BAST

🇧🇪 The Belgian Association of Surgical Trainees is pleased to share the following updates after the Belgian Surgical Week 2026:

• A new board has been elected. Cédric Schraepen and Gilles Soenens will serve another year as President and Vice-President to ensure continuity during this transitional period. We welcome three new Board Members.

• The Trainer–Trainee Award was presented to Asma Benkheil in recognition of her beautiful presentation on Ventral Mesh Rectopexy.

• Dr. Van de Putte (UZ Gent) was awarded the Silver Scalpel Award 2026. A reward for his exceptional motivation to guide young surgeons.

• On Friday, our President moderated an important session on the reform of surgical training. With new times ahead, change inevitably brings both challenges and opportunities. BAST aims to play a supportive role throughout this evolution, representing and assisting surgical trainees in navigating these developments.

Looking forward for what is coming 🚀

Another successful edition of the BAST–BGES–RBSS Hands-On Workshops during the Belgian Surgical Week 2026! 📸

We look back with great pride and gratitude on a morning filled with hands-on workshops in different specialties guided bij experts in the field. It was a pleasure to see so many motivated participants sharpening their skills under the guidance of BGES teachers.

A heartfelt thank you to all our sponsors for making this event possible, to our dedicated faculty for sharing their expertise, and to every participant for their enthusiasm and engagement.

Together, we continue to advance surgical excellence. See you next year!

📣 Call for abstracts!
Are you a surgical trainee with experience in new robotic platforms, revisional or challenging robotic cases, novel surgical techniques, or endoscopic and emerging technologies in obesity and bariatric surgery? Submit your video abstract and share your work at the BAST–BeSOMS Video Session at the Belgian Surgical Week!
📍 Hilton Antwerp Old Town
📅 April 24, 2026
⏰ 16:30 – 18:00
🎤 Presented by trainees.
Don’t miss this opportunity to present your work, explore innovative approaches, and connect with peers in the field.
BAST SurgicalEducation CallForAbstracts

Join us this April at the Belgian Surgical Week for the BAST–BeSOMS Video Session!
Together with the Belgian Section of Obesity and Metabolic Surgery (BESOMS), we warmly invite you to an engaging video session focused on innovative techniques in bariatric surgery.
📍 Hilton Antwerp Old Town
📅 April 24, 2026
⏰ 16:30 – 18:00
Topics:
• New robotic platforms
• Revisional or challenging robotic cases
• New surgical techniques and concepts
• Endoscopic procedures and emerging technologies
🎤 Presented by trainees
Don’t miss this opportunity to discover cutting-edge approaches and exchange ideas with colleagues in the field.
BAST SurgicalEducation

The BAST – Belgian Section of Abdominal Wall Surgery (BSAWS) Cadaver Workshop Hernia Repair 2025 took place on November 28, 2025, at the CETRAS facilities of UZ Gent.
This highly educational event brought together residents and surgeons with a strong interest in abdominal wall surgery for an intensive day of learning and hands-on training.
The program combined concise, high-quality theoretical sessions with an extensive practical cadaver lab. The theoretical component provided a clear and structured overview of contemporary hernia repair techniques, focusing on both open and minimally invasive approaches. The highlighted techniques included:
• Lichtenstein repair
• TAPP (Transabdominal Preperitoneal repair)
• TEP (Totally Extraperitoneal repair)
• IPOM for ventral hernia repair
• Rives–Stoppa technique
Following the theoretical introduction, participants engaged in an in-depth hands-on cadaver workshop. This practical session allowed residents to refine their anatomical understanding, enhance technical skills, and discuss operative strategies in an interactive and collegial environment. The direct supervision and expert guidance ensured high educational value and an optimal learning experience.
We would like to express our sincere gratitude to the organizing faculty and teachers — Dr. M. Allaeys, Dr. W. Janssens, Dr. N. Koliakos and Dr. S. Van Hoef — for their dedication, expertise, and commitment to surgical education. Their efforts made this workshop both academically enriching and practically valuable.
The BSAWS Cadaver Workshop 2025 once again highlighted the importance of structured training and hands-on experience in advancing the quality and safety of abdominal wall surgery.

🚀🤖 Last Call for the BAST-RSWG Robotic Courses! 🤖🚀

The renowned robotic courses by BAST, in collaboration with the Robotic Section Working Group (RSWG), are entering their final chapter…

✨ Module 1D on April 4th 2026 @ Orsi Academy in Melle
✨ Module 2C on May 30th 2026 @ Orsi Academy Melle

These two modules will be organized one last time in their current format. After this edition, they will officially move to the universities.

This is your chance to experience the courses that shaped robotic training as we know it — hands-on, high-level, and powered by true expertise.

🎯 Don’t miss the final run.
🔧 Upgrade your robotic skills.

🚨Event alert!
Do you want to practice surgery with an amazing team of experienced instructors? Don’t hesitate any longer, join us for our hands-on workshop at the Belgian Surgical Week!

Grab this opportunity to sharpen your surgical skills in a high-quality hands-on workshop guided by expert teachers.

Train in abdominal surgery using wet-lab phantom organs, practice pulmonary resections, and refine your vascular techniques on carotid and abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) simulators. Dedicated stations will also allow you to perform prosthetic vascular anastomoses, enhancing your precision and confidence in vascular suturing.

An intensive, multidisciplinary training experience not to be missed.

Register here through the BSW website: https://aimgroup.eventsair.com/bsw26/reg/Site/Register

Vote now! https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSco4fXLQ2XrrnuHsSK6DjcpBmB7ty8SYfwizReiSJAqqtkCXg/viewform

🩺✨ RBSS–BAST Annual Training Weekend | Namur

Last weekend, BAST successfully hosted its annual RBSS–BAST weekend in Namur with the Royal Belgian Society of Surgery (RBSS) — once again a fully booked edition!

🔪🫁 Saturday was dedicated to intensive hands-on surgical training with direct teaching by experienced supervisors, followed by a team-building activity that allowed trainees and supervisors to connect beyond the hospital setting. On Sunday, the focus shifted to practical tips and tricks for surgical residents, complemented by case-based discussions on managing urgent and challenging clinical situations.

A weekend filled with learning, interaction, and enthusiasm — reinforcing our commitment to high-quality surgical training in Belgium.

Thank you to all participants, supervisors, and organizers who made this edition such a success.We are already looking forward to the next one! Organizing committee: Hans Van Veer, Lemaitre Jean, Brent Cauwberghs, Sandra Müller and Cédric Schraepen

Faculty: Niels Lombilla, Barbara Donck, Simon Vancoillie, Emma Cuypers, Rani Sebrechts, Sébastien Michiels, Alexandra Dili, Yanina Jansen, Bram Vanhoof, Van den Broeck Sylvie and Manon Vounckx

Sponsors: Johnson & Johnson, Intuitive, Bank/Banque Van Breda, Corza Medical, LeMaitre Vascular, ULC Medtronic, Peters Surgical, Duomed Group and Baxter International Inc.

MedicalEducation TeamBuilding Namur

Warm invitation to join our BAST-RSWG joint session at the Belgian Surgical Week 2026! Submit your robotic surgery case now!