Abbreviation | WOFAPS |
---|---|
Formation | 15 October 1974 |
Founded at | São Paulo, Brazil |
Headquarters | Bern, Switzerland |
Subsidiaries | WOFAPS Foundation |
Website | www |
World Federation of Associations of Pediatric Surgeons (WOFAPS) is an organisation established on 15 October 1974 in Brazil [1] to promote the ethical study of pediatric research and to promote Pediatric Surgery as a distinct specialty of general surgery. The Kyoto Declaration of Pediatric Surgery, written in 2001, established the mission of the Federation to focus on the development and education of surgeons serving children, in all parts of the world. [2]
Several surgeons and associations supported the endorsement of the proposal for the "International Union of Pediatric Surgeons" proposed by Denys Pellerin in Paris in 1963. But the progress was slow. On 15 October 1974, WOFAPS was founded in São Paulo, Brazil, during a Pediatric Surgery Congress with representatives from 43 Countries under the Presidency of Prof. Virgilio Carvalho Pinto and Secretary General Prof. Jose Pinus. Harvey Beardmore from Canada was elected the first President of the WOFAPS. [3] while Prof Jose "Pepe" Boix Ochoa was again re-elected as General Secretary (a post he would hold for 35 years!!).
Until 1983, only 23 associations belonged to the WOFAPS, but the organization has grown to include over 100 member countries today. It is recognized and participates in International Associations of Pediatric Surgery as a member as well as the International Pediatric Association, as well as other organizations such as UNICEF, UNESCO and WHO. This has been due to the past leadership and efforts of the members. [4] Notable associations that have joined the WOFAPS include American Pediatric Surgical Association, EUPSA, the British Association of Paediatric Surgeons and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Kinderchirurgie , as well as more geographically distributed associations, for example the Pan-African Paediatric Surgical Association.
The WOFAPS is a representation of Pediatric Surgical Associations and it does not represent any political ideas nor does it make any racial or religious distinction. The WOFAPS is governed by its Constitution and its official office is in Bern, Switzerland. [5]
The WOFAPS Foundation is a subsidiary of WOFAPS that offers Scholarships to International Young Pediatric Surgeons [6] from developing countries who have demonstrated strong interests in teaching and research. The WOFAPS foundation is headed by Prof. Prem Puri, [7] previous president of WOFAPS and Lifetime Achievement Award recipient in 2013. [8]
The board is currently led by Prof Alp Numanoglu (South Africa) acting as president, Prof Shilpa Sharma (India) as general secretary and Prof Udo Rolle (Germany) is the president elect for the current term (2022-2025). The WOFAPS executive board consists of 15 Pediatric Surgeons voting members representing all continents and one non voting member as Prof Mahmoud Elfiky (Egypt).
The WOFAPS World Congress is held every three years. However, the WOFAPS joins a regional meeting with another pediatric surgical association every year.
Laparoscopy is an operation performed in the abdomen or pelvis using small incisions with the aid of a camera. The laparoscope aids diagnosis or therapeutic interventions with a few small cuts in the abdomen.
Pediatric surgery is a subspecialty of surgery involving the surgery of fetuses, infants, children, adolescents, and young adults.
Barry O'Donnell was an Irish pediatric surgeon who worked at Our Lady's Hospital for Sick Children, Crumlin in Dublin, who along with Prem Puri pioneered the sub-ureteric Teflon injection (STING) procedure for vesico-ureteric reflux. He was awarded the Urology Medal by the American Academy of Pediatrics, the first pediatric surgeon working outside the US to be so honored.
Sir Denis John Wolko Browne was the first British surgeon to devote his practice entirely to the care of children. A native of Australia, he served in the Royal Australian Army Medical Corps in World War I before moving to England and joining the staff of the Hospital for Sick Children at Great Ormond Street. An amateur tennis player in the 1920s, he made four appearances at Wimbledon.
Saroj Chooramani Gopal is an Indian medical doctor and medical educationist. She was awarded the Padma Shri in 2013 for her contributions to the fields of medicine and medical education. She is the first woman to get an M.Ch. in Pediatric Surgery in the country.
