Go back to the main website | This is the 2019 edition archive
Ferdinand Waldenberger, MD, PhD
Professor of Cardiac Surgery, Chief of the Department of Cardiac Surgery
🔸 Part of the team who performed the first-ever heart transplant in Austria, in 1984 ✔
🔸 Responsible for the first-ever successful heart transplant on a newborn in Houston, Texas ✔
🔸 Professor of Cardiac Surgery, Chair Health Economics and Organizational Ethics, 'Sigmund Freud' University, Vienna
Ferdinand R. Waldenberger, M.D, Ph.D. is a prominent worldwide figure in surgery. Some of his career highlights include numerous artificial heart implants, complex surgeries on the aortic arch with selective cerebral perfusion and in Berlin, 1997, the first bypass surgery on a beating heart in a German-speaking country.
His career also includes charitable activities such as numerous operations in Sudan and Yemen, where he performed various surgeries. He is also famous for an impressive TEDx Talk where he tackled 'The ethical dilemma of a heart surgeon'.
Currently, Ferdinand R. Waldenberger, is the Hospital Director of General Hospital Klinikum Klagenfurt, Austria and also a Professor at 'Siegmund Freud' Private University
Dan Mircea Enescu, MD, PhD
Professor of Pediatric Plastic Surgery, Romanian Academy member
Being the founding father of Paediatric Plastic Surgery in Romania is impressive on its own 👶🏼, but for Prof. Dan Mircea Enescu MD, PhD is just one achievement from a long list of outstanding feats.
A world-renowned expert in the management of burns in children, inventor of topic antibiotics for the treatment of burnt-patients, inventor of the Transplant-Banks for Skin and Pancreas and the recipient of the 1999 'World Saloon for Inventions, Research and Industrial Innovation Silver Medal', Prof. Enescu believes his greatest achievement is playing a 🗝 role in the training of students and young doctors.
His involvement in the medical field did not stop at Romanian’s border, taking part in EUROCRAN, EUROCLEFT and Operation SMILE – an international quest in the treatment of the cleft lip and palate.
Besides his excellent surgical skills, outside the operation room, prof. Enescu is an excellent manager, transforming the century-old 'Grigore Alexandrescu' Hospital into a modern facility which allows high class surgery and becoming one of the best European hospitals. 🔝
Paul R.V. Johnson, MD, PhD
Professor of Pediatric Surgery; Director of the Oxford Islet Isolation and Transplantation Programmes
The ultimate goal of making pancreatic islet transplantation applicable to children? Sounds promising and impressive at the same time! 👏🏻
Director of the Oxford Islet Isolation and Transplantation Programmes and Professor of Paediatric Surgery, Prof. Dr. Paul R. V. Johnson of John Radcliffe Hospital, England, leads an active research group encompassing basic, translational and clinical research.
His research specifically focuses on two major factors:
✔understanding the molecular structure and interactions of the pancreatic matrix and
✔ developing strategies for islet immunoisolation.
Prof. Johnson is Immediate Past-President of the International Pancreas and Islet Transplant Association (IPITA). He has chaired several Research Advisory Boards, including those of the British Association of Paediatric Surgeons, DRWF UK, DRWF Sweden and the Royal College of Surgeons of England.
Him coming to Romania and joining our congress is a unique opportunity to sneak peek into such extensive research, as well as to learn about the intricate principles of pancreas transplantation! 🔍
Viorel Ibric-Cioranu D.M.D., M.D., Ph.D
Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon, Euroclinic Hospital Bucharest; Former President of the Romanian Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Society; Professor at the Faculty of Medicine,
Can you imagine having an MD not being enough to do surgery?
Well, in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, you need to be two times Doctor (in Medicine and Dentistry!) to be able to operate. This only emphasises the difficulty and the knowledge needed to treat the pathology of this surgical field correctly.
Prof. Viorel Ibric-Cioranu DMD, MD, PhD, is one of the leading Romanian experts in OMFS, with over 40 years of experience, specializing in the tumor resections, mandibular reconstructions and implantology.
Being the author of over 40 fully-published articles, having more than 200 national and international congress participations and being a former President of the Romanian Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Society makes prof. Ibric one of the best European OMFS surgeons.
Attending his presentation at SURGICON will give you a better perspective into the complexity of the cranio-facial area and might add a fee more years to your undergraduate studies!
Cătălin Copăescu MD, PhD
Head of the the Gastrointestinal Minimally Invasive and Bariatric Surgery Department, Ponderas Academic Hospital, Bucharest Director of the Bariatric Center of Excellence, Ponderas Academic Hospital, Bucharest Executive Director of the Bucharest Surg
Saying that Prof. Dr. Copăescu’s accomplishments are extraordinary would be an understatement.
