Message from the Congress President
MAL Fobi MD FACS FASMBS, FACN, FICS
Letter of Invitation from Dr. Fobi
On behalf of the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery, which is hosting this IFSO XV Congress, it is my honor and that of the Co-President of this Congress, Dr Henry Buchwald, to welcome you to Los Angeles/Long Beach for IFSO 2010.
The expectations on this Los Angeles/Long Beach Congress are high. Yes, it is the Fobi Congress. Yes, it is where the first international Symposium on Surgical Treatment of Obesity was hosted from 1981 through 1991. Yes, it was The International Symposium on Surgical treatment of Obesity that brought doctors from all over the world to share their experiences in bariatric surgery. Yes, it was this International Symposium that formed the international camaraderie which was the building base for IFSO.
IFSO, since its inception in 1995 in Stockholm, has grown in leaps and bounds. The first Congress in 1996 had 265 attendees and IFSO 2009 had 1550 attendees. We are planning for 2000 attendees in 2010.
The national organizing committee has been working on the program and there have been a lot of suggestions from many on what will make this Congress a must attend and the most talked about. The plan is to stage a high quality Congress that is affordable and meets the needs of all attendees. In addition to the posters, videos and paper sessions that will come from abstracts submitted, there will be master lectures, symposiums and round table panel discussions and debates. There are post-graduate courses planned on what to do, how to do it and why. There will be time for questions and interactions. Last, and most relevant, attendees will get CME credits.
The treat of this Congress is the Congress dates. It starts on a Friday and ends on a Tuesday. This allows for midweek travel for the cheap air fares. It also permits attendees to take advantage and visit the many interesting sites in the Los Angeles/Long Beach area before and after the Congress. Los Angeles/Long Beach has representative communities from all over the world. The great restaurants reflect this diversity and allow for the adventurers and the conservatives when it comes to food choices.
Disneyland, Universal studios, Hollywood, Rodeo Drive, Sunset Boulevard, Venice Beach, Santa Monica Beach, Huntington Beach, Knoxberry farm and various museums are within a 20-mile radius. The Los Angeles fair and the Orange county fairs will also be open. We encourage you to bring the family because there is a lot they can do.
You are as far west as you can go in mainland USA. This may be the opportunity to visit San Francisco, San Diego, Las Vegas, the Grand Canyon, Yosemite Park, Alaska, Washington State, Oregon and even Hawaii before or after the Congress.
Save the dates and we hope to see you at IFSO 2010
From Harry Frydenberg
President IFSO
It is with great pride and a little nostalgia that I invite you to attend the IFSO XV World Congress in Long Beach, Los Angeles, California, 3-7 September 2010. As you can see in Dr. Mal Fobi’s introduction, there has been a longstanding association between California and Obesity Surgery.
With the passing years the Field of Bariatric and now Metabolic Surgery has grown exponentially, to the point of not only acceptance by our surgical colleagues and the public at large, but leads in the area of upper gastrointestinal surgery, with evidence of long term reduction in mortality, improvement and in so many cases, resolution of significant life threatening comorbidities.
It is at our Scientific meetings that we all get an opportunity to present and hear the results of our endeavors, be they in the field of scientific research, clinical practice or new developments in technology, as seen recently by the use of Robotics in Bariatric Centres.
IFSO brings together Surgeons and Allied health Professionals from around the globe, each geographical area represented by a regional Chapter and each Chapter catering for the differences in demographics and the differences in the nature of metabolic disorders associated within these diverse populations.
So take this opportunity to enjoy intellectual stimulation and peer group camaraderie, together with an active social program all in a beautiful environment and a warm climate.
Looking forward to greeting you all at IFSO 2010.
Warmest regards,
Harry Frydenberg
President IFSO
This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the Essential Areas and policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education through the joint sponsorship of the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery and the International Federation for the Surgery of Obesity and Metabolic Disorders. The ASMBS is accredited by the ACCME to provide continuing medical education for physicians.
