International Federation of Societies for Surgery of the Hand

The Nominating Committee will solicit recommendations for Pioneers from the delegates. Nominees must have made a significant contribution to hand surgery nationally and internationally and be at least 70 years of age at the time of the next Federation Congress or deceased. The person must be recommended in writing by their society and may only be nominated following approval by the members of the governing board of the hand surgery society to which he/she belong(ed). Submission of an application for Pioneer must be accompanied by written recommendations from three of his/her peers.

The Secretary-General will call for nominations from member societies at least nine months before the date of the Congress. Recommendations must be received by the Nominating Committee Chair six months prior to the next Federation Congress. The Nominating Committee will choose the Pioneers who will receive the award at the Opening Ceremony of the next Federation Congress.

Nominations should be received by the Secretariat (administration@ifssh.info) six months prior to the triennial congress. The members of the governing board of the nominating society should agree that a nomination is appropriate according to the criteria and the guidelines listed below. The Society should send:

1. The “Pioneer Nomination Form” (refer to link below)
2. A letter of nomination, signed by at least two members of the society’s governing board, detailing the reasons for nomination;
3. Letters from three peers within the nominee’s society (other than the board members who have signed the society nomination letter), each detailing their support for the nomination;
4. An abbreviated CV of three pages (including date of birth);
5. A photograph; and
6. Contact details of the nominee (or family member if deceased).

The nominating society, if submitting more than one application, must provide the IFSSH with their ranking of their society’s candidates. This is to be sent in the cover email with the nominations.

The IFSSH Nominating Committee will assess the submissions against the criteria and guidelines listed below, and notify the sponsoring Society of its recommendations. This will occur with adequate time for the recipients of this honour to make the necessary arrangements to attend the Awarding Ceremony at the Opening of the following Congress.

Guidelines for the Nomination of a "Pioneer of Hand Surgery"

The following criteria should be assessed when considering a possible Pioneer nomination:

1. Exceptional ability to teach and train hand surgeons at registrar and fellowship level;
2. Significant contributions to basic hand surgery research;
3. Significant contributions to clinical hand surgery research;
4. Publications in peer reviewed journals which substantially add to our understanding of hand surgery;
5. Publication of chapters and/or books which made major contributions;
6. Involvement in outreach programs of significant importance;
7. Specific international contributions to promote hand surgery, such as involvement in Federation activities; and involvement in regional activities;
8. Specific contributions to promote hand surgery nationally, such as Society activities;
9. Visiting Professorships and invitations to lecture internationally;
10. Paper and poster presentations at International Meetings;
11. Preparation of video programs for teaching purposes;
12. Development of equipment and processes for clinical use or academic programmes.

This list is not exhaustive, nor must each nominee have excelled in all criteria. However, for the Committee to recommend the award of "Pioneer of Hand Surgery", the nominee must have made outstanding contributions.

The IFSSH Nominating Committee will limit the number of Pioneers selected based on the total number of Pioneers nominated for a specific triennium, taking into consideration

1. the candidates’ applications
2. the ranking of the Pioneers provided by the nominating society.

Pioneer Nomination Form

Pioneers honoured at the Third International Congress: Tokyo, Japan, 1986

• Tamikazu Amoko
• Joesph H. Boyes
• Paul W. Brand
• Martin A. Entin
• Mario Gonzales-Ulloa
• Marc Iselin
• Johan M. F. Landsmeer
• J. William Littler
• Erik Moberg
• Benjamin Rank
• H. Graham Stack
• Sidney Sunderland
• Raoul Tubiana
• Kauko J Vainio
• Claude Verdan

Pioneers honoured at the Fifth International Congress: Paris, France, 1992

• Robert E. Carroll
• Nils Carstam
• Raymond M. Curtis
• Adrian E. Flatt
• Benjamin Fowler
• J. Leonard Goldner
• Luis Gomez Correa
• Harold E. Kleinert
• Douglas W. Lamb
• Jeno Manninger
• Daniel C. Riordan
• Kauko Solonen
• Kenya Tsuge

Pioneers honoured at the Sixth International Congress: Helsinki, Finland, 1995

• Paul Woodrow Brown
• Henry M. Brummer
• Harry J Buncke
• Ridvan Ege
• James M. Hunter
• John Ivor Pulsford James
• Lee W. Milford
• Ezio Morelli
• George E Omer Jr.
• George S. Phalen
• Alfred B. Swanson
• Tatsuya Tajima
• Christopher B. Wynn Parry
• Eduardo A Zancolli
• Jacques Michon
• Bernard McC. O'Brien
• Alipio Pernet

