HPBASA from inception to maturity

Abstract

The seed to create a Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary (HPB) group in South Africa was planted at the 2005 European HPB Association (EHPBA) biennial congress in Heidelberg, Germany. Professor Philipp Bornman and Martin Smith had a pivotal conversation with the EHPBA committee regarding the integration of the South African HPB community into the broader regional and international HPB societal structures. Professor Bornman, a council member of the EHPBA at the time, and Professor Smith identified a significant opportunity for South Africa to contribute meaningfully to the field, noting that much of the scientific discourse at the congress was well within South Africa’s capabilities. From this discussion emerged two primary objectives: the establishment of a national HPB chapter in South Africa and the submission of a bid to be adjudicated at the 2006 World Congress in Edinburgh to host the 2012 International HPB Association (IHPBA) World Congress in South Africa.