WEO Presidential address 2024

Dear colleagues and friends!

It is a great honor for me to accept the role of WEO President for the next two years. Working with Professor Tajiri during his two-year term, I appreciate the combination of talent, competence, and effort he has infused into this position, and I can only hope to maintain and expand the role of WEO along the trajectory established by my predecessors. In this I am grateful to be so ably aided by my invaluable executive committee of Mario Dinis-Ribeiro, Secretary General, Yutaka Saito, Treasurer, Hisao Tajiri, Past President, and Asadur Tchekmedyian, President Elect, as well as our able secretariat in Munich.

Initially, I was part of the team that developed the Minimal Standard Terminology (MST), aiming to standardize the global language of endoscopy. This process drove home to me the importance of a global outlook in our field. I subsequently had the honor to work as Secretary General under the leadership of Jean Francois Rey, seeing WEO develop to include diverse activities in our three zones and host a line-up of successful Endo conferences.

WEO in the current era sees new and varied challenges as a global organization. On the one hand, with the ever-advancing techniques of invasive endoscopy we are encroaching on the turf of existing surgical methods. We are moving the boundaries of what can be achieved without a scalpel or even a trochar, for the benefit of our patients.  On the other hand, there is a growing need for high quality basic endoscopy across the world in response to increasing rates of GI disease, and, perhaps even more so, for healthy population screening. Thus, the focus on quality assurance and on standardization becomes crucial, particularly for everyday procedures.  

In this endeavor, we can be aided by new technological developments. We need to engage with the rapid development of artificial intelligence in health and the tools it offers. They will undoubtedly have a profound impact on the practice of endoscopy, but also on training and quality assessment. I’m enthusiastic about our energetic AI task force within WEO focusing on exactly this.  

My vision for the coming years is to further clarify the unique role of our society – a role complementary to our three zonal societies, but different for each.  

My goals to that effect are:

• To connect the globe of GI endoscopy. We need to understand and explore regional similarities, differences, and options for collaboration and exchange, to clarify epidemiological versus cultural reasons for differences in practice and aim to align activities where possible.  
• To address the needs of underserved areas in the world through expanded outreach activities. We aim to identify the opportunities for endoscopic development and muster the abundance of endoscopic expertise within our society to support a more just distribution of quality endoscopy services across the world.  
• To build the future of our society. WEO currently has a number of educational programs directed at young talents who connect to one another, but also to WEO. We want to invest in this valuable resource to rejuvenate our society. We will build a network for the future by nurturing the talents, ideas, and enthusiasm of these developing alumni and colleagues. This will be at the core of our newly expanded diverse educational program.

As for myself, I am the head of GI endoscopy and Professor of Internal Medicine at Oslo University Hospital, Norway, primarily focused on pancreatobiliary work. I very much enjoy teaching, at home and abroad. My research is primarily focused on clinical endoscopy, as well as collaborative trials with an endoscopic component. I spend my spare time biking, sailing, skiing, and spending time with my family.  

I am grateful to be able to do what I enjoy, in a peaceful country, with plenty of “indoor weather”! Thus, I have the opportunity to focus on WEO, and I look forward to doing so, spending the next two years working with you.

Lars Aabakken, President, WEO