His career is defined by a lot of firsts for Romania. The most remarkable of them are: first laparoscopic bariatric surgery performed in Romania, the first clinic in South-East Europe dedicated entirely to bariatric surgery, first bariatric surgery performed laparoscopically in Romania to be transmitted live to an international congress: the 22nd Congress of Digestive Surgery in Rome.
He is also the first and only Surgeon of Excellence in Romania in metabolic and bariatric surgery, having double certification: European (from the International Federation for Obesity Surgery) and American (from the Surgical Review Corporation).
To learn more about Prof. Dr. Copaescu’s career path, join us at SURGICON 2019 to find inspiration and mentorship!
Ionuț Gobej MD
Neurosurgery Department, Ponderas Academic Hospital, Bucharest Founder of the Neurosurgery Department at Colentina Clinical Hospital
After several specializations at prestigious hospitals in France, Doctor Ionuț Gobej is one of the neurosurgeons that pushes the state of Romanian neurosurgery to new heights.
A passionate adept of keyhole surgery, Dr. Gobej chooses to operate the majority of cranial afflictions, from tumors to vascular malformations, using minimally-invasive techniques. In addition, he is one of the few surgeons in the world to practise endoscopic spinal surgery.
After his return to Romania, he founded the Neurosurgery Unit of Colentina Hospital and was its leader for three years. He then partnered with his colleague, Doctor Dorin Bica, to implement the Neurohope project. The NGO aims to facilitate the progress of romanian neurosurgery, through head hunting and by sponsoring medical students and young doctors to expand their knowledge and skills in this ever-evolving field. Doctor Gobej currently works at Ponderas Academic Hospital.
Luminița Teodorescu MD
Associate Founding Member and primary physician at OFTALMIX SOP Medical Clinic Bucharest Vice-President and Founding Member of the Romanian Society of Strabismology and Paediatric Ophtalmology
Luminița Teodorescu MD is one of the leading ophthalmological experts in Romania, with more than 30 years of experience in this field. She is also one of the founding members of SRSOP (Romanian Society of Strabismlogy and Paediatric Ophtalmology) and also Founding Member of the OFTALMIX SOP Medical Clinic Bucharest.
With over 60 improvement courses, 30+ presented papers, 15 fully-published articles and 15 courses organised by her, it’s safe to say that Dr. Luminita Teodorescu is not only a professional but also an enthusiast in academic development.
Simona Dima MD, PhD
General Surgery, First Grade Scientific Researcher President of the Scientific Council, Fundeni Clinical Institute Research Coordinator of Digestive Diseases and Liver Transplantation Center, Fundeni Clinical Institute
Liver transplantation is the accepted standard of care for end-stage liver disease due to a variety of etiologies.
The research coordinator of Digestive Diseases and Liver Transplantation Center and President of Scientific Council, Simona Dima MD, PhD, of Fundeni Clinical Institute, has an impressive number of publications regarding general surgery!
Dr. Simona Dima has done several trainings such as Training in “The Islet cell transplantation, course and basic research for islet isolation, purification, islet culture, cryopreservation” in Southern California Islet Cell Resources Center, Departments of Diabetes at the City of Hope National Medical Center Duarte, California. Furthermore, she did a fellowship in pancreas transplantation - Diabetes Institute for Immunology and Transplantation, University of Minnesota.
At SURGICON 2019, attending her presentation will give you a better perspective into liver transplantation and enhance your curiosity about this subject.
Octavian Munteanu MD, PhD
Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Emergency Hospital of Bucharest; Member of Romanian Gynaecological Endocrinology Society; Member of Rmanian Obstetric and Gynaecology Society; Member of Romanian Anatomy Society
As a doctor, every procedure you perform carries certain potential unpleasant side effects, and it should be everyone’s goal to maximize the healing effect, while minimizing the risks.
In order to do that, Octavian Munteanu MD, PhD proposes an insight in one of the distresses in gynecological surgery, in an attempt to familiarize the audience with the best approach in dealing with it and assuring the best outcomes for the patients.
Having actively participated in many congresses and working with students as an Assistant Lecturer in the ‘Carol Davila’ University of Medicine and Pharmacy Anatomy Department, he is highly engaged in medical education and has a high interest in sharing his knowledge with the future surgeons-to-be.
World-renowned surgeons will focus their talks on research perspectives in surgery
and challenges faced on the road to becoming a successful practitioner
Ottavio Alfieri, MD, PhD
Professor of Cardiac Surgery, Chief of the Department of Cardiac Surgery
When the mitral valve becomes dysfunctional, be it through stenosis or regurgitation, a question arises: to repair or to replace?
