Dear Friends and Colleagues,
It is a profound honour to address you for the first time as your newly appointed EFORT Secretary General, following our latest General Assembly held on past Wednesday 6 May at the 27th EFORT Annual Congress in Málaga. Stepping into this role is both an incredible privilege and a significant responsibility. I am deeply committed to working alongside our vibrant community to steer our association toward an era of unprecedented growth, modernisation, and scientific excellence.
Our community knows well that the past few years have tested the resilience of our organisation. Yet, true to the spirit of our profession, we have emerged stronger. Today, I can confidently state that EFORT is firmly back on track. This remarkable turnaround is the direct result of our revitalised partnership with MCI, alongside the structural support of the EFORT Foundation. Under the exceptional leadership of our 2025/2026 EFORT President, Prof. Pietro Ruggieri, the EFORT Board successfully guided the association through a crucial period of stabilisation and recovery.
The resounding success of the Málaga Congress stands as a testament to this revival. The event not only yielded highly positive clinical and financial outcomes, but it also restored deep trust and fruitful collaborations with our industry partners. As our incoming President, Prof. Rob Nelissen, recently emphasised, the Málaga Congress reaffirmed its status as the landmark event for European Orthopaedics and Traumatology (O&T), fostering vital debates across an extraordinary diversity of scientific domains.
The Path Ahead: The 2026–2030 Strategic Framework
As we look to the future, EFORT is completely reimagining how it serves the global medical community. Prof. Nelissen is currently spearheading the elaboration of our comprehensive 2026–2030 Strategy, which fundamentally redesigns and reinforces our organization around four unshakeable pillars:
- Education: Modernising the delivery of surgical knowledge and establishing standards across Europe.
- Science: Elevating independent, peer-reviewed clinical research and driving data-driven medical breakthroughs.
- Patient Engagement: Actively involving patient advocates to ensure that surgical outcomes align with long-term quality of life and patient safety.
- Advocacy: Enhancing our voice in the European healthcare policy landscape, particularly concerning standardised regulations for medical devices, implants, and surgeon well-being.
Our ultimate objective is to solidify EFORT as the overarching umbrella organisation for the European O&T community. We want to dismantle silos and create an inclusive environment that enables active, diverse participation across all our committees.
Structural Evolution and Year-Round Impact
To support this ambitious strategy, we are currently revamping our internal committee structures. Backed by the active support of our member societies—both national bodies and specialised specialty organisations—we are opening doors for highly committed, forward-thinking orthopaedic and trauma surgeons to join our working groups. Over the coming months, we will implement further organisational improvements to ensure our administrative structure is agile, transparent, and entirely dedicated to serving our membership.
Crucially, EFORT’s value must extend far beyond the days of our annual congress. We are expanding our digital ecosystem and educational touchpoints to deliver high-impact benefits 365 days a year. This includes the continued expansion of the rigorous EBOT Exam, the broadening of our highly successful EFORT Webinar series, our active leadership in multi-centre European Projects, and the continuous growth of our premier open-access scientific journal, EFORT Open Reviews (EOR).
I step into this mandate with absolute dedication. I will contribute to the very best of my capabilities to build a resilient, highly influential organisation that champions the needs of its surgeons and elevates the standard of care for our patients.
With my warmest regards,
