EHS Affiliated and Associated societies

Learn more about the EHS collaborating societies and organisations – our collaboration partners across Europe and the world.

About

The European Hernia Society (EHS) is dedicated to fostering strong collaboration among organisations all over Europe, with a focus on enhancing hernia patients’ quality of life. Rooted in the core value of bringing diverse organisations together, the majority of EHS initiatives involve cooperation with surgeons across Europe, European surgery organisations, and international partners. 

At present, EHS collaborates with 26 non-profit organisations across Europe, offering a broad and locally grounded perspective on hernia surgery in the region. 

EHS partner organisations fall into three categories: 

  • EHS Associated society
  • EHS Affiliated society
  • Other Collaborating Organisations


Different characteristics and benefits apply to each partner category. The widest-ranging level of collaboration exists with the EHS affiliated and associated societies, through the annual EHS societies’ Board meeting. (see list below). The close relationship between the EHS and the EHS affiliated and associated societies is a key principle of vital importance to the EHS, allowing the flow of knowledge between the EHS and its collaborating societies, to the benefit of patients across Europe. 
Read the detailed description of the EHS collaborations here.

Associated Societies

EHS Associated Societies benefit from extended privileges and opportunities within the EHS. This is attributed to their closer connection with the EHS, including an additional reduction in membership fees for these societies collecting the membership fee for the EHS through the society

Abdominal Wall Chapter of the Portuguese Surgical Society
Capitulo da Parede Abdominal da Sociedade Portuguesa Cirurgia

1996

Members: 1270

spcirurgia@gmail.com

Education on the abdominal wall surgery, either residents or specialists. Build a strong unit among surgeons, inspiring young future generations

Our main activities:

  • National Registration of Surgeries in Abdominal Wall
  • National Directory of Abdominal Wall – we have a representative of all National Public Hospitals
  • National recomendations for abdominal wall surgery
  • National programme for graduations and residency in abdominal wall
  • Social network and Hernia in Portugal
  • National Congress – Round Tables and Practicall Courses

2023 had the annual meting with the EHS endorsement “It was just a hernia”, with focus on complications, in 2024 had the abdominal wall round table at the national congress with the themes of umbilical hernia and the cirrhotic patient and incisional hernia in the emergency.

Preparing the residents anual course on simples hernias, the next year anual meting and next year round meting at the national congress, build a strong national hernia registry, updating the site on the guidelines, work on the references centers, bring inspiring newsletters to all surgeons, make surveys on hernia surgery state in Portugal, publishing on social media important data or information (Facebook – Hernia Portugal, whatsapp group of GREPA – national wide Portuguese abdominal wall surgeons)

Dutch Hernia Society

2017

Members: 84

Bob Bloemendaal, Tammo de Vries Reilingh, Willem Zwaans, Sebastiaan van Steensel, Joris Harlaar, Eva Deerenberg, Martijn Möllers, Anandi Schiphorst

To bring together Dutch hernia surgeons, to train surgical trainees, to organize courses on hernia surgery and to support reserach in the field of abdominal wall hernia.

Our main activities:

TAR-course 4th november 2024

– Training surgical trainees
– Organize courses for (complex) abdominal wall surgery
– Support hernia research

Section of Herniology of Polish Surgical Assotiation – Sekcja Przepuklin Towarzystwa ChirurgówPolskich

1998

Members: 155

Portuguese Hernia and Abdominal Wall Society / Sociedade Portuguesa de Hérnia e Parede Abdominal

Members:281

Our main activities:


Other Collaborating Organisations

Affiliated Societies

The organisations (societies) are a non-profit dedicated to abdominal wall surgery, aligned with the European Hernia Society (EHS). It requires three board members and five general members, all EHS members. It organises regular training, including courses, webinars, and workshops, to support professional development within the field.

Österreichische Herniengesellschaft (ÖHG)

2021

Members: 80

PD Dr. Gernot Köhler

office@oehg.org

Promoting hernia surgery in every way. Best possible care for patients with hernias, scientific and educational activities, conference organization.