Pioneers honoured at the Seventh International Congress: Vancouver, Canada, 1998

• Donal N. Brooks
• Giorgio Brunelli
• Dieter Buck-Gramcko
• Douglas Andrew Campbell Reid
• Mack L. Clayton
• James Harold Dobyns
• Wael Mansour Fahmy
• Geoffrey Raymond Fisk
• Ramon Isales
• Ivan B. Matev
• Robert Malcolm MacFarlane
• Hanno Millesi
• James F. Murray
• Boleslaw Nagay
• Miguel Vargas Busquets

Pioneers honoured at the Eighth International Congress: Istanbul, Turkey, 2001

• Valentin Grigore Aburel
• Paolo Bedeschi
• Harold Bolton
• F. Merih Eroglu
• Anastasios Giannikas
• Jamal Gousheh
• Stewart H. Harrison
• Isidor Kessler
• Brij Bhushan Joshi
• Ronald L Linscheid
• Takayuki Miura
• Robert Henry Cradock Robins
• Harilaos T. Sakellarides
• Richard J. Smith
• Joerg Boehler

Pioneers honoured at the Ninth International Congress: Budapest, Hungary 2004

• Tadao Kojima
• Antal Renner
• Martin Singer
• Ramaswami Venkataswami
• Albrecht Wilhelm
• Yutaka Yabe
• Yasuo Yamauchi

Pioneers honoured at the 10^th International Congress: Sydney, Australia 2007

• Nicholas Barton (United Kingdom)
• Andre Boonzaier (South Africa)
• W. Bruce Conolly( Australia)
• Jan Haftek (Poland)
• John Hueston (Australia)
• Adalbert Kapandji (France)
• Wladyslaw Manikowski (Poland)
• Shojaeddin Sheikholeslamzadeh (Iran)
• William Souter(United Kingdom)
• Hariharan Srinivasan (India)
• Susumu Tamai (Japan)
• Yasuo Ueba (Japan)
• James Urbaniak (USA)

Pioneers honoured at the 11^th International Congress: Seoul, Korea, 2010

• Alessandro Caroli (Italian Society for Surgery of the Hand)
• André Chamay (Swiss Society for Surgery of the Hand)
• John Cobbett (British Society for Surgery of the Hand)
• Richard G. Eaton (American Society for Surgery of the Hand)
• Joel Engel (Israeli Society for Surgery of the Hand)
• David P. Green (American Society for Surgery of the Hand)
• Basil Helal (British Society for Surgery of the Hand)
• Yoshikazu Ikuta (Japanese Society for Surgery of the Hand)
• Seiichi Ishii (Japanese Society for Surgery of the Hand)
• Eung-Shick Kang (Korean Society for Surgery of the Hand)
• Ik-Dong Kim (Korean Society for Surgery of the Hand)
• Young Ho Lee (Korean Society for Surgery of the Hand)
• Ralph Manktelow (MANUS Canada)
• Renzo Mantero (Italian Society for Surgery of the Hand)
• José Cantero Martinez (Spanish Society for Surgery of the Hand)
• Viktor E. Meyer (Swiss Society for Surgery of the Hand)
• Alfredo Quintana Montero (Spanish Society for Surgery of the Hand)
• Edward A. Nalebuff (American Society for Surgery of the Hand)
• Santos Palazzi Coll (Spanish Society for Surgery of the Hand)
• Fernando Enriquez de Salamanca Lorente (Spanish Society for Surgery of the Hand)
• Antonio De Santolo Ricciardelli (Venezuela Society for Surgery of the Hand)
• Morton Spinner (American Society for Surgery of the Hand)
• James W. Strickland (American Society for Surgery of the Hand)
• Philip Sykes (British Society for Surgery of the Hand)
• Julio Taleisnik (American Society for Surgery of the Hand)
• E.F. Shaw Wilgis (American Society for Surgery of the Hand)
• Virchel E. Wood (American Society for Surgery of the Hand)
• Elvin G. Zook (American Association for Hand Surgery)

