Preliminary programme: titles, timings, and speaker details liable to change
-
Refreshments and Registration
-
Welcome and introduction
-
AWR Surgery – where have we come from and where are we going
Chairs: Alastair Windsor & David Ross
- Reflection on a life in Hernia Surgery – what I’ve learned, and what may lie ahead | Lars Joergensen (10 mins)
- The Evolution of robotic surgery in AWR surgery | Yuri Novitsky (10 mins)
- What are we doing well? How can we improve? | Todd Heniford (10 mins)
- Discussion (15 mins)
-
Sponsored Symposium - The Future of Digital Technology : The Power of Connection ,Live Streaming and AI Insights in surgery
George Murgatroyd
VP/GM Digital Technology medtronic
Supported By:
-
Managing Risk after abdominal Closure
Chairs: Jeff Janis & Rhys Thomas
- Identifying the high-risk patient | Stella Smith (10 mins)
- I can’t’ close the abdomen- Help | Dominic Slade (10 mins)
- Closing the abdomen- We know how to do it- but we don’t do it - technique and the emergence of closing teams | Ramia Stolt (10 mins)
- Abdominal compartment syndrome; diagnosis and management | Michael Sugrue (10 mins)
-
Discussion (20 mins)
-
Lunch and exhibition viewing
-
Prehabilitation and optimization
Chairs: Stella Smith & David Sanders
- Pre-optimisation of the Complex AWR patient | Professor Sandy Jack (15 mins)
- Intra operative musts to optimise success | Professor Boermeester (15 mins)
- Peri-Operative nutrition in the surgical patient | Glenda O’Connor (15 mins)
-
Discussion (15 mins)
-
Sponsored Symposium - An update on the Madrid APPROACH and the incorporation of GORE® SYNECOR Preperitoneal Biomaterial into my CAWR practice
Miguel Angel Garcia Urena
Supported By:
-
Incisional ventral hernias (video case studies)
Chair: Al Windsor & Michael Sugrue
- Open repair | Rhys Thomas (15 mins)
- Applying robotics to treat the midline hernia– strengths and limitations | Yuri Novitsky (15 mins)
-
Discussion (15 mins)
-
Refreshments and Exhibition
-
Keynote: Management of seromas: Evidence-based strategies
Jeff Janis
-
Sponsored Symposium – Simplifying Robotic Access with Dexter® to Deliver the Best in Minimally Invasive Care
Sarah Moore
Supported By:
-
Understanding obesity and the role of novel strategies in achieving weight loss; Implications for AWR
Andrew Jenkinson
-
Welcome Reception
-
Registration and refreshments
-
Surgery in the Age of Artificial Intelligence
Chairs: Dominic Slade & John Fischer
- The role of AI in AWR Surgery | Todd Heniford (10 mins)
- Certification and Performance Metrics in Robotic Surgery | Charlotte El-Sayed (10 mins)
- Impact of ChatGPT on surgical practice | Prof Sashi Kommu (10 mins)
-
Discussion (15 mins)
-
Sponsored Symposium - P4HB - From Reinforcement to Repair
John Fischer
Supported by:
-
Keynote: The Management of Post –Transplant Hernias
Prof Fred Berrovoets
-
Break and exhibition viewing
-
Open component separation – When to do it and how?
Chairs: Lars Joergensen & Michael Sugrue
- Indications for OCS | John Fischer (12 mins)
- How to perform ACS | Srinivas Chintapatla (12 mins)
- The open TAR | Yuri Novitsky (12 mins)
- Complications of OCS | David Sanders (12 mins)
-
Discussion (12 mins)
-
Sponsored Symposium - Is it time for a specialist para-stomal hernia surgeon?
Al Windsor and Bob Bloemendaal
Supported By:
-
Contemplating the navel
Chairs: Dom Slade & Ramia Stolt
- A brief overview of Umbilical Hernia Management | Lars Joergensen (12 mins)
- Application of mesh sutures to umbilical hernia repair | Jeremy Clark (12 mins)
- Managing post-partum Umbilical Hernia | David Ross (12 mins)
- MIS repair of umbilical and diastasis repair | Bob Bloemendaal (12 mins)
- Complex umbilical hernia repair | Fred Berrevoet (12 mins)
- Discussion (10 mins)
-
Lunch and Exhibition
-
Complex Hernias
Chairs: Todd Heniford & David Ross
- Traumatic and Flank hernias |Miguel Urena (15 mins)
- Para-stomal hernias | Sam Parker (15 mins)
- Contaminated Incisional Hernia – A Plastic Surgical Solution| Prof Greg Dumanian (15 mins)
-
Discussion (10 mins)
-
Keynote: Training the next Generation of AWR surgeons
Knut Borch
-
Refreshments and exhibition viewing
-
Other key skills for AWR Surgeons
Chairs: Al Windsor & Miguel Urena
- Evaluating the role of muscle paralysis in AWR | Jeff Janis (20 mins)
- PPP and Ventral Hernia repair | Yohan Renard (20 mins)
- Discussion (5 mins)
-
Sponsored Symposium - It’s time to rethink wound healing! A place for Closed Incision Negative Pressure Therapy (ciNPT) in abdominal and reconstructive surgery.
Prof. Marja Boermeester, Professor of Surgery and a Clinical Epidemiologist at the Amsterdam University Medical Centres (AUMC)
Supported By:
-
Soft tissue recon of the abdominal wall
Chairs: Greg Dumanian & Yuri Novitksy
- Soft tissue complications | Jeff Janis (20 mins)
- Soft tissue reconstruction | Mr Paul Roblin (15 mins)
- Discussion (5 mins)
-
AWRE 10th Anniversary Social Reception
Please join us at The Alchemist in Monument!
To show our appreciation for ten years of the AWRE conference and thank everyone for participating in AWRE 2026, all delegates and faculty are cordially invited (without extra charge).
-
Registration and refreshments
-
Panel: Which mesh to choose and when?
Chair: Sam Parker & Al Windsor
- David Sanders
- Marja Boermeester
- Filip Muysoms
- Todd Heniford
-
Keynote: Danger of operating by numbers in AWR
Andrew De Beaux
-
Sponsored symposium- The role of vertical fascial traction in abdominal wall surgery
Gereon Lill
Supported By:
-
Keynote: Pre-peritoneal Approach to AWR-myth or reality?
Todd Heniford
- Discussion
-
Break and exhibition viewing
-
The 5 reasons to remove skin at the end of AWR
Prof Greg Dumanian
-
Industry Symposium Sponsored
-
Managing Patients - and the surgeons
Chair: Andrew De Beaux & Yohan Renard
- Managing Peri-operative pain in the hernia patient | Sam Bampoe (15 mins)
- Measuring PROM in the abdominal wall patient; how to do it and why it’s important | John Fischer (15 mins)
- Don’t forget the surgeon: Burnout in AWR | Srinivas Chintapatla (15 mins)
- Discussion (5 mins)
-
Lunch and exhibition viewing
-
Case Studies: The expert panel
Chairs: David Ross & Al Windsor
- John Fischer
- Rhys Thomas
- Miguel Urena
- Yuri Novitsky
- David Sanders
- Yohann Renard