Our 72nd Keynote Speakers

Abebe Bekele

Hugh Greenwood Global Surgery Lecturer

Dean, School of Medicine, Deputy Vice Chancellor, University of Global Health Equity, Rwanda

Professor Abebe Bekele, MD, is Deputy Vice Chancellor of Academic and Research Affairs and Dean of the School of Medicine at the University of Global Health Equity (UGHE) in Rwanda. A Professor of General and Thoracic Surgery, he previously served as CEO of Black Lion Teaching Hospital and Dean of Medicine at Addis Ababa University. He holds faculty positions at UGHE, Addis Ababa University, the University of Rwanda, and Duke University.

With more than 22 years of experience in medical and surgical education, he has been a visiting professor and external examiner worldwide. He is a fellow of the Ethiopian Academy of Sciences and the American College of Surgeons’ Academy of Master Surgical Educators.

Professor Bekele is Secretary General of COSECSA, Editor‑in‑Chief of the East and Central Africa Journal of Surgery, and serves on editorial boards including JAMA Health Forum and BMC Medical Education. He has published over 120 articles and book chapters and received multiple regional and international awards, including the 2024 CUGH Distinguished Leadership Award.

He advises national and global bodies including Ethiopia’s Ministry of Science and Higher Education, the WHO Council on Learning and Capacity Building in Health Emergencies, the Global Surgery Foundation, and the African Forum for Research and Education in Health. His work focuses on global safe surgery, equitable access to surgical care, and advancing surgical education across Africa.

Prof. Arnaud Bonnard

KARL STORZ State-of-the-Art Lecturer

Paediatric Surgeon, Université Paris Cité, Hôpital Robert Debré, Paris, France

Arnaud Bonnard is currently a Professor in Paediatric Surgery at the Robert Debré Children University Hospital and Chief of the Paediatric Surgery department in Paris, France. His main interests are minimally invasive surgery, neonatal surgery and thoracic surgery with a special focus on congenital malformations. He’s involved in many teaching courses on behalf the EUPSA educational office board and other society such as ESPES and the French Paediatric Surgery Society. He has been involved in the EUPSA society as treasurer for 6 years. He is the course director of IRCAD Minimally invasive and robotic pediatric surgery program and he is also the program director for the paediatric surgery residency in Paris. As a professor, he’s still doing basic research on a mouse model of NEC testing the effect of CO2 insufflation on the intestinal lesion and on cerebral induced lesions.

Marie-Klaire Farrugia

BAPU Urology Lecturer

Consultant Paediatric Urologist, Chelsea & Westminster Hospital, London

Marie-Klaire Farrugia MD MD(Res) FRCSEd(Paed.Surg) is a Consultant Fetal and Paediatric Urologist at the Chelsea and Westminster (C&W) and Imperial College Hospitals; and Honorary Senior Lecturer, Imperial College London. Miss Farrugia’s clinical and research expertise includes antenatally-diagnosed urinary tract conditions, in particular fetal bladder outlet obstruction and in-utero intervention outcomes; vesico-ureteric reflux and obstructive megaureter. She is a keen minimally-invasive surgeon and is amongst the first paediatric robotic surgeons in the UK. The robotic urology program in C&W was set up in 2014 following a remarkable charity initiative, the “Pluto Appeal” that contributed to the Trust’s first Da Vinci: the program has since expanded to include other specialties and the purchase of 2 further robotic platforms. Miss Farrugia is now involved in training the next generation of robotic surgeons and is part of Faculty on the European Promaster course in robotic-assisted surgery and ESPES minimally-invasive surgery courses. Miss Farrugia is the Fetal and Perinatal section editor of the Journal of Pediatric Urology; Treasurer-elect of the European Society for Pediatric Urology; member of the European Reference Network/ eUROGEN obstructive megaureter guidelines panel; and the paediatric representative on the GIRFT Robotic-assisted surgery pathways panel. She has published over 60 peer-reviewed articles, invited reviews, educational modules and book chapters and has delivered invited talks world-wide. Her favourite locations outside paediatric theatres will usually include a Crossfit Box or a sailing boat.

Shawn St Peter

Journal of Pediatric Surgery Lecturer

Senior Vice President and Chair, Department of Surgery, Children's Mercy, USA

Shawn D. St. Peter, MD, joined the Children’s Mercy Department of Surgery in 2006 and now serves as Senior Vice President, Chair of the Department, Associate Program Director of the Pediatric Surgery Fellowship, and Director of the Center for Prospective Trials. He also holds the Thomas Holder and Keith Ashcraft Endowed Chair of Surgical Research.

Dr. St. Peter earned a Zoology degree from the University of Idaho and his medical degree from the University of Washington. He completed surgical residency at the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, including a research year at Oxford University, followed by a pediatric surgery fellowship at Children’s Mercy.

He has held numerous national and local leadership roles and currently serves on committees for APSA, IPEG, AAP, and ACS. His honors include six Golden Apple Mercy Mentor Awards.

A prolific researcher, Dr. St. Peter has co-authored more than 400 original publications, multiple reviews and chapters, and two textbooks. He is frequently invited to speak nationally and internationally. His work focuses on comparative effectiveness trials, reducing the impact of surgical care on children, and lowering healthcare costs for pediatric surgical conditions.