Pioneers honoured at the 12^th International Congress: Delhi, India, 2013

• Muneaki Abe (Japanese Society for Surgery of the Hand)
• Yves Allieu (French Society for Surgery of the Hand)
• José Manuel Antuña Zapico (Spanish Society for Surgery of the Hand)
• Higinio Ayala Palacios (Spanish Society for Surgery of the Hand)
• Robert Beckenbaugh (American Association for Hand Surgery)
• Pesi B Chacha (Singapore Society for Surgery of the Hand)
• David Evans (British Society for Surgery of the Hand)
• Alan Freeland (American Association for Hand Surgery)
• Ayan Gulgonen (Turkish Society for Surgery of the Hand)
• Ulrich Lanz (German Society for Surgery of the Hand)
• Ping Chung (PC) Leung (Hong Kong Society for Surgery of the Hand)
• Graham Lister (British Society for Surgery of the Hand)
• Ryogo Nakamura (Japanese Society for Surgery of the Hand)
• Dinkar Palande (Indian Society for Surgery of the Hand)
• Arlindo Pardini (Brazilian Society for Surgery of the Hand)
• Robert WH Pho (Singapore Society for Surgery of the Hand)
• Hildegunde Piza-Katzer (Austrian Society for Surgery of the Hand)
• Philippe Saffar (French Society for Surgery of the Hand)
• Panayotis Soucacos (Hellenic Society for Surgery of the Hand)

Pioneers honoured at the 13^th International Congress: Buenos Aires, Argentina, 2016

• Walter Manna Albertoni (Brazilian Society for Surgery of the Hand)
• Sydney Biddulph (South African Society for Surgery of the Hand)
• Ueli Büchler (Swiss Society of Hand Surgery)
• Frank Burke (British Society for Surgery of the Hand)
• Richard Burton (American Society for Surgery of the Hand)
• Jose Rafael Camarillo Morillo (Venezuelan Society for Surgery of the Hand and Reconstruction of the Upper Limb)
• Shew Ping Chow (Hong Kong Society for Surgery of the Hand)
• Moon Sang Chung (Korean Society for Surgery of the Hand)
• Rodolfo Contreras Gamboa(Venezuelan Society for Surgery of the Hand and Reconstruction of the Upper Limb)
• Omer Ercetin (Turkish Society for Surgery of the Hand)
• Santiago Fazzini (Argentine Association for Reconstructive Surgery of the Hand and Upper Limb)
• John Fleming (South African Society for Surgery of the Hand)
• Timothy Herbert (Australian Hand Surgery Society)
• Aldo Aristides Illaramendi(Argentine Association for Reconstructive Surgery of the Hand and Upper Limb)
• Joesph Kutz (American Society for Surgery of the Hand)
• David Lichtman (American Society for Surgery of the Hand)
• Albert Lluch Homedes (Spanish Society for Surgery of the Hand)
• Guillermo Loda (Argentine Association for Reconstructive Surgery of the Hand and Upper Limb)
• Göran Lundborg (Swedish Society for Surgery of the Hand)
• Paul Manske (American Society for Surgery of the Hand)
• Michel Merle (French Society for Hand Surgery)
• Wyndell Merritt (American Association for Hand Surgery)
• Wayne Morrison (Australian Hand Surgery Society)
• Akira Nagano (Japanese Society for Surgery of the Hand)
• Sigurd Pechlaner (Austrian Society for Surgery of the Hand)
• Luciano Poitevin (Argentine Association for Reconstructive Surgery of the Hand and Upper Limb)
• Pier LuigiRaimondi (Italian Society for Surgery of the Hand)
• Lawrence Schneider (American Society for Surgery of the Hand)
• Luis Carlos Sobania (Brazilian Society for Surgery of the Hand)
• John Stanley (British Society for Surgery of the Hand)
• James Steichen (American Society for Surgery of the Hand)
• Pierre Van Wetter (Belgian Hand Group)
• Martti Vastamaki (Finnish Society for Surgery of the Hand)
• David Vickers (Australian Hand Surgery Society)
• Simo Vilkki (Finnish Society for Surgery of the Hand)
• Michael Wood (American Association for Hand Surgery)
• Yoshiki Yamano (Japanese Society for Surgery of the Hand)

