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EHS SPARK Academy

Surgical Hernia Projects, Academy, Research and Knowledge.

About the Programme

APLICATIONS ARE CLOSED.

The EHS SPARK Academy is a 9-month educational programme developed by the European Hernia Society (EHS), led by the Young Surgeon Wing (YSW) in collaboration with the EHS Educational Wing. 

Designed for 16 young surgeons and senior residents with an interest in abdominal wall surgery, the programme combines monthly online masterclasses on non-technical surgical skills with collaborative research project development under the guidance of internationally recognised mentors. 

Participants will work in teams from September 2026 to May 2027 while attending interactive online sessions covering leadership, teamwork, research methodology, innovation, safety, sustainability, AI in surgery and complex case management. Final projects will be presented during the concluding session, with the winning team recognised during the EHS Congress 2027. 

Selected projects may be published in JAWS following the standard peer-review process.

Programme Timeline

Phase Date
Applications Open (CLOSED) 11 May 2026
Application Deadline (CLOSED) 7 June 2026
Participant Announcement End of June 2026
Programme Start September, 2026
Final Presentations May, 2027

Who Can Apply?

Applicants must: 

  • Be senior residents (4th–6th year) or young surgeons (≤40 years old) 
  • Have an interest in abdominal wall surgery 
  • Be members of the European Hernia Society (EHS)
Application Documents
  • Short CV 
  • Motivation statement (max. 250 words) 
  • Short reflection: 
    “What is one unanswered problem in hernia surgery?” 
    (max. 250 words) 

Programme Requirements

  • Attendance at ≥80% of sessions is mandatory 
  • Active participation in research projects is required 
  • Sessions take place mostly on the second Tuesday of each month at 19:00 CET 
  • Each session includes: 
    • 30-minute masterclass 
    • 15-minute interactive discussion 

Masterclasses Overview

Date Topic
September 10, 2026 Leadership & Teamwork in Abdominal Wall Surgery
October 13, 2026 Decision-Making in Abdominal Wall Surgery
November 10, 2026 Imaging & Diagnostics
December 8, 2026 Research in Hernia Surgery
January 12, 2027 Innovation & Technology
February 9, 2027 Management of Complex Cases
March 9, 2027 Safety & Complication Management
April 13, 2027 Sustainability & Well-Being
May 11, 2027 Final Project Presentations

Award & Publication Opportunities

The winning team will receive: 

  • The EHS Young Surgeon Innovation Award 
  • Free registration for the EHS Congress 2028 

Projects may also be published in JAWS with fee waiver, provided they successfully complete the journal’s peer-review process. 

Application form

Applications for the EHS Spark Academy are only available to logged-in EHS members.

If you are already an EHS member, please log in using the button in the top right corner of the page to continue your application. If you are not an EHS Member, you can sign up for membership via the button below. Membership gives you access to the Spark Academy programme and many other member-only opportunities.

Learn More

For complete programme details, publication guidance and selection information, please download the full PDF brochure. 

Download PDF brochure

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