20-21.03.2025 Austrian Hernia Days

Belgian Society for Abdominal Wall Surgery

Members: 19

2001

Click here

a. Principal
The Section aims to improve the quality of the surgery of the entire abdominal wall in Belgium. The Section aims to represent surgeons from Belgium with a specific interest in abdominal wall surgery.
Members of the Board will be delegated to establish and maintain relations with Belgian, European or other national and international organisations, societies, and councils.

b. Scientific objectives.
The scientific objectives of the Section are to improve knowledge of abdominal wall surgery in Belgium.
Scientific meetings and workshops will be organised either for all members or for working groups. Scientific meetings of the Section will be organised in the context of the scientific program of the Belgian Royal Society for Surgery, including the Belgian Week of Surgery.
The Section will organise and support clinical or experimental studies in the field of abdominal wall surgery, following the rules specified in the appendix.
All scientific projects organised in the name of the Section and their results must be submitted to and approved by the scientific committee, before national or international presentation or publication.
Any Ordinary member can submit a scientific project to the board of the Section. The rules in the appendix have to be respected, as well as for publications or presentations of a study project in name of the Section.
c. Extra-scientific objectives
Improved quality of abdominal wall surgery will be based on increasing knowledge and skills as well as on continuous survey and audit of training and practice.
The Section will make efforts to improve training in abdominal wall surgery and to develop evidence-based guidelines.
The Section will contribute to the survey (audit) of abdominal wall surgery in Belgium. These efforts will be performed in close collaboration with all councils, boards, and governmental organisations already involved or having information.

 

Yearly Belgian Hernia Day
Yearly Hernia Cadaver Labs for trainees
Scientific research and studies (Unite study NCT04437043; Belgian Hernia Database,…)

British Hernia Society

2003

Members: 400

https://www.britishherniasociety.org/

Our aim is to promote safe, effective and high quality hernia surgery throughout the U.K, with a new UK Hernia registry to be launched in 2023.

  • BHS Oxford, November 2024
 

Promote hernia as a specialty in the UK, provide grants for young enterprise, encourage research in the field of hernia surgery, contribute to science and education through collaboration with EHS and wider Hernia fraternity.

 

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Czech Hernia Society / Česká Herniologická Společnost

Members: 79 NM + 4 EHS

tomasbures@me.com, agryga@seznam.cz

The Czech Hernia Society was established by a group of surgeons, who are interested in herniology and abdominal wall surgery. The main goal is to present the hernia surgery as a specialized brach of general surgery. The society collects suregons, who would like to treat and operate hernias and abdominal wall deefects according to the actual knowledge and guidelines published by the EHS.

The CHS started the Hernia Basic project as a school project, mostly for young surgeons. The main goal is to teach residents the advanced anatomy and physiology of abdominal wall and the standardized techniques, how to operate umbilical, inguinal and mid-line hernias.

Our main activities:

The main activities of The Czech Hernia Society are now the preparations for the 6th Czech Hernia Conference, whitch will be associated with next Hernia Basic course.

The society also supports several single-topic workshops regarding hernia surgery.

The organizers of Hernia Basic are preparing advanced course, concerning advanced techniques and treatment of recurent, giant and complicated hernias.

The society participates on preparations of the 2023 EHS annual meeting that will be held in Prague.

Danish Hernia Database – Dansk Herniedatabase

1998

Members: 110

Board:

Frederik Helgtrand, Nadia Henriksen, Thorbjørn Sommer, Mette Willaume, Kristoffer Andresen, Jacob Rosenberg, Allan Dorfelt, Nina Wensel, Lene Pejtersen, Marie Christensen, Nellie Zinther Marianne Krogsgaard
 

Our main activities: Monitor and secure complete national data in the Danish Hernia Database, perform and publish research based on the data from the Database, provide feedback to Danish surgeons regarding quality of hernia surgery in Denmark, monitor new trends and techniques and compare results with previous ones.

Finnish Hernia Society – Suomen Herniayhdistys

Members: Finnish Digestive Surgeons: 400

2017

French Hernia Society – Chapitre Français de l’EHS-GREPA

2021

Members: 250

Our main activities:

Organizing learning and training activities
Organizing meeting to gather the best experts and the community
Scientific updates and reviews
Selecting study cases
Maintaining a registry

German Hernia Society – Deutsche Herniengesellschaft

2001

Members: 1043 (*01.03.2020)

Delegate contact: juttaschulz@t-online.de

The German Hernia Society is a society for interested and dedicated hernia surgeons.                                       

Main Goal is a better treatment of our patients with :                                                           

  • Standardized Education
  • Quality management
  • Science
  • Patient centred research

The German Hernia Society is part of an international network.

