President's Welcome
Profile: Alessandro Fichera, M.D., FACS, FASCRS, FISS, FCCF
Professor and Division Chief, Colorectal Surgery
Department of Surgery, Weill Cornell Medicine – New York, NY. USA
Dr. Fichera earned his M.D. from the Catholic University of Rome, completed a General Surgery Residency at the University of Chicago, and a two-year fellowship in laparoscopic and colorectal surgery at Mt. Sinai School of Medicine in New York.
He returned to the University of Chicago, where he founded and served as the first Program Director of the Colon and Rectal Surgery Training Program.
He moved to the University of Washington in July 2012 as chief of colorectal surgery, was appointed chief of the section of Gastrointestinal Surgery in 2014, and, in 2016, became clinical director of Gastrointestinal Oncology at the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance.
In November 2017, he moved to the University of North Carolina as the Division Chief of Gastrointestinal Surgery. In September 2019, he became the Division Chief of Colorectal Surgery at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas, Texas, and, in July 2020, the Surgery Safety and Quality Officer. In October 2024, he joined the Department of Surgery at Weill Cornell Medicine as the Division Chief of Colon and Rectal Surgery.
He is the Associate Editor of the Journal of Gastrointestinal Surgery and Section Editor of the Didactic Video Library of Disease of the Colon & Rectum. He is the current ISS President and the ISDS past President.
He is serving as Trustee at Large for the Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract (SSAT) and SSAT Foundation. He was the American Society of Colorectal Surgeons (ASCRS) Executive Council Member at Large.
His clinical and research interests are focused on inflammatory bowel disease and surgical prophylaxis of Crohn’s Disease recurrence.
He has published 175 peer-reviewed manuscripts and given more than 200 lectures worldwide.
He enjoys traveling, fine dining and cooking, European history, exercising, and listening to the Blues.
Alessandro Fichera, USA
Dear ISS members, members of the Integrated, Associated and Participating Societies, colleagues, trainees, students, and friends,
I am honored to begin my two-year term as President of the International Society of Surgery (ISS) Société Internationale de Chirurgie (SIC), the world’s oldest international surgical society. Today, ISS is a truly global organization, without distinction, welcoming all surgical specialties, health care professionals, trainees, and students worldwide who wish to engage, connect, and learn from one another. It is a privilege to follow Professor Ari Leppäniemi, whose leadership brought our Society to new heights with an outstanding Congress in Mexico City.
With this, a chapter in our Society's history has just closed.
We have just concluded the International Surgical Week (ISW) 2026, the World Congress of Surgery, and the 51st ISS/SIC World Congress in vibrant Mexico City. Held alongside the 34th International Congress of the Mexican Association of Endoscopic Surgery (AMCE), the event fostered interaction with a large contingent of Mexican and Latin American surgeons. Thirty-four Integrated, Associated, and Participating Societies were present. The local committee, led by Dr. Eduardo Montalvo, delivered an inclusive program at the Camino Real Polanco, an excellent venue in a remarkable city. With citywide upgrades in preparation for the 2026 Soccer World Cup, our experience was further enhanced.
Now, as we turn the page, a new chapter starts. I have been involved with ISS via the International Society for Digestive Surgery (ISDS) since 2011. I served as ISDS President from 2020 to 2022, giving me the opportunity to sit on the ISS Council and become familiar with the challenges a global organization like ours must overcome to remain relevant and continue to grow. I feel very well prepared and ready to take on the next two years.
Moving forward, we will face serious challenges as the entire world grapples with political, economic, social, and religious turmoil, and as a global organization, we will be affected by them. Challenges like those are not new to ISS and me personally.
During the COVID pandemic, I have helped ISS remain visible by organizing the 2021 Virtual Surgical Week, a limited, totally virtual version of the ISW, free for ISS members. It was very well attended and gave us momentum towards the 2022 ISW in Vienna, Austria.
Despite all of that, I remain totally optimistic for our future. First and foremost, at the ISW 2026 meeting in Mexico City, the enthusiasm and energy were palpable, and the large number of students, trainees, and young surgeons willing to get involved and expand our network was heartwarming. The newest Integrated Society, the International Association of Student Surgical Societies (IASSS), will bring a significant number of new members, but more importantly, tremendous positive energy.
Furthermore, I will be working with a well-rounded, diverse, and knowledgeable ISS Council. We welcomed a new treasurer, Dr. Avital Harari, taking over from Dr. Gerard Doherty, who left at the end of his term. Dr. Kenneth Boffard will remain Secretary General for the last two years of his tenure before transitioning his position to Dr. Jamie Murphy, a past President of ISDS, whom I have known for several years.
The theme of my two years as ISS President will be centered around including, engaging, and supporting the Integrated Societies. Their respective leaderships will be actively involved in building momentum towards the International Surgical Week (ISW) 2028, the World Congress of Surgery, and the 52nd World Congress of the International Society of Surgery (ISS/SIC) in Cape Town, South Africa, March 26-30, 2028.
Organizing the Congress will keep us occupied for the next two years, but it leaves the Society “dormant” during the non-Congress year, which can cause us to lose momentum. At our next Council meeting, we will discuss educational opportunities to keep the ISS and the Integrated Societies visible in the odd year between ISW meetings. More on that topic.
Lastly, I would be remiss if I did not recognize the efforts of the ISS Administrative Office, led by Mike Iliopoulos, in supporting and organizing the ISW in Mexico City. Inevitably, when organizing such a large gathering of participants, people, and presenters, this year, close to 2400 people from around the world, last-minute crises occur. The office members, working as a team, solved all issues in a timely and efficient manner.
Our future is bright. I look forward to seeing many of you in Cape Town in 2028, where together, we will continue to advance surgical excellence and global collaboration.
Alessandro Fichera, MD, FACS, FASCRS, FISS, FCCF
President ISS/SIC
President, International Surgical Week ISW 2028