Pioneers honoured at the 14^th International Congress: Berlin, Germany, 2019

• Govindasamy Balakrishnan Indian Society for Surgery of the Hand
• Claudio Henrique Barbieri Brazilian Society for Surgery of the Hand
• Alexandros E. Beris Hellenic Society for Surgery of the Hand
• Peter Burge British Society for Surgery of the Hand
• Edie Benedito Caetano Brazilian Society for Surgery of the Hand
• İsmail Hakki Çalli Turkish Society for Surgery of the Hand
• Robert A. Chase American Society for Surgery of the Hand
• David Chwei-Chin Chuang Taiwanese Society for Surgery of the Hand
• Felipe Coiffman Colombian Association for Surgery of the Hand
• William P. Cooney American Society for Surgery of the Hand
• Kazuteru Doi Japanese Society for Surgery of the Hand
• Diego Fernandez Swiss Society of Hand Surgery
• Richard H. Gelberman American Society for Surgery of the Hand
• Jochen B. Gerstner Bruns Colombian Association for Surgery of the Hand
• Alain Gilbert French Society for Surgery of the Hand
• Carl-Göran Hagert Swedish Society for Surgery of the Hand
• Geoffrey Hooper British Society for Surgery of the Hand
• Jesse B. Jupiter American Society for Surgery of the Hand
• Ahmet Karaogȗz Turkish Society for Surgery of the Hand
• Johan Marie Gerardus Kauer Dutch Society for Surgery of the Hand
• Kwang Suk Lee Korean Society for Surgery of the Hand
• Yih Liu Taiwanese Society for Surgery of the Hand
• Alain Charles Masquelet French Society for Surgery of the Hand
• Roberto Melendez Escobar Colombian Association for Surgery of the Hand
• Ulrich Mennen South African Society for Surgery of the Hand
• Akio Minami Japanese Society for Surgery of the Hand
• Nash Naam Egyptian Society for Surgery of the Hand and Microsurgery
• Oğuz Polatkan Turkish Society for Surgery of the Hand
• Jaime León Restrepo Espinal Colombian Association for Surgery of the Hand
• Nelson Enrique Socorro Medina Venezuelan Society for Surgery of the Hand and Reconstruction of the Upper Limb
• Peter J. Stern American Society for Surgery of the Hand
• Lam-Chuan Teoh Singapore Society for Hand Surgery
• Maggali Pastora Torrealba Marin Venezuelan Society for Surgery of the Hand and Reconstruction of the Upper Limb
• Joseph Upton, III American Society for Surgery of the Hand
• Irina Visa Romanian Society for Surgery of the Hand
• Fu-Chan Wei Taiwanese Society for Surgery of the Hand
• Andrew J. Weiland American Society for Surgery of the Hand

Pioneers honoured at the 15^th International Congress: London, United Kingdom, 2022

• Peter Amadio American Association for Hand Surgery
• Ronaldo Jorge Azze Brazilian Society for Surgery of the Hand
• Jacques Baudet French Society for Surgery of the Hand
• Duke Whan Chung Korean Society for Surgery of the Hand
• Abraham Cuperman Donskoy Colombian Association for Surgery of the Hand
• José Mauricio de Morais Carmo Brazilian Society for Surgery of the Hand
• David Elliot British Society for Surgery of the Hand
• Marybeth Ezaki American Society for Surgery of the Hand
• Alexandru Georgescu Romanian Society for Surgery of the Hand
• Rolf Habenicht German Society for Surgery of the Hand
• Leiv M. Hove Norwegian Society for Surgery of the Hand
• William B. Kleinman American Society for Surgery of the Hand
• Simon Kay British Society for Surgery of the Hand
• Bhaskaranand Kumar Indian Society for Surgery of the Hand
• Susan E. Mackinnon American Society for Surgery of the Hand
• Murray Hugh Matthewson British Society for Surgery of the Hand
• Duncan Angus McGrouther British Society for Surgery of the Hand Singapore Society for Hand Surgery
• A. Lee Osterman American Association for Hand Surgery American Society for Surgery of the Hand
• Timo Raatikainen Finnish Society for Surgery of the Hand
• Yolanda Restrepo De Marriaga Colombian Association for Surgery of the Hand
• Robert Russell American Association for Hand Surgery
• Francois Schernberg French Society for Surgery of the Hand
• Beat R. Simmen Swiss Society of Hand Surgery
• Michael A. Tonkin Australian Hand Surgery Society
• Allen Van Beek American Association for Hand Surgery
• Catherine Vlastou Hellenic Society for Surgery of the Hand
• Batia Yaffe Israeli Society for Surgery of the Hand
• Fok-Chuan Yong Singapore Society for Hand Surgery