The recipient of the 2018 European Society of Cardiology Gold Medal, Ottavio Alfieri MD, PhD, Professor of Cardiac Surgery and Chief of the Department of Cardiac Surgery at ‘San Raffaele’ University Hospital, Milan, is not only an accomplished surgeon and researcher - with over 15.000 patients and 600 peer-reviewed papers - but also a pioneer in the field of mitral valve insufficiency treatment, and an advocate of surgical repair over replacement.
His ‘edge-to-edge’ technique, also known as ‘Alfieri stitch’, is both a simple, elegant solution for mitral valve repair, and the basis of the currently most used type of percutaneous correction of mitral regurgitation!
During his career, Dr. Alfieri has been a mentor to numerous enthusiasts of cardiovascular surgery, some of which have went on to become themselves world-renown surgeons in this field.
At SURGICON 2019, the professor will delve deeper into the intricacies of mitral valve pathology, tackling the variety of treatment modalities in the context of their rapid evolution. This will give us a unique opportunity to take a glimpse into the past and future of cardiac surgery, through the eyes of one its most distinguished practitioners!
Henri Steyaert, MD, PhD
Professor of Pediatric Surgery, University of Oxford Head of Pediatric Surgery Department; Clinical Head of Surgery
When a child’s life is in danger, his whole future stays in the hands of a doctor who must use the best techniques, keeping in mind that children are not "little adults", and find the best solution accordingly.
Dr. Henri Steyaert, president of the European Society of Pediatric Endoscopic Surgeons (ESPES), has over 30 years of experience in the field of pediatric surgery. One of its objectives is to adapt minimally-invasive surgery for young patients in need, as the results obtained from studies on adults cannot be translated to children. He has also pioneered new techniques dedicated to pediatric patients exclusively, for example in surgical oncology and urology.
He has published over 120 peer-reviewed articles, he's been the chief of the Pediatric Surgery Department of Queen Fabiola Children's University Hospital in Brussels, Belgium and holds trainings and conferences for doctors and medical students worldwide.
Passion, ambition and hard work have driven him through his entire career and continue to do so, being an inspiration for all students at the beginning of their road towards becoming a successful surgeon and not only.
Victor Volovici, MD, PhD(c)
Neurosurgeon at Erasmus University Medical Center (IM delegate for the EANS, Co-Chairman of the EANS Microneurosurgery Course)
We believe that initiative is the key to many doors in the medical field, besides hard work and curiosity, and dr. Victor Volovici confirms it! In 2013 he was a part of the organising committee of the first edition of the Neurosurgical Masterclass in Cluj-Napoca, which reached its 7th edition this year, because, as he says, "there's nothing compared to what you learn from the actual surgery."
Victor Volovici, MD, PhD(c), alumnus of the "Carol Davila" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, is now a neurosurgeon at Erasmus University Medical Center from Rotterdam, Netherlands. The dutch center is considered to be the best European institution in clinical medicine!
As the avid researcher he is, his studies focus on microsurgery and vascular neurosurgery. He has devised the "double stitch everting technique" as a modification of the end-to-side anastomosis, resulting in reduced time and increased efficiency!
He is a pioneer of the microsurgery training field, demonstrating the superiority of the flower petal system over the chicken leg training.
Tim Goodacre MBBS FRCS
Professor of Plastic Surgery, Oxford Radcliffe University Hospital; Vice President of EBOPRAS
Last but certainly not least, Keynote Speaker Tim Goodacre MBBS FRCS brings the list of SURGICON 2019's conferences to an end! 💯
Dr. Tim Goodacre is a plastic surgeon with an Honorary contract at the Oxford University Hospitals, Former President of the British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons in 2011 and currently serves on the Royal College of Surgeons Council as BAPRAS elected representative.
His interest in plastic surgery was stimulated while in training as a general surgeon, continuing his work on head and neck and cleft care, running the craniofacial team. 👨⚕️ Furthermore, his academic interests have developed across the spectrum of reconstructive plastic surgery.
He is involved in many research projects, including the development of novel tissue expanders for paediatric word and the evaluation of role of early psychological intervention in cleft management. 👶 Throughout Dr. Goodacre’s career, he kept a close interest in the development of reconstructive plastic surgery in the world, especially in Africa. 🌍
He spreads happiness and joy, not only by advancing and enjoying the practice of plastic surgery, but also by his passion for non-medical fields like opera, cricket or football. ⚽️
