The 11th WSES Congress was held for the first time in Greece, specifically on Rhodes, from 25 to 28 June 2024, with the Dean of the NKUA’s School of Health Sciences, Professor Emmanouil Pikoulis, as Chair of the Organizing Committee and the participation of over 500 general surgeons specializing in Trauma and Emergency Surgery from around the world.
At the opening ceremony, which took place in the imposing Palace of the Grand Master in the medieval old town of Rhodes, Professor E. Pikoulis received the WSES Orazio Campione Prize: Emergency Surgeon of the Year 2024.
Also present at the World Congress were the Greek Deputy Minister of Health, Mr D. Vartzopoulos, the Chair of the NKUA’s School of Medicine, Professor N. Arkadopoulos, the Director of the Section of Surgery at the NKUA’s School of Medicine, Professor E. Felekouras, the Secretary General for Higher Education at the Hellenic Ministry of Education, Religious Affairs, and Sports, Professor Emeritus O. Zoras, the Rector of the University of Thessaly, Professor C. Billinis, numerous Professors of Surgery at the NKUA’s School of Medicine and other Medical Schools in Greece, as well as eminent personalities in the field of Surgery across over 70 countries.
According to the Dean of the NKUA’s School of Health Sciences, Professor E. Pikoulis, ‘For four days, Rhodes was a magnet for specialized surgeons, providing the necessary framework for a fruitful scientific dialogue that touched—from a holistic standpoint—on the practice of the surgical profession in the Global Community and laid the groundwork for developing new guidelines for Trauma and the Emergency Surgery of the future.’
