Dr. S. Perretta is a leading upper gastrointestinal surgeon and Chief of Foregut and Advanced Gastrointestinal Endoscopy Division. She directs IHU education and the Surgical Endoscopy fellowship program, and serves as Vice President of Ircad France. Her expertise includes upper gastrointestinal surgery, bariatric surgery, interventional endoscopy, and surgical education.
Dr. Perretta is renowned for pioneering Natural Orifice Transluminal Endoscopic Surgery (NOTES), hybrid surgical endoscopy, and medical education innovations. She holds 9 patents, authored 146 publications, and leads the "B.E.S.T" program, promoting medical innovation. Honors include the SAGES Career Development Award and the SAGES STORZ Lectureship. She received a French government grant for e-learning in surgical endoscopy and was named Knight of the National Order of the Legion of Honor. Dr. Perretta chairs the EAES Flexible Endoscopy Committee and advises on emerging surgical technologies.
Dr. Christine Stier is a renowned bariatric surgeon recognized for pioneering bariatric endoscopy in Germany and worldwide. Her expertise in surgery and general medicine, supplemented by a qualification in nutritional medicine, has led to leadership roles in surgical endoscopy at Frankfurt, Sana Klinikum Offenbach, and Würzburg. She has been instrumental in establishing obesity centers and advancing bariatric endoscopic techniques nationally.
Dr. Stier's contributions are also notable in scientific publications and committee roles, including deputy chair of the German Working Group on Metabolic Endoscopy, member of the Bariatric Endoscopy Committee of IFSO, and the German Obesity Alliance (DAA).
Dr. Boškoski is a highly accomplished gastroenterologist, specializing in biliary-pancreatic endoscopy, Bariatric Endoscopy, and ultrasound endoscopy. He graduated from the University of Perugia in 2005, completed his Gastroenterology specialization at the Campus Bio-Medico University of Rome in 2009, and obtained a PhD in Bariatric Endoscopy from the Catholic University of Rome in 2012. Currently, he serves as Medical Director Gastroenterologist at Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS and consultant Gastroenterologist at IHU Strasbourg.
Dr. Boškoski is a prolific author with 60 scientific papers and eight book chapters, and holds an H-index of 14 on Scopus and 17 on Google Scholar. He is actively involved in medical education as an Instructor at the European Endoscopy Training Center in Rome and is recognized for inventing the "Boškoski-Costamagna ERCP Trainer."
Dr. Vincent Huberty, MD, PhD, serves as the Director of the Integrated Obesity Center at Hôpital Erasme in Brussels, Belgium. He has specialized expertise in ERCP (Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography) under the mentorship of Jacques Devière at Hôpital Erasme. Additionally, he trained in ESD (Endoscopic Submucosal Dissection) with Naohisa Yahagi at Keio Cancer Center in Tokyo, Japan.
Dr. Huberty is also proficient in bariatric endoscopy, including ESG (Endoscopic Sleeve Gastroplasty) and BIG (Bariatric Interventions for Gastric procedures).
Dr. Román Turró is Specialist in Digestive Endoscopy and Endoscopic Treatment of Obesity, member of Spain's top teams in Digestive and Bariatric Endoscopy. He is a USGI Consultant Physician (Pose Method), International Trainer in POSE, and Aspire Method Consultant and Trainer. He coordinates the Bariatric Endoscopy Unit, having performed over 700 cases across Spain, Germany, France, Italy, Qatar, and the UAE. He also consults for Allurion (Ellipse balloon).
He is a member of SECO (Spanish Society of Obesity Surgery), IFSO (International Federation for the Surgery of Obesity and Metabolic Disorders), SEED (Spanish Society of Digestive Endoscopy), and GETTEMO (Spanish Working Group for the Endoscopic Treatment of Metabolism and Obesity). Additionally, he coordinates the Bariatric Endoscopy Unit at the Espinós Turró Advanced Endoscopy Institute, Teknon Medical Center, and the Digestive Endoscopy Unit at Mi Tres Torres Clinic, both in Barcelona.
Dr. Ricardo Zorron was also one of the founders of Natural Orifce Translumenal Endoscopic Surgery (NOTES). Throughout his 30-year career, he left his mark on the evolution of surgery. Dr. Zorron was born in Hannover, Germany and raised in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. In 1987, he graduated with a degree in medicine from the University Federal Rio de Janeiro. He then completed a residency in general surgery from the same University and a Master’s degree in Digestive Surgery. In 1997, Dr. Zorron completed a fellowship in advanced laparoscopy at the Humboldt University Charité in Berlin, Germany, under the guidance of the Chief of Surgery Prof. Dr. J.M. Müller, and he earned a Ph.D. in Morphological Sciences in 2005 from the University Federal Rio de Janeiro.
Dr. Zorron took the position of Chairman of Surgery at the University FESO in Rio de Janeiro. He was promoted to Full Professor of Surgery in 2005. In addition, he earned the titles: Professor of Experimental Surgery at University UENF in 2008 and Collaborator Professor of Surgery from the University UNIRIO in 2010. After years of performing animal studies at the University UENF, Campos, Rio de Janeiro, in 2007, Dr. Zorron performed and published the frst worldwide series of NOTES transvaginal cholecystectomy. Following this innovation, in 2010, he published the results of the frst international multicenter clinical study on NOTES, including the frst cases of transvaginal sleeve gastrectomy. This procedure was frst introduced by Almino Ramos, Natan Zundel, and Manoel Galvao. Along with transvaginal surgery, Dr. Zorron developed and patented access kits and instruments for transvaginal surgery which were produced by Karl Storz. Since 2008, he has worked with the Apollo Group in the USA and a group of surgeons and gastroenterologists to refne the devices used for the endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty procedure (ESG). Dr. Zorron was also interested in transrectal surgery and published the results of his frst series of transrectal rectal resections for rectal cancer. He named the procedure, “the Down-to-Up Total Mesorectal Excision,” which is now known as the “TAMIS-TME” procedure and popular around the world.
Dr. Christopher C. Thompson is the Director of Endoscopy at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Co-director of the Center for Weight Management and Wellness, and a Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. He specializes in endoscopic surgery for foregut conditions, focusing on obesity, GERD, and pancreatobiliary disease.
Dr. Thompson has numerous patents, over 300 publications, and pioneered several endoscopic procedures, including the first endoscopic suturing for obesity. He invented anastomosis technology for treating type 2 diabetes and edited the first Bariatric Endoscopy textbook and video atlas. His achievements have garnered a broad referral base and international invitations for lectures. He has mentored over 20 fellows and established the first Fellowship in Bariatric Endoscopy.
Dr. Barham K Abu Dayyeh, Assistant Medical Director of Business Development and Associate Research Chair of Innovation for the Department of Medicine at Mayo Clinic, leads innovative solutions for complex diseases. With over 15 years in advanced endoscopy, he excels in minimally invasive procedures and devices.
Holding a Master of Public Health from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Dr. Abu Dayyeh developed expertise in health communication, quality improvement, and clinical-research methodology. As a Professor of Medicine, he invented multiple medical devices and endoscopic procedures, published over 320 peer-reviewed articles, and received numerous awards.