A rectovestibular fistula, also referred to simply as a vestibular fistula, is an anorectal congenital disorder where an abnormal connection (fistula) exists between the rectum and the vulval vestibule of the female genitalia.
The British Association of Paediatric Surgeons (BAPS) is a registered charity that aims to advance the study and practice of paediatric surgery.
Shiv Narain Kureel, is an Indian pediatric surgeon, medical academic and writer, and the professor and Head of the Department of Pediatric Surgery at King George's Medical University, Lucknow (U.P).
Pankaj Chandak is an Indian-born British surgeon who made innovations in the use of 3D printing in paediatric kidney transplant surgery. He has also undertaken work in education, public engagement, presenting demonstrations, and acting in The Crown television series. He graduated from Guy's and St Thomas' University of London medical school and was an anatomy demonstrator under Professor Harold Ellis CBE.
Eric S. Borgstein is a Dutch pediatric surgeon and professor of surgery at the University of Malawi College of Medicine.
Morio Kasai was a Japanese surgeon who had a strong interest in pediatric surgery. While Kasai went into practice at a time when pediatric surgery was not an established subspecialty, much of his clinical and research work was related to the surgical care of children. He is best known for devising a surgical procedure, the hepatoportoenterostomy, to address a life-threatening birth defect known as biliary atresia. The modern form of the operation is still known as the Kasai procedure.
Lewis Spitz is a paediatric surgeon who is internationally recognised as a leader in paediatric surgery and is known for his work on congenital abnormalities of the oesophagus, particularly oesophageal atresia, oesophageal replacement and gastroesophageal reflux especially in neurologically impaired children. He championed the plight of children with cerebral palsy and other congenital disorders; demonstrating that appropriate surgery could improve their quality of life. He is the leading authority in the management of conjoined twins and is recognised as the foremost international expert in this field. Spitz is the Emeritus Nuffield Professor of Paediatric Surgery.
Orvar Swenson was a Swedish-born American pediatric surgeon. He discovered the cause of Hirschsprung's disease and in 1948, with Alexander Bill, performed the first pull-through operation in a child with megacolon, which then became a treatment for the disease.
Isabella Forshall FRCSE was an English paediatric surgeon who played a leading role in the development of the speciality of paediatric surgery in the United Kingdom. She took a particular interest in neonatal surgery and was instrumental in the establishment of the Liverpool Neonatal Surgical Unit, the first neonatal intensive care unit in the UK and indeed in the world.
James Johnston Mason Brown OBE, FRCSEd was a Scottish paediatric surgeon. During World War II he served as a surgical specialist with the 8th Army in North Africa and Italy and was awarded the OBE for this service. As surgeon-in-chief at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Edinburgh, he edited the major textbook The Surgery of Childhood. He was the joint founder of the Scottish Surgical Paediatric Society and a founder member of the British Association of Paediatric Surgeons (BAPS), of which he became president. He was elected President of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (RCSEd) in 1962 but died in office aged 56 years.
Nene Elsie Nwada Obianyo is a Nigerian paediatric surgeon, delegate from Nigeria to the World Federation of Associations of Paediatric Surgeons and one of the two Nigerian surgeons who first successfully separated conjoined twins in Nigeria at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH) Enugu in 1988.
Denis Browne Gold Medal is a medal that was first struck in 1968, one year after the death of the paediatric surgeon Denis Browne and is awarded for outstanding contributions to paediatric surgery worldwide and is an honour bestowed by The British Association of Paediatric Surgeons.
Pan-African Paediatric Surgical Association (PAPSA) is an organisation established in 1994 to promote the practice of paediatric surgery in Africa, improvement of research, interchange of ideas and sharing of knowledge and expertise for the benefit of the children of Africa.
Dr. Mohan S. Gundeti is an Indian pediatric urological surgeon and professor of surgery. Gundeti has served as the Chief of Pediatric Urology at the University of Chicago Comer Children’s Hospital in Chicago, Illinois since 2007.