Page 41 - IFSO-History-Book-Digital-File

The North American Chapter (IFSO-NAC) and ASMBS
Henry Buchwald

The North American Chapter of IFSO (IFSO-NAC), comprising the United States and Canada, works
in close partnership with the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS).
Canadian surgeons have participated in ASMBS as individual members since the society’s inception
in 1983. In April 2015, the national nomination of the Canadian society (CABPS) into the IFSO-NAC
was approved. The president of IFSO-NAC is elected from the US and the Member at large, from
Canada.
The first society dedicated to the discipline of MBS was organized by Dr. Edward E. Mason in 1977
at the University of Iowa. It was called the Gastric Bypass Workshop. Sixty people attended, and yet
the meeting lost money. A second meeting was held on May 24-25, 1978, again in Iowa City, and met
with greater success. The society was renamed the Bariatric Surgery Colloquium. The tradition of
annual meetings was now established. In June of 1983, for the first time, the society did not meet in
Iowa City but in St. Louis, Missouri. During that meeting, the society was renamed the American
Society for Bariatric Surgery (ASBS) and elected Dr. Mason as its first President (1983-1985). Dr.
Mason’s vision and persistence had prevailed. In recognition that bariatric surgery was metabolic
surgery (see chapter 1), the ASBS, in 2007, became the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric
Surgery (ASMBS). The original membership of 60 individuals had grown to 5,000.
The mission of the ASMBS is to enhance the wellbeing of individuals affected by obesity and
associated illnesses through the progression of MBS techniques and other medical interventions.
The organization’s vision is to elevate global health and quality of life by significantly reducing the
impact of obesity and its associated illnesses worldwide. A unique feature of ASMBS is its Integrated
Health (IH) section consisting of nurses, dietitians, social workers, psychologists, and other interested
parties involved in the multidisciplinary team care of the MBS patient. The key activities of this society
are education and research, providing continuing medical education (CME)-accredited training,
annual meetings, and research support, as well as advocacy and patient resources.
The structure of the ASMBS consists of: the Board of Directors, the governing body consisting of the
President, Vice President, Past President, and Directors-at-Large; the Corporate Council, a
partnership group of industry leaders supporting the Society's mission and providing financial
support. There are also several committees, including the annual Program Committee.

Many notable surgeons from North America have served as Presidents of ASMBS and have made
landmark contributions to the discipline. The maintenance of structural integrity and continuance
was most ably performed by its first Executive Director, Georgeann Mallory, and her successor,
Diane Enos, in association with their superb staff. Annual meetings of the society are held at different
locations in North America.
In 1991, Dr. Mervyn Deitel (Canada) started, financed, and served as Editor-in-Chief of Obesity
Surgery, the first official ASBS journal. Springer Publications acquired Obesity Surgery in 2005 as the
official journal of IFSO, under Co-Editors-in-Chief Henry Buchwald and Nicola Scopinaro. Currently,
the journal is under the leadership of Editor-in-Chief Dr. Scott Shikora. In January 2005, the official
journal for ASMBS became the newly inaugurated Surgery for Obesity and Related Diseases
(SOARD). Its first Editor-in-Chief was Dr. Harvey J. Sugerman; its current Editor-in-Chief is Dr. Raul
Rosenthal.

The North American Chapter is an integral part of IFSO.

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