A Note from AHS President-Elect, Dr. Jorge Daes
 

It is an honor to lead the planning for the AHS 2026 Annual Meeting in Denver - a gathering where science, service, and the spirit of our community meet. This meeting is more than a scientific program - it is a celebration of who we are and what we believe. At its core, surgery is not about recognition or performance. It is about patients first - those who trust us when they are most vulnerable.

 

Our field is changing. Hernia surgery is evolving from a craft passed down through generations into a discipline built on research, doubt, and discovery. We must behave not as influencers chasing visibility, but as scientists seeking truth—curious, rigorous, and willing to question our own results. Actual progress is never the work of one surgeon alone. It is born of collaboration, across borders and generations. It flourishes when democracy guides our choices—when power and ideas are shared, and when we value merit and contribution over popularity or friendship.

 

To our younger colleagues: you are the future. Watch how we carry ourselves, not just how we operate. The best lesson we can give you is not a technique, but an example of integrity, humility, and service.

 

We come here not as categories, but as equals. Not women or men, not defined by geography or origin—but as surgeons, united by our common calling.

 

I am inspired by what Luis Quintero described as “the price of invisible excellence.” The truth that the most significant acts in medicine happen quietly, behind the scenes - an unheralded decision, a sacrifice no one notices, a life saved without applause. That is the kind of greatness we should aspire to: not noisy, but real.

 

Here in Denver, let us honor substance over show, collaboration over ego, and the invisible excellence that makes our profession worthy of trust. This is your meeting, our meeting—and together, it belongs to all of us.

 

Jorge Daes, MD

President-Elect, American Hernia Society