Program description
This premier event brings together leading surgeons, innovators, and Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs) to explore the evolving landscape of hernia surgery and abdominal wall reconstruction. While the in-person attendance is by invitation only, the virtual broadcast is open to all and will be streamed live on HerniaU.
The program is designed to educate and empower attendees through a dynamic blend of cutting-edge scientific insights, advanced surgical techniques, and data-driven decision-making. A key feature of the event is the sharing of personalized algorithms by KOLs, offering deep clinical insights that help optimize patient outcomes.
Participants—whether attending in person or virtually—will gain practical frameworks for selecting the most appropriate products for individual patients, balancing anatomical, procedural, and patient-specific factors to ensure the highest standard of care.
The symposium concludes with a collaborative roundtable and key takeaways session, reinforcing a shared commitment to continuous learning and innovation in hernia surgery.
Agenda and Speakers
Quality of Life Session
7:00PM – 9:00PM MDT (Mountain Daylight Time) UTC/GMT -6 hours | 09:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m. EDT
| QUALITY OF LIFE | Moderator: John P. Fischer, MD, MPH, FACS |
| Dinner: Welcome and Faculty Introductions | Rian Seger |
| Abdominal Wall Stewardship: A new Paradigm | John P. Fischer, MD, MPH, FACS |
| Supporting Evidence for Patient Preoptimization | Sean Orenstein, MD, FACS |
| ACHQC, Registries and Personal Data; Tracking Patient Outcomes to Improve QOL | William Hope, MD, FACS |
| HerniaU: Data Driven Platforms Improving Training and Outcomes Globally | Flavio Malcher, MD, MSc, FACS, FEBS-AWS |
| HERnia Surgeons Alliance: Treating Female Patients; Optimizing Treatment Options for Women | Kaela E. Blake, MD, FACS |
| Quality of Life Panel Discussion & Q&A | John P. Fischer, Sean Orenstein, William Hope, Flavio Malcher and Kaela E. Blake |
Quality of Life Session
7:00PM – 9:00PM MDT (Mountain Daylight Time) UTC/GMT -6 hours | 09:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m. EDT
| QUALITY OF LIFE | Moderator: John P. Fischer, MD, MPH, FACS |
| Dinner: Welcome and Faculty Introductions | Rian Seger |
| Abdominal Wall Stewardship: A new Paradigm | John P. Fischer, MD, MPH, FACS |
| Supporting Evidence for Patient Preoptimization | Sean Orenstein, MD, FACS |
| ACHQC, Registries and Personal Data; Tracking Patient Outcomes to Improve QOL | William Hope, MD, FACS |
| HerniaU: Data Driven Platforms Improving Training and Outcomes Globally | Flavio Malcher, MD, MSc, FACS, FEBS-AWS |
| HERnia Surgeons Alliance: Treating Female Patients; Optimizing Treatment Options for Women | Kaela E. Blake, MD, FACS |
| Quality of Life Panel Discussion & Q&A | John P. Fischer, Sean Orenstein, William Hope, Flavio Malcher and Kaela E. Blake |

Moderated by
John P. Fischer, MD, MPH, FACS

Sean Orenstein, MD, FACS

William Hope, MD, FACS

Flavio Malcher, MD, MSc, FACS, FEBS-AWS

Kaela E. Blake, MD, FACS
