FESSH/SSCM Congress Fellowship 2026 – Switzerland

12 young hand surgeons were supported by FESSH and SSCM, the Swiss Society for Surgery of the Hand to complete a 2 weeks observership and visit high quality hand centres across Switzerland (Basel, Zurich, Lausanne, Geneve, Frauenfeld, St Gallen, Winterthur, Chur, Lucerne, Fribourg) between 18 May – 6 June 2026.
They returned home with invaluable experience in hand surgery and new friendships with their fellows from all over Europe.

Moreover, a teaching day and a cadaver lab in Basel have been included in the two days before the congress followed by free registration to the FESSH Congress on 3-6 June. The aim of this Congress Fellowship Scheme is to promote excellence in hand surgery, support the development and delivery of high-quality care and to build global networks and collaboration.

Read 2026 report

FESSH 2026 Congress Fellowship Group Photo
Layalee Abo Naser Israel
Zsófia Balogh Hungary
Harry Benjamin-Laing UK
Alexander Bolt UK
Yasin Canbaz Turkey
Diogo de Sousa Gaspar Portugal
Niels Debaenst Belgium
Arianna Gatto Italy
Dominik Gruszka Germany
Maria Larrea Zabalo Spain
Marta Twardowska Poland
Natalie Jumper Ireland

FESSH/SSCM Congress Fellowship Basel 2026
18 May – 6 June 2026

What is the FESSH/SSCM Congress Fellowship scheme?

Hand surgeons (senior registrars, fellows and junior consultants within 4 years of independent practice, or equivalent) may apply to complete a 2 weeks observership at leading hand surgery units across Switzerland. Fellows will each visit two centers in Switzerland in order to observe international experts in different fields such as arthroplasty, arthroscopy, congenital, microsurgery, peripheral nerve surgery and traumatology. Moreover, a teaching day in Basel will be included in the two days before the congress. The aim of this Congress Fellowship Scheme is to promote excellence in hand surgery, support the development and delivery of high-quality care and to build global networks and collaboration. Please note that scrub in is not available due to legal limitations.

Application deadline: 22 October 2025

Who is eligible to apply for the FESSH/SSCM Congress Fellowship Basel 2026?

  1. Surgeons with an interest in hand surgery and being member of one of the FESSH Member Societies. For FESSH member status please check https://fessh.com/member-societies.
  2. Surgeons in training in hand surgery or within four years of independent practice who have passed or are studying for the EBHS Exam. A track record in research (clinical or experimental) is an advantage.
  3. Places are available to full-paying members, residents, and young members of national hand societies that hold full FESSH membership, provided they live and work in Europe.

What should be included with your application?

  1. Completed application form
  2. CV (total 4 pages max)
  3. Two letters of reference supporting your application
  4. Certification of membership of your national hand society (member of FESSH)

Who is an appropriate referee?

  1. Senior colleagues with whom you have trained or worked within the last three years.
  2. Head of Department, Consultant colleague (or equivalent) or Supervisor.

Letter of reference guidance:

  1. Should be completed on headed paper from the referees’ institution or hospital.
  2. Files must be saved as Microsoft Word or PDF as: [First name] [Last name] Fellowship Reference.
  3. Details of the applicant’s progress and achievements in hand surgery to date.
  4. Details of how the fellowship is expected to benefit the applicant.
  5. Details of how the applicant will apply their fellowship learning in their future career.

Please apply by providing the following information and documents through the application platform online

  1. Application
  2. References (x2) (Format: Microsoft Word or PDF on headed paper)
  3. CV (Format: Microsoft Word or PDF)
  4. Certification of membership (Format: Microsoft Word or PDF)

Fellowship report

If you are successful in your application you will be asked to write a report summarizing your experience after the congress. This report shall be one page including 2 pictures and may be published by FESSH. Your fellowship certificate will be sent to you upon receipt of the report.

Deadline for the report is 30 June 2026

FESSH/FSSH Congress Fellowship 2025 – Finland

10 young hand surgeons were supported by FESSH and FSSH, the Finnish Hand Society to complete a 2 weeks observership and visit high quality hand centres across Finland (Helsinki, Jyväskylä, Kuopio, Tampere, Turku) between 9 – 28 June.
They returned home with invaluable experience in hand surgery and new friendships with their fellows from all over Europe.

