Letter from the President
Dear IFSO European Chapter Members,
In September, IFSO officially changed its name to International Federation for the Surgery and Other Therapies for Obesity (IFSO) to reflect our recognition that obesity is a complex, chronic disease requiring a comprehensive, multimodal approach to achieve the best outcomes for people living with obesity and its complications.
While surgery naturally remains a cornerstone of treatment, we embrace all other evidence-based therapies, including obesity management medications, endoscopic interventions, and lifestyle support - we need all tools in the box and hands on deck to best treat our patients.
Our next IFSO-EC 2026 congress in Málaga on May 6-8th will focus on various aspects of the chronic disease of obesity including the most recent updates and data on surgical techniques, new pharmacological treatments, and how to integrate them into our daily surgical practice. The UEMS exam will take place in Málaga on May 6th and there will be an online preparatory course for the exam on February 25th, more information is available at https://uemssurg.org/surgicalspecialties/metabolic-bariatric-surgery/ebsq-examinations/.
The IFSO-EC congress is also the perfect opportunity to network within the field of metabolic bariatric surgery and obesity treatment - join us to meet old friends and to make new ones!
Make sure to also save the dates for the IFSO world congress 2026 in Toronto September 1-4th 2026!
Warm winter wishes and merry everything 🙂 to you all!
Paulina SalminenOn behalf of the IFSO-EC Executive Council