basic knowledge of Spanish.
Dr. Orestis Ioannidis is currently an Assistant Professor of Surgery at the Medical School of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. He studied medicine at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and graduated in 2005. He received his MSc in medical research methodology in 2008 from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and in surgery of liver, biliary tree, and pancreas from the Democritus University of Thrace in 2016. He received his Ph.D. degree in 2014 from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki as valedictorian for his thesis “The effect of combined administration of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids in ulcerative colitis. Experimental study in rats.” He is a general surgeon with a special interest in laparoscopic surgery and surgical oncology and also in surgical infections, acute care surgery, nutrition, and ERAS and vascular access. He has received fellowships for EAES, ESSO, EPC, ESCP, and ACS and has published more than 180 articles.
Michael Sugrue qualified in 1981 from University College Galway Ireland, with many undergraduate awards. After 8 years of training in Ireland, he went to Australia and, during his 20 years at Liverpool Hospital in Sydney, where he was an academic Professor of Surgery at the University of New South Wales and Trauma Director at Liverpool Hospital, he obtained his MD in
2002 for his work on intra-abdominal pressure and renal failure, on which he has published widely. He is co-founder and ex-president of World Society Abdominal Compartment Syndrome and was convener of the 2nd and 4th World Congress on the Abdominal Compartment Syndrome. He has achieved many awards for the pursuit of educational initiatives including the ESR Hughes Medal from Australasian College of Surgeons in 2008. He is currently an Emergency and Breast Surgeon in Letterkenny University Hospital and Galway University Hospital Ireland. He has developed many courses in Emergency Surgery, including EASC and student EASC, and Difficult Open Abdomen. The EASC course is now one of the world’s most popular Emergency Abdominal Surgery Courses and is taught in 10 countries. He received the Orazio Campione Prize for services to Emergency Surgery in 2019.
Dario Tartaglia received his Medical degree from the University of Pisa in 2009, finished his Specialization in General Surgery at the University of Pisa in 2016, and received his Ph.D. at the University of Pisa in 2018. He was a Visiting Doctor and Senior Clinical Fellow at Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust from April to September 2015. He has been a General Surgeon and Researcher at the Department of General and Emergency Surgery, University of Pisa since November 2016.
Dr. Hanna Lampela is a Chief Physician at the Gastrointestinal Surgery, Helsinki University Hospital, Finland. Her research interests include quality of life research, general surgery, liver, cholestasis, liver biopsy, and liver fibrosis. She is the author of more than 30 publications in peer-reviewed journals.
Luca Ansaloni currently is an Associate Professor of General Surgery at the University of Pavia and works as Director of the Emergency Department and as Director of the Unit of General Surgery I, Policlinico San Matteo Pavia Fondazione IRCCS, Pavia, Italy. He was Managing Director at the Department of Emergency, Azienda Ospedaliera Papa Giovanni XXIII from June 2010 to November 2017, and Managing Director at Bufalini Hospital of Cesena, Italy, from December 2017 to September 2020. He does research in General and Emergency Surgery, Traumatology, and Surgical Oncology.
Dr. Neil Parry graduated from Medical School in 1996 from the University of Western Ontario and also completed his residency in general surgery there. He then went on to a trauma and critical care fellowship at Grady Memorial Hospital, Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia under the tutelage of Drs. Rozycki and Feliciano. He returned to Victoria Hospital, London Health Sciences Centre in 2003 and is now a Professor of Surgery and Critical Care Medicine at the Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University. He was previously the Medical Director of the Critical Care Trauma Centre and the site lead for Critical Care Outreach Team. Currently,
he is the Medical Director of the Trauma Program for London Health Sciences Centre and is also the Site Chief of Surgery at Victoria Hospital. He currently serves on the Executive Board of Directors of the Trauma Association of Canada and has also held several leadership roles with the Canadian Association of General Surgeons. He is active with the Royal College and Physicians of Canada and is the Vice Chair of the General Surgery Examination Board. He is a national member of the Committee on Trauma for the American College of Surgeons where he serves as the Chair of the Surgical Skills Committee as well as a member of the ATLS Committee.
Elif Colak earned her medical degree at Ondokuz Mayis University Medical School in Samsun, Turkey. She completed her training in General Surgery at Kartal Training and Research Hospital in Istanbul and currently works as a Professor of Surgery at the University of Samsun, Samsun Training and Research Hospital.
Mauro Podda is a General and Emergency Consultant Surgeon (Department of Surgery) and Senior Lecturer in Surgery (Department of Surgical Science) employed at the University of Cagliari (Italy). His current research interests include abdominal wall surgery, especially when focused on laparoscopic procedures plus emergency and trauma surgery. He was a Specialty
Registrar at the Department of Surgical Science, University of Cagliari from 2010 to 2016, and a Visiting Registrar at the Department of Surgery, Ninewells Hospital from May 2014 to February 2015. He is a methodologist and researcher on surgery. He is a member of SICE, EAES, and WSES.
Dr. Joao Rezende-Neto is a Surgeon at Saint Michael's Hospital and Professor of Surgery at the University of Toronto. He received his medical degree from the Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil in 1990, where he completed General Surgery Residency, with added qualifications in Trauma Surgery in 1994. He undertook fellowship training in Trauma and Critical Care at Boston City Hospital—Boston University Medical Centre from 1995 to 1997. After returning to Brazil in 1997, he worked as a Staff Trauma Surgeon in one of the busiest trauma centers in the country (The Joao XXIII Hospital Trauma Centre). In 2000, he moved to Denver for a Research Fellowship in Trauma as part of his Ph.D., and in 2003 he was appointed Associate Professor in the Department of Surgery at the Federal University of Minas Gerais, and Chief of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery at the University Hospital Trauma Center—Risoleta Neves Hospital. In 2009, he completed a one-year Research Fellowship in Trauma Surgery at Sunnybrook Hospital—University of Toronto. His main research interests are traumatic hemorrhagic shock and inflammatory response to injury. He has also been involved in teaching at undergraduate and postgraduate levels and has received several teaching awards throughout his academic career.
Dr. Chad Ball is a colorectal surgeon in Calgary. He practices at Southern Alberta Surgical Center. He completed his general surgery residency at the University of Calgary after earning his medical degree from the University of Toronto. After that, he finished fellowships in trauma and
surgical critical care at Emory University and the University of Cape Town, as well as hepatobiliary and pancreatic surgery at Indiana University. He also has a Master’s degree from the University of British Columbia. He is a Professor of Surgery and Oncology at the University of Calgary’s Cumming School of Medicine. He specializes in hepatobiliary, pancreas, trauma, and acute care surgery. He also graduated from Calgary’s “Top 40 Under 40” program.
Dr. Ernest E Moore was the Chief of Trauma at the Denver General Hospital for 36 years, Chief of Surgery for 28 years, and the first Bruce M. Rockwell Distinguished Chair in Trauma Surgery. He continues to serve as Vice Chairman for Research. He is a Distinguished Professor of Surgery at the University of Colorado Denver (UCD) and has been the Editor of the Journal
of Trauma since 2011. He has served as president of nine academic societies, including the Society of University Surgeons, the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma, the International Association for the Trauma and Surgical Intensive Care, and the World Society of Emergency Surgery; and as Vice President for the American Surgical Association. He has honorary fellowships in the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, the Royal College of Surgeons of Thailand, and the American College of
Emergency Physicians. He is an honorary member of the Brazilian Trauma Society, Colombian Trauma Society, Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma, European Society for Trauma and Emergency Surgery, North Pacific Surgical Association, and Trauma Association of Canada.
