Committees

Purpose of the Committee:

The function of the Audit Committee will be to oversee the financial audit process, appointing an external auditor to audit the finances of the E-AHPBA on a yearly basis. Additional functions will be identified by Council as needs arise.

The Committee as a whole are responsible for overseeing effective auditing, financial reporting, internal controls and risk management within the E-AHPBA. They will:

• Oversee all systems, controls and processes that may have an impact on the E-AHPBA’s ability to meet its goals and deliver its Strategy
• Review the annual financial report and accounts before submission to the External Auditor and Executive Committee;
• Ensure that: –
  • Effective audit functions are in place (both internal and external);
  • Adequate risk management processes are in place;
  • An adequate internal control environment is established;
  • The association functions within the legal and financial requirements of the registered body

Chair
Ahmet Coker, Turkey

Members
Stefan Hofmeyr, South Africa
Fiona Hand, Ireland
Polak Wojtek, Netherlands
Max Bockhorn, Germany

Purpose of the Committee:

The Communications Committee is responsible for maintaining and improving communication with our members and assisting with membership growth. The main goals and actions of the Committee are:

• To identify enthusiastic HPB surgeons who want to play a role in continuing the development of the Association and to encourage them to play a leadership role in the future.
• To keep the membership informed about the latest technology and social media networks and work to engage with our members through these media.
• Improve communication with IHPBA and other regional associations – IHPBA and other regional associations already have communications committees in place and linking with these committees will further the membership harmonization.
• Keep the E-AHPBA website upgraded.
• Set up the educational area of myHPB, review content and develop strategy to increase engagement
• Responsible for the creation of a web-based newsletter that will be compiled by the committee members allocated to that portfolio. The Communications Committee will oversee the production of the newsletter with final sign off from the Executive Committee. This should be issued 3 times per year, in addition to a festive message from the president.

Chair
Daniel Hartmann, Germany

Vice Chair
Hanna Sternby, Sweden

Members
Nehal Shah, UK
Rowland Ndoma-Egba, Nigeria
Andrea Cacciaguerra, Italy
Haluk Morgul, Germany
Zahraa Alhulalli, The Netherlands
Cihan Agalar, Turkey
Samik Bandopadhay, UK
Hilal Tasci, Turkey
Amal Suhool, Abu Dhabi
Giammauro Berardi, Italy
Christine Namugenyi, Kenya
Malini Bhana, South Africa

Purpose of the Committee

The Education Committee (EC) of the European-African Hepatopancreatobiliary Association is a formally established committee of E-AHPBA responsible for creating and monitoring collaborative hepatic, pancreatic or biliary educational activities within the region.

The main goals and actions of the Committee are:

• To promote the overall educational philosophy and programmes of E-AHPBA as they are defined by the E-AHPBA Council in collaboration with the E-AHPBA EC
• To develop and implement programs and activities which will provide members with the opportunity to achieve the level of knowledge and skill necessary to advance their surgical career.
• To formulate policy and guidelines for endorsement of other educational activities within the region and to manage the review and award process of endorsement.
• To encourage training centres to become accredited by E-AHPBA and to assist in the audit of the training programme under review.
• To organise and support the courses of E-AHPBA which are part at any given time of the formal E-AHPBA educational pyramid.
• To produce the material needed for updating the educational section of the E-AHPBA website and the E-AHPBA newsletter
• To work in formal partnership with the Division of Hepatopancreatobiliary Surgery of the European Union of Medical Specialists (UEMS) in the following pan European quality control projects in the fields of HPB surgery:
• exams for awarding the relevant European Diplomas
• award of Honorary Diplomas
• accreditation of centres for training in HPB Surgery
• organisation of the preparatory courses for the exams

Chair
Kjetil Soreide, Norway

Vice Chairs
Frederik Berrevoet, Belgium
Somaiah Aroori, United Kingdom

Members
Matteo Barabino, Italy
Savvas Tsaramanidis, Greece
Sami Levi, Israel
Salah Termos, Kuwait
Bobby Dasari, UK
Cagri Buyukkassap, Turkey
Stefan Heinrich, Germany
Robert O’Connell, Ireland
Elroy Weledji, Cameroon
Benjamin Strueker, Germany
Julie Perinel, France
Ugo Marchese, France
Francesco D’Amico, Italy
Povilas Ignatavicius, Lithuania
Alejandro Serrablo, Spain
Michelle De Oliveira, Switzerland
Fernando Rotellar, Spain
Ulrike Heger, Germany
Yoseph S. Bezabih, Ethiopia
Declan McDonnell, UK

Purpose of the Committee

The Innovation Committee is responsible for supporting and helping in the safe and continuous expansion of new innovations within HPB. The Innovation Committee will work under the Education Cluster of E-AHPBA and the Education Committee Chair will directly report to the Executive Committee. The main goals and actions of the Committee are:

1. Ensure new techniques and technological developments have an educational and promotional space within the association.
2. Collaborate with the educational programmes to ensure the safe dissemination of new surgical techniques and approaches.
3. Collaborate with other national and international societies with similar aims to increase the profile of the association and build foundation for future projects.
4. Collaborate with the Programme Committee to ensure new techniques and technology are well represented with the Biennial Congress​.
5. To provide regular evidence-based updates to the E-AHPBA members of new developments and technologies.

Chair
Andrew Gumbs, France

Vice Chair
Niki Rashidian, Belgium

Members
Vasileos Mavroedis, UK
Roberta Vella, Italy
Daniel Aliseda, Spain
Thomas Hank, Germany
Alessandro Giardino, Italy
Emir Hoti, Ireland
Artur Rebelo, Germany
Gregor A Stavrou, Germany
Martina Guerra, Italy
Andrea Belli, Italy
Stefan WB Bouwense, The Netherlands
Angelakoudis Apostolos, Greece
Sven Lang, Germany
Victor Lopez-Lopez, Spain
Aiste Gulla, Lithunania
Stephan Dreyer, UK
Francesca Albanesi, The Netherlands

Purpose of Committee

The Membership Committee are responsible for developing and implementing strategies and initiatives to drive membership growth throughout the region. The main goals and actions of the Committee are:

• Recommending strategies for increasing E-AHPBA’s membership base, especially among underrepresented groups including, but not limited to, young surgeons, female surgeons and those from Africa and the Middle East.
• Gathering information on and analysing non-members’ needs and perceptions of E-AHPBA. Recommending ways in which to meet these needs to attract non-members to join E-AHPBA.
• Recommending ways to acknowledge new members and to encourage participation in E-AHPBA activities.
• The committee will oversee outreach activities of E-AHPBA in conjunction with IHPBA.
• Working with Chapter Presidents to continue growth and support of their membership and also in developing chapters in new areas.

Chair
Moh Abu Hilal, Italy

Vice Chair
Stefan Stattner, Austria

Members
Rohan Thakkar, UK
Sharon Barker, UK
Anushka Schoorlemmer, The Netherlands
Victor Lopez-Lopez, Spain
Omer Unalp, Turkey
Andrej Komorowski, Poland
Ernesto Sparrelid, Sweden
Eran Sadot, Israel
Patricia Sanchez Velazquez, Spain
Emmanuel Ekene Nweke, South Africa
Stefan Gilg, Sweden,
Alessandro Dario Mazzotta, Italy
Laura Vidal, Spain

Latest 3 Past Presidents
Chair – Marc Besselink, The Netherlands
Ajith Siriwardena, United Kingdom
Kevin Conlon, Ireland

President
Ed Jonas, South Africa

President-elect
Isabella Frigerio, Italy

Purpose of the Committee

The Programme Committee is responsible for the creation of a scientific and educational E-AHPBA Congress programme that encompasses comprehensive HPB content, stands out in excellence and includes the latest insights and findings in HPB research and clinical practice. The main goals and actions of the Committee are:

• The committee shall organize the scientific programme of the Official Congress and other activities in cooperation with the local organizing Committee.
• Committee members are required to contribute ideas and opinions on topics and speakers
• Keep local flavour of the host country in the Programme of the Congress
• The Committee act as an Abstract review committee

Chair
Asmund Fretland, Norway

Co-Vice Chair
Giovanni Marchegiani, Italy
Carljin Buis, The Netherlands

E-AHPBA President
Eduard Jonas, South Africa

E-AHPBA President-elect
Isabella Frigerio, Italy

Chair Scientific and Research Committee
Anita Balakrishnan, UK

E-AHPBA 2025 LOC Chairman
Emir Hoti, Dublin, Ireland

E-AHPBA 2027 LOC Chairman
Thilo Hackert, Germany

E-AHPBA 2027 LOC Members
TBC

Members
Sharon Barker, UK
Anushka Schoorlemmer, The Netherlands
Dhanny Gomez, UK
Tonguc Yilmaz, Turkey
George Glantzounis, Greece
Cecilia Ferrari, Ireland
Olesegun Alatise, Nigeria
Martijn Stommel, The Netherlands
Rachel Guest, UK
Keith Roberts, UK
Pascaline Fru, South Africa
Lulu Tanno, UK
John Hammond, UK
Georgios Tsoulfas, Greece
Erik Schadde, Germany
Caroline Vilhav, Sweden
Emre Bozkurt, Turkey

Purpose of the Committee

The Scientific & Research Committee is responsible for encouraging collaborative research in hepato-pancreato-biliary surgery within the E-AHPBA community, as well as fostering the training of young investigators.

The main goals of the Committee are:

• to provide the membership of the E-AHPBA with news and information concerning research projects, ongoing trials, meetings and surveys;
• to promote collaboration between research groups in the E-AHPBA​;
• to run multicenter collaborative retrospective studies about rare diseases or rare surgical treatments;
• to provide a forum through which members of the E-AHPBA are informed of various research activities within the HPB community;
• to manage the endorsement of studies, surveys and meetings by E-AHPBA submitted from members.

Chair
Anita Balakrishnan, UK

Co-Vice Chairs
Dejan Radenkovic, Serbia
Georgios Gemenetzis UK

Members
Elena Panettieri, Italy
Constantinos Toutouzas, Greece
Christian Sturesson, Sweden
Iestyn Shapey, UK
Pascalia Likalamu, Kenya
Sven Mieog, The Netherlands
Salah Berkane, Algeria
Ola Ahmed, USA
Andreas Andreou, Germany
Christoph Tshour, Denmark
Ferderica Cipriani, Italy
Christoph Michalski, Germany
Carlo Sposito, Italy
Moritz Schmelzle, Germany
Sanjay Pandanaboyana, UK
Gregory Tsiotos, Greece
Martina Nebbia, Italy
Andrea Rhiannon Glynee Sheel, UK
Carl Leonhardt, Austria