Salvador Navarro elected president of the Spanish Association of Surgeons

His election was announced during the 35th National Congress of Surgery, where the organisation's board of directors was also renewed. In his new role, Navarro will head a working team that will focus on ten fundamental lines of action, with special emphasis on improving communication, training, research and innovation in the field of surgery.

One of the main objectives of the Spanish Association of Surgeons (AEC) will be to establish fluid and proactive communication with its members, reinforcing its role as a representative before the healthcare administration, scientific societies, patients, associations and industry. The new board will also seek to strengthen quality registries and the monitoring of results, while promoting innovation in surgery.

In addition, the AEC will promote transparency in its actions, boost its digital platforms and promote collaboration programmes with other entities. Continuing education and research will be key aspects on the agenda of the new board, which will seek closer ties with universities and research centres.

Navarro, the only candidate for the presidency, has an outstanding professional career in the field of surgery. He graduated in Medicine and Surgery from the University of Barcelona in 1979, and received his PhD from the same university ten years later. He completed his MIR at the General and Digestive Surgery Service of the Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau and, since 1991, he has worked as an assistant physician in the General and Digestive Surgery Service of the Hospital de Sant Boi de Llobregat. He is currently director of the General and Digestive Surgery Service at Parc Taulí in Sabadell, lecturer of Surgery, and dean of the Faculty of Medicine at the UAB.

In addition to his work in healthcare and teaching, Navarro has developed an intense research career, with 178 invited lectures, 141 indexed publications, 59 funded projects and the direction of 19 doctoral theses. He has also held relevant positions at local and international level, as a member of the Advisory Board of the Oncology Master Plan in Catalonia and director of several training programmes in trauma and intensive care.

Throughout his career, Navarro has received several awards, including the Professional Excellence Award from the Official Association of Physicians of Barcelona in 2016, and the 2019 Pere Virgili Award from the Catalan Society of Surgery.