Our main activities:

  • Herniamed Database, Patient centred research
  • German Hernia School with the Modules Hernia compact, Hernia concrete, Hernia complex and Hernia contact

Hellenic Hernia Association

Members: 124

To improve on the quality of care of patients with a hernia in Greece through education, research and policy work

Our main activities: 

Hellenic Hernia Days 2024 23-25 Febrouary 2024

Hungarian Work Group for Abdominal Wall Surgery

2005

Members: 

Our main activities:

Italian Society of Hernia and Abdominal Wall Surgery

Delegate contact: info@cecongressi.it

Our main activities:

Lithuanian Hernia Society
Lietuvos Išvaržų Chirurgijos Draugija (LICHD)

Year of foundation: 2019

Website:

Board members: Aiste Riktere, Jonas Jurgaitis, Gintaras Pikunas, Arvydas Kleiva, Saulius Bulovas

Contact: lichd2019@gmail.com

Our main activities:

Asociaón Española de Cirujanos – National Spanish Association of Surgenos

1936


Contribute to the progress of surgery in all its aspects, promoting the training, development and professional improvement of surgeons, seeking the best quality in patient care and promoting teaching and research.

Our main activities:

Madrid 2025

To promote teaching and research in abdominal wall surgery. Registry of abdominal wall surgery. Courses for residentes. National congress

Promotion and maintenance of the Spanish Register of Abdominal Wall Surgery (EVEREG) (Incisional, inguinal, prevention). Patient centred research.

Norsk Brokkirurgisk Forening

Year of foundation: 2021

Website: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1352298518124455

Board members: Tina Gaarder, Signe Røstad, Kari Erichsen, Per Even Storli, Knut Borch

Contact

Clubul Roman de Hernie

2016

Members: 42

Dan Ulmeanu, Daniel Cristian, Florin Turcu, Valentin Calu, Victor Diaconu

Our main activities:

Section of Herniology of Polish Surgical Assotiation – Sekcja Przepuklin Towarzystwa ChirurgówPolskich

1998

Members: 155

Serbian Hernia Society

2001

Members: 

Our main activities:

Herniološko Združenje Slovenije

2004

Members: 70

Promoting high Quality hernia Surgery in Slovenia

Our main activities:

Kongress preparation (Guest Filip Muysoms)

SIKT – Svensk förening för innovativ kirurgisk tekonologi

Members: Members of the Swedish Association for Innovative Surgical Technology: 230

We focus on the education of surgeons, help keeping surgeons up to date with, and stimulate development in, hernia surgery, and to use an evaluate innovative technology.

Current main activities:

Preparing for our part of the program for Swedish surgical week.

 

Schweizerische Arbeitsgruppe Für Hernien Chirurgie – Swiss Association for Hernia Surgery

2018

Members: 76

Dr. med. Jan F. Kukleta, Dr. med. Walter Brunner, Prof. Dr. med. Ulrich Dietz, Dr. med. Jonathan Douissard, Dr. med. Michaela Ramser, Prof. Dr. med. Philipp Kirchhoff, PD Dr. med. Henry Hoffmann, Dr. med. Andrea Donadini, Dr. med. Christian Helbling, Dr. med. Diego de Lorenzi

info@sahc.ch

The Swiss Association for Hernia Surgery is a society for interested and dedicated hernia surgeons.
Main Goal is a better treatment of our patients with:

  • Standardized Education
  • Organisation of Education and national and international Hospitations
  • Quality management
  • Science
  • Patient centred research

The Swiss Association for Hernia Surgery is part of an international network.

Swiss Hernia Days Oct 2023, Swiss College of Surgeons 2023 SAHC Hernia slot, SCS 2024 SAHC Hernia slot as an expert group, SHD Oct 2024

Participation in international Hernia events, local /regional Symposiums organized by SAHC members, Rebuilding /reshaping SAHC for the future

Türk Fıtık Derneği – Turkish Hernia Society

Members: 140

Prof. Nuri Gönüllü, MD; Prof. Zafer Malazgirt, MD; Prof. Metin Ertem, MD; Hakan Gök, MD

Dr. Hakan Gök – fitikdernegi@gmail.com 

To follow and learn all advancements in abdominal wall pathologies and to enhance solidarity and knowledge exchange among colleagues, aiming to establish a high surgical standard in hernia surgery nationwide.

REGIONAL CONFERENCE IN SEPTEMBER 2024

CONFERENCES, HERNIA SCHOOL PROJECT.

Ukranian Hernia Society

2003

Members: 460

Our aim is to promote safe, effective and high quality hernia surgery throughout the Ukraine.

Our main activities:

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