Dear Hernia friends,Â
My name is Stamatia Michailidou and I am a resident in Papageorgiou General Hospital of Thessaloniki, in Greece. Abdominal wall surgery is the field in which I would like to focus my interest. I had the opportunity to visit Virgen del Rocio University Hospital, in Sevilla for two weeks, from 10.06.24 to 21.06.24, under the supervision of Luis Tallon Augilar.
It was a delightful experience. The chief, the coordinator of the Abdominal Wall Reconstruction Department and all the other colleagues were very nice and helpful. They made me feel like a part of the team. Always explaining and translating when needed.
I participated in a variety of open, laparoscopic and robotic surgeries, such as TEP, Rives, incisional and umbilical hernia repair.  I watched advanced operations such as TARUP, eTAPP, robotic parastomial hernia repair, and complicated cases with fistulas.  The surgeons were very willing to teach me the tricks and trips and answer all my questions. I cannot stress enough how professional and highly skilled my mentors were.
I am very grateful that I had this educational opportunity. I would encourage every young surgeon to apply for a travel grant and visit a hernia center.
With regards,
Stamatia Michailidou