As we step into a new year, it gives me great pleasure to wish every member of the Association of Surgeons of Great Britain and Ireland a very happy, healthy and successful New Year.
The start of a new year always brings a sense of renewal and optimism, and 2026 promises to be another purposeful and exciting year for our Association. Building on the momentum of 2025, ASGBI will continue to champion high-quality education, meaningful collaboration and a strong professional voice for surgeons across the UK and Ireland.
We begin the year with a packed and engaging programme of webinars that reflects the breadth and reality of modern general surgery.
ASGBI is pleased to support the GIRFT program in developing a hot gallbladder pathway. If you’re interested in developing this for your Trust then please join us on the 22nd January to learn from units that are leading the way with their GIRFT gallbladder pathways. The link to register can be found with further details below.
Our Four Seasons series continues, with the first webinar of the year on 27 February, focusing on Advances in HPB and Trauma Surgery for the General Surgeon. Topics will include the management of difficult bleeding during cholecystectomy, contemporary approaches to liver trauma, and the treatment of pancreaticoduodenal injuries. These sessions are designed to be practical, relevant and directly applicable to everyday practice, and we are delighted once again to be working with an outstanding faculty.
Alongside our digital programme, there is much to look forward to with our face-to-face events. We are already looking ahead with great anticipation to our International Surgical Congress in Brighton, where the theme Innovate – Inspire – Belong will underpin an ambitious, inclusive programme focused on the needs of today’s surgeons and tomorrow’s leaders. The abstract submission deadline is midnight on 26 January 2026, and I would strongly encourage you to submit your work and be part of the scientific programme. I wish the very best of luck to those entering the Moynihan, BJS and NELA prizes. With over 100 submissions already received for the BJS Prize and shortlisting nearing completion, it has been inspiring to see such enthusiasm and engagement, and I very much look forward to welcoming so many of you to Brighton.
Thank you for your continued support, commitment and engagement with your Association. I hope you will join us over the coming months—both online and in person—as we continue to learn from one another, support one another, and shape the future of surgery together.
With my very best wishes for the year ahead.
Christian Macutkiewicz
President, ASGBI