Moreover, a teaching day and a cadaver lab in Rotterdam have been included in the two days before the congress followed
by free registration to the FESSH Congress on 26-29 June. The aim of this Congress Fellowship Scheme is to promote
excellence in hand surgery, support the development and delivery of high-quality care and to build global networks and
collaboration.

Read 2025 report

FESSH 2025 Congress Fellowship Group Photo

 

Rui Miguel Barbeiro Gonçalves Portugal
Valeriu Buga Germany
Thomas Cash UK
Terry-Ann Curran UK
Agata Durdzinska Timoteo Switzerland
Tal Frenkel Rutenberg Israel
Mariia Kotova Ukraine
Patricia Martin-Playa Spain
Filippo Pantaleoni Italy
Alfonso C Prada Cañizares Spain

FESSH Congress Fellowship 2024 – the Netherlands

12 young hand surgeons were supported by FESSH and NVvH, the Dutch Hand Society to complete a 2 weeks observership and
visit high quality hand centres across the Netherlands (Den Haag, Groningen, Rotterdam, s’Hertogenbosch, Utrecht,
Zwolle) between 10 – 21 June.

Moreover, a teaching day and a cadaver lab in Rotterdam have been included in the two days before the congress followed
by free registration to the FESSH Congress on 26-29 June. The aim of this Congress Fellowship Scheme is to promote
excellence in hand surgery, support the development and delivery of high-quality care and to build global networks and
collaboration.

Read 2024 report

 

ARRIGONI, Chiara  Italy
ARSENISHVILI, Arsen  Georgia
KAMPHUIS, Saskia  Switzerland
MACHAC, Petr  Czech Republic
MAILAENDER, Lisa  Austria
MITRULESCU, Paiseanu Catalin Cristian  Romania
NG, Lisa  UK
PÉTERFY, Nóra  Hungary
SCOTT-TENNENT, Ana  Spain
STARTSEVA, Xenia  Switzerland
STRUCKMANN, Victoria Franziska  Germany
WITTERS, Marie  France

 

FESSH Congress Fellowship 2023 – Italy

14 young hand surgeons were supported by FESSH and SICM, the Italian Hand Society to visit high quality hand centres in
Italy (Milano, Modena, Torino, Verona, Roma, Firenze) 25 April – 6 May. They returned home with invaluable experience in
hand surgery and new friendships with their fellows from all over Europe.

Read 2023 report

Fellows

Sergi Alabau Rodriguez Spain
Guillaume Bollmann Switzerland
Tomas Borgström Sweden
Jean-Baptiste de Villeneuve Bargemon France
Nina Fee Knie Germany
Joanna Kot Poland
Turkhan Mehdiyev Austria
Katalin Muraközy Hungary
Natan Silver Israel
Eliska Sulcova Czech Republic
Mirjam Thielen Germany
Frederique van der Zeeuw the Netherlands
Martin Vlach Czech Republic
Helen Wohlgemut UK

 

 

IFSSH-IFSHT-FESSH Combined Congress 2022 / Fellowship programme – UK

The combined FESSH and IFSSH Congress in London in June 2022 saw the launch of the
inaugural FESSH and IFSSH Fellowship Programme. Thirty young hand surgeons from around the globe visited UK centres
of hand surgery excellence for two weeks and the travelled to London to attend the conference.

The Organising Committee agreed early in the conference planning process that a Fellowship
Programme would meet a founding FESSH and IFSSH objective in furthering hand surgery practice and education
worldwide, and would forge a new network of international connections and friendships. Aligned with the ambition to
have a truly global congress was the intention to include surgeons from a range of high, low and middle income
countries. This of course required significant financial investment and we were very grateful to FESSH, IFSSH, BSSH
and BFIRST for answering the committee’s calls for sponsorship.

In Summer 2020 a Fellowship Subcommittee was formed of Stephen Hodgson, Wee Leon Lam,
Jonathan Hobby and Jonathan Jones and they were joined by members of the meeting’s Young Hand Surgeons Committee;
Helen Wohlgemut, Alison Kinghorn, Rowa Taha, Ted Welman, Rob Miller and Lynette Spalding.

Host units were chosen throughout England, Scotland and Wales. We planned the fellowships
so that the paired units were geographically close, and offered complimentary experience. The host surgeons did an
excellent job of organising educational and social programmes.

Please read the report prepared by Helen Wohlgemut and Alison Kinghorn also published in IFSSH
ezine.