Welcome Message

Dear Friend,

I’d like to welcome you to the web-site of FESSH, the Federation of Hand-Surgery Societies of Europe.

The objective of FESSH is to define the highest standards for treatment in hand pathologies, to identify the optimal training programs in our area of specialization while promoting uniformity among the different countries of Europe and to implement and sustain study and research.

In this regard, you will find pertinent information about FESSH initiatives in the specific sections of the website:
  • Scientific up-dating is disseminated through an annual Congress organized, in rotation, by the member nations of FESSH and several Instructional Courses.
  • Training is offered through two kinds of Fellowships, depending upon the educational project and the candidate’s age, and by the creation of a network of training centers.
  • Scientific divulgation is circulated through the European edition of the Journal of Hand Surgery, which includes not only contributions by FESSH members, but also any noteworthy paper written by hand surgeons, from any country, who choose to publish in our Journal, and through an Instructional Course Book produced for each annual Congress.
  • Qualification is certified through the “FESSH Diploma in Hand Surgery”, which is awarded each year during the FESSH Congress and open not only to hand surgeons from European member countries but also to anyone who desires to participate and receive certification in this specific competency in conformity with European standards.
Complex traumatic lesions of the hand represent a substantial chapter in our field of study. For this reason, FESSH has promoted the identification of essential, appropriate functional aspects that define a hand trauma center and is currently making a census of a network of centers involved in microsurgical reconstruction of severe hand trauma throughout Europe.

FESSH is also in constant contact with official bodies of the European Community responsible for the definition of medical professional qualifications in order to obtain a formal recognition in our discipline.
The vitality of FESSH is visible in the participation and interaction of those from different areas of study who are interested in the practice and development of hand surgery. Marc Garcia-Elias, my predecessor as Secretary-General of FESSH, is quoted as saying,“ the website you have just opened is nothing but an expression of that lively interaction”.

I hope that you will find the FESSH website, like our Federation, a straight-forward, integral and well-structured resource and that it will enhance the quality, recognition and growth in our area of study.

Sincerely,

Massimo Ceruso
General Secretary of FESSH