Professor Lino Cutajar has been elected president of the European Society of Surgery at the society's annual meeting in Prague.
Professor Cutajar was also elected to the executive board together with another Maltese, Professor Sir Alfred Cuschieri, a pioneer of 'keyhole' surgery, who for many years has been based in Dundee, Scotland.
Professor Cutajar qualified MD in Malta in 1964. He subsequently continued his studies in the UK, where he specialised in general, vascular and urological surgery.
He was admitted as Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh in 1968 and subsequently also to the Royal College of Surgeons of England. His seminal research in vascular surgery earned him the Fellowship of the International College of Angiology, based in the USA.
He subsequently worked in Malta and in the Middle East. In 1984 he opened the first dedicated urology as well as an endoscopy service at St Luke's Hospital.
In 1991 he was appointed director of Surgery within the Department of Health at St Luke's Hospital and head of the Academic Department of Surgery at the Medical School.
Professor Cutajar has been active in the European surgical scene for many years. He sits on the European Board of Urology, is an honorary member of the European Association for Research in Cancer and a founder member of the European Society of Surgery, which he now heads. He is also president of the Malta Red Cross Society.
When contacted, Professor Cutajar said he is delighted with his appointment, which he considers an honour to Maltese surgery. Moreover, the presence of two Maltese surgeons on the executive board will surely raise the profile of Maltese surgery.
The European Society of Surgery has also decided to hold its next congress in Malta in November. Surgeons from some 30 European countries as well as some American specialists are expected to attend.
This will be a great opportunity for Maltese surgeons to rise to the occasion by active participation in the scientific and academic programmes, which will be co-ordinated by a local scientific committee, chaired by the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery.