Founded in 2004 to revolutionize surgical practice through evidence-based innovation
The New European Surgical Academy (NESA) was established in 2004 by a group of surgical opinion leaders from different disciplines who recognized an urgent need to re-evaluate traditional surgical procedures. Many operations, although widely taught and practiced, are based more on tradition than on solid evidence. Techniques often varied significantly according to personal preference rather than scientific validation.
The founders of NESA believed that while tradition has an important place in cultural life, it can hinder innovation in surgery. Their mission was to critically assess existing procedures, improve them where possible, and develop entirely new approaches that are safer, simpler, and more efficient.
Today, NESA functions as an international, interdisciplinary network with members in 65 countries, making it a truly global academy dedicated to surgical excellence.
Our signature motto expresses our commitment to surgical clarity and precision: removing unnecessary steps while preserving everything essential for patient safety and optimal outcomes.
Not every simple procedure is optimal, but every optimal procedure should be simple.” We believe that the best surgical methods combine simplicity with scientific validation.
“There is never a sunset over the New European Surgical Academy.” Across continents and time zones, our global community works in continuous motion, united by a shared purpose: to advance surgical innovation and make safer, better care accessible everywhere in the world.
NESA’s mission is to advance surgical science and practice through innovation, education, and global collaboration. We work to ensure that evidence-based surgical techniques are accessible to all, regardless of geographic or economic barriers.
The New European Surgical Academy (NESA) established the first European working group on Natural Orifice Surgery, procedures that allow even major surgical interventions to be performed without visible scars, with less pain and shorter hospital stays. Examples include the trans-Douglas cholecystectomy and the transoral thyroidectomy.
These techniques have been disseminated through dedicated surgical workshops and peer-reviewed scientific publications.
We work to reduce variation in surgical training worldwide, providing evidence-based models that can be taught consistently across different countries and healthcare systems.
By bringing together expertise from general surgery, obstetrics and gynecology, urology, otorhinolaryngology, oncology, endocrine surgery, regenerative surgery, anesthesiology, and resuscitation, we foster cross-pollination of ideas and innovation.
We support cutting-edge research in surgical innovation, from robotics and AI to natural orifice surgery and oncology.
We conduct workshops and training programs in countries with limited resources, transferring surgical know-how where it is needed most.
We promote early detection of medical and surgical problems and advocate for preventive measures that reduce the need for complex interventions.
President
Michael Stark is the Founder and President of the New European Surgical Academy (NESA). He is known as the developer of a modified Cesarean Section, ...
Co-President
Prof. Gian Carlo Di Renzo serves as Co-President of the New European Surgical Academy and is Professor of Obstetrics , Maternal-Fetal Medicine and Gynecology, past ...
Board Member
Professor Sven Becker’s clinical focus is on advanced laparoscopy and minimally invasive surgery, including endometriosis-surgery, surgical oncology and gynecological oncology. His academic and scientific focus ...
Board Member
Prof. Dr. Werner Seebauer studied human medicine at the Johann Wolfgang von Goethe University in Frankfurt am Main and nutritional sciences at the Justus Liebig ...
Board Member
Prof. Vlad Tica is Chairman of the Department of Gynecology at “Ovidius” University of Constanța, Romania, where he combines clinical leadership with academic teaching and ...
Board Member
Prof. Klaus Vetter is a German obstetrician and gynecologist with a distinguished career in clinical leadership, professional society service, and academic contributions. He served as ...
Board Member
Dr. Kai Witzel is a habilitated surgeon and academic at Paracelsus Medical University in Salzburg, Austria. He is a specialist in minimally invasive, laparoscopic, and ...
Board Member
Professor Georgios Zografos has been Professor of Surgery and Chairman of the 1st Department of Propaedeutic Surgery, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, ...
Board Member
Eytan R. Barnea, MD FACOG is internationally recognized, awarded investigator in early pregnancy translational research with implications to patient treatment. NESA board member and scientific ...
Scientific Advisor
Prof. Dr. med. Dr. h.c. Jalid Sehouli is a gynaecologic oncologist, researcher, and professor of gynaecology at Charité University Hospital in Berlin. He currently serves ...
Scientific Advisor
Dr. Avinoam Tzabari is a senior obstetrician and gynecologist at Mayanei Hayeshua Medical Center in Israel and is affiliated with the Faculty of Medicine at ...
NESA's strategic liaison
Dr. Jacqueline H. Barnea, DBA is NESA’s Strategic Liaison. To this transformational project, she brings her global vision, adaptability, flexibility, and out-of-the box innovative thinking. ...
