Massimo Corain, MD EBHS Dip Hand Surg (President 2022-2024)

Head of the Department of Hand Surgery and Microsurgery, Verona University Hospital (Italy) - European Hand Trauma and Replantation Center (Reference Center for Pediatric Upper Limb Congenital anomalies and Traumatic Disorders, H24 Reference Trauma Center for Complex Upper Limb Trauma)

Adjunct Professor at the University of Verona

Member of the European Diploma in Hand Surgery FESSH Committee since 2016

Advisor of the Italian Society for Surgery of the Hand

Director IBRA Center Verona, Italy (International Bone Research Association – CH) 

www.massimocorain.it

Aaron Berger, MD PhD (President 2024-2026)

Dr. Aaron Berger is based at Nicklaus Children's Hospital in Miami, FL.  He serves as the Nicklaus Children's Pediatric Specialists (NCPS) Chief of the Section of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.  He is medical director of Programs in Pediatric Hand, as well as the Brachial Plexus and Peripheral Nerve Program.  Dr. Berger earned MD and PhD degrees through the Medical Scientist Training Program at Yale University.  He then completed residency training in plastic surgery at Stanford University Medical Center, followed by fellowship training in hand surgery and microsurgery at UCLA Medical Center.  He was then among the first recipients of the American Society for Surgery of the Hand’s International Hand Surgery Fellowship, where he trained at centers of excellence in China for the treatment of congenital hand differences, traumatic upper extremity injuries, and brachial plexus injuries.  Dr. Berger's main surgical interests are in reconstructive surgery of the hand and extremities, including microsurgical reconstruction. His clinical practice is dedicated to the treatment of congenital hand and arm differences, brachial plexus injuries and reconstructive plastic surgery. His primary research interests are currently focused on determining optimal treatment pathways for brachial plexus birth injuries and congenital differences of the upper limb. 

Aaron Berger @ Nicklaus Children’s Hospital, Florida

Takehiko Takagi, MD PhD (President elect 2026-2028)

Takehiko Takagi is a Head of Orthopaedic Surgery at the National Center for Child Health and Development, Tokyo, Japan, and a director of the international pediatric orthopaedic fellowship. He specializes in congenital differences, birth palsies, and pediatric upper limb traumas. He also encounters and treats patients with congenital transverse failure, and in collaboration with engineering and rehabilitation specialists, he contributes to the development of the myoelectric hand. He was an international fellow at the Kleinert Kutz Hand Care Center in Louisville, KY, USA, and he had the opportunity to communicate with attendings and fellows from all over the world, who had diverse values and thoughts and provided him with enlightening insights regarding hand surgery. He also participated in the mission trip that Touching Hands, presented by American Society for Surgery of the Hand, conducted in Honduras. He continues to broaden his knowledge and skillset by attending various meetings and by interacting with other communities. He enjoys running in his spare time and sometimes takes part in competitions.

Takehiko Takagi @ NCCHD, Tokyo

Aaron Daluiski, MD (Treasurer 2018-2026)

www.aarondaluiskimd.com

Francisco (Xesco) Soldado, MD PhD *

Francisco Soldado is pediatric hand, plexus and microsurgery unit director in Barcelona, Spain. He also teaches musculoskeletal anatomy in Barcelona. He has developed multiple innovative techniques for the treatment of nonunions, tumor reconstruction, syndactyly separation, Sprengel’s deformity. Xesco is developing volunteer missions for neonatal brachial plexus injuries in Vietnam, Cambodia , Morocco and Costa Rica. He regularly hosts international conferences in Barcelona in addition to lecturing internationally. He is passionated by old cinema and flamenco. www.cirugiamanoinfantil.com

Yrjänä Nietosvaara, MD

Yrjänä Nietosvaara is an associate professor of hand surgery in the University of Helsinki. He is a pediatric orthopedic surgeon with special interest in fractures, tendon and nerve injuries as well as congenital differences. He is part of the staff in Helsinki New Children’s Hospital. Yrjänä likes to play tennis, golf and ice-hockey, but he is especially keen on smoke saunas!

Juan José Gil Álvarez, MD PhD

Dr. Gil is a Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at Universidad de Sevilla and at Universidad Internacional de Andalucia. He coordinates the educational program for residents of the specialty of Orthopaedic Surgery and Traumatology at Hospital Universitario Virgen del Rocio in Seville where he is the Head of the Unit of Upper Extremity and Peripheral Nerve Surgery which is accredited by Spanish National Health System as Unit of Reference for treating brachial plexus palsy. Dr. Gil treats any upper limb surgical pathology not only in children but also in adults giving global attention to the paediatric patients' future needs. His areas of special interest are reconstructive microsurgery, arthroscopy and surgery of neurological sequelae, especially tendon transfers having developed in this field innovative techniques for the treatment of winged scapula.

Andrea S. Bauer, MD

Andrea S. Bauer, MD, is a pediatric hand surgeon at Boston Children’s Hospital and Assistant Professor of Orthopaedics at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Bauer earned her medical degree from Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons before completing a five-year residency at the Harvard Combined Orthopaedic Residency Program in orthopaedic surgery. She completed a fellowship in Hand and Upper Extremity Surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital as well as a fellowship in Pediatric Hand Surgery at Shriners Hospitals for Children – Northern California. Dr. Bauer spent 4 years on staff as a Pediatric Hand Surgeon at Shriners Hospital and UC Davis before coming to Boston Children’s in 2015. Dr. Bauer focuses on the care of children with congenital hand differences, brachial plexus and other nerve injuries, and upper limb injuries due to trauma and sports. She enjoys teaching residents and fellows and is a mentor to medical students interested in becoming orthopaedic surgeons. Her research interests include brachial plexus birth injury and congenital hand differences. Dr. Bauer is active in the American Society for Surgery of the Hand, where she was elected a Young Leader in 2015, as well as the Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America, for which she chairs the Upper Extremity committee of the Quality, Safety, and Value council. She is a member of the Editorial Boards of The Journal of Hand Surgery and Techniques in Hand and Upper Extremity Surgery. Dr. Bauer has authored more than 40 publications in peer-reviewed journals (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/myncbi/1Nu87xfVwBCQW/bibliography/public/) as well as numerous book chapters. She has presented at national and international conferences, including the annual meetings of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, the American Society for Surgery of the Hand, and the Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America. Dr. Bauer is board certified in orthopaedics by The American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery and holds a subspecialty qualification in surgery of the hand.

Shai Luria, MD

Shai Luria is the head of the Hand and Microvascular Surgery Service at the Department of Orthopedics at the Hadassah-Hebrew University Medical Center in Jerusalem, Israel. He specializes in upper extremity trauma reconstruction and the treatment of upper extremity neuromuscular and congenital disorders. His research interests include the study of wrist biomechanics and the epidemiology of hand and upper extremity trauma and is an Associate Professor at the Hebrew University. Shai is the past president of the Israeli Society for Surgery of the Hand.