This session will see world renowned surgeon, Dr Todd Heniford discuss the current clinical and research developments in AWR coming from the USA.

Together with conference co-Chairs, Mr Alastair Windsor and Mr David Ross the trio will then explore themes ranging from the impact COVID on Dr Heniford's practice, to robotics in AWR, pre-operative optimisation and mesh litigation.
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    Dr Todd Heniford
    Chief, Division of Gastrointestinal and Minimally Invasive Surgery Director, Carolinas Hernia Institute at Atrium Health.
    Dr. Heniford completed his undergraduate degree and played football at Clemson University. He performed his surgical residency at the University of Louisville and a fellowship at the Cleveland Clinic. He has been on the faculty of the Cleveland Clinic and Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, N.C., where he serves as Professor of Surgery and directs Gastrointestinal and Minimally Invasive Surgery and the Carolinas Hernia Center.

    Dr. Heniford is the author of over 475 peer-reviewed publications and book chapters and editor of three books. He and his research fellows have won 69 prominent research awards, including 5 SAGES Research Project of the Year Awards, 14 Americas Hernia Society Research Awards, multiple awards from the American College of Surgeons, and the Association for Academic Surgery, among others. He has developed successful surgical apps that have been downloaded in more than 140 countries world-wide and has multiple international patents. Dr. Heniford was the 2014 recipient of the MedStar Georgetown University Lifetime Achievement Award, the American Hernia Society Nyhus-Wantz Career Achievement Award, and named “Medical Innovator of the Year” from the Business Journal. He is a past-President of the Americas Hernia Society. Five of Dr. Heniford’s trainees have become President of the Americas Hernia Society.
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    Mr David Ross
    Conference co-Chair; Consultant Plastic, Reconstructive & Aesthetic Surgeon
    David Ross is Consultant Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon in the department of Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery at Guys’ and St Thomas’ Hospital NHS Trust and Kings College Hospital, London and Honorary Consultant Plastic Surgeon to St Mark’s Hospital for Colorectal Disease. In the past he was formally Head of Department, Head of Surgical Oncology and a Past President of the Section of Plastic Surgery at The Royal Society of Medicine. In addition to aesthetic and reconstructive surgery his main interests include microsurgery, abdominal wall and perineal reconstruction.

    He is an internationally recognized authority on abdominal wall and body-contouring surgery, particularly following massive weight-loss surgery, and is regularly invited to lecture both at home and abroad on these subjects. He also has considerable experience in the management of complex wounds and soft tissue trauma.

    David is the Plastic Surgery Section Editor for HERNIA Journal and also a Board Member of the European Hernia Society working group on rectus diastasis.

    David is the founder of a Microsurgical Fellowship at Guys’ and St Thomas’ NHS Trust and Lead of the Aesthetics Fellowship at The London Clinic.

    David qualified in medicine at University College London in 1986. He obtained his MD for research into malignant melanoma at the RAFT Institute of Plastic Surgery.
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    Mr Alastair Windsor
    Conference co-Chair
    Consultant Colorectal Surgeon, HCA Healthcare UK.

    Mr Windsor is a Consultant Colorectal Surgeon with HCA Healthcare UK, based out of London Digestive Surgery at the London Digestive Centre in Marylebone. He has recently retired from the NHS having been on the consultant staff at St James University Hospital, Leeds (1997 – 1999), St Mark’s Hospital, London (1999 – 2006) and University College Hospital London. (2006 – 2019).

    He is fortunate to still maintain an expertise and a very busy specialist referral practice in colorectal surgery operating at the Princess Grace Hospital, The London Clinic and King Edward VII in London. His clinical focus has been to a large extent on the management of complex inflammatory bowel disease and its surgical complications. He was formally surgical lead for the national intestinal failure unit at St Mark's Hospital and surgical lead for the intestinal failure unit at UCLH.

    Part of the work in the IF Unit was also the management of complex and recurrent incisional hernias and abdominal wall defects. Through this work he has developed an equally busy national referral practice in abdominal wall reconstruction. He is a board member of the British Hernia Society and organises and co-chairs the highly successful Abdominal Wall Reconstruction Europe, international meeting in February, now in its fifth year.

    He has over one hundred and fifty peer reviewed publications, book chapters and books and he remains a committed surgical researcher, trainer and educator.