Message from the President

Thank you for visiting the official AHPBA website. My name is Elijah Dixon, current President of the AHPBA, and it is my pleasure to welcome you to the organization. We represent surgical and non-surgical specialists throughout North, Central, and South America who care for patients with disorders of the liver, pancreas, and biliary tract. The AHPBA is one of the most dynamic and exciting surgical organizations today.

The Americas Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Association (AHPBA) is an incorporated non-profit organization which was created with the vision of devoting itself to improving care for those afflicted with HPB disorders throughout the world by improving education, training, innovation including new research and patient care.

Our mission is to encourage the exchange of clinical and scientific knowledge among surgeons, hepatologists, gastroenterologists, and members of related disciplines. We foster friendship and collaboration among clinicians and scientists to advance patient care and expand innovation and scientific discovery. Our organization also promotes the training, education, and career development of young physicians in their training and early in their practice. We also welcome and actively promote the involvement and development of allied health professionals, especially with an interest in our field. We encourage you to browse this website and take advantage of the many contributions of our members, including those related to housestaff and fellowship training, consensus conference reports, and our annual meeting.

The AHPBA serves as the Americas chapter of the International Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Association (IHPBA). The IHPBA was formally inaugurated at its first general assembly on May 31, 1994 in Boston, Massachusetts. The AHPBA was inaugurated later that same year in Chicago, Illinois. Since that time the AHPBA has grown from a small handful of surgeons interested in HPB surgery to a membership now numbering over one thousand. In 2010 the AHPBA formally changed its name from the American HPBA to the Americas HPBA to highlight and emphasize our growing interest in expansion and collaboration with members in Latin America. We currently have active AHPBA chapters within Argentina, Ecuador, Chile, Uruguay, Mexico, and Brazil and anticipate new chapter inaugurations in Peru, and Panama, among others in the near future.

Please also consider becoming a member of the AHPBA and become part of the exciting organization that could enhance your knowledge, professional growth, as well as patient care. There are numerous exciting committees to get involved in once you are a member. Members have been organizing medical outreach missions to Central and South America to help with all sorts of initiatives in these countries. Again, interested members are encouraged to get involved in these missions.

The AHPBA is an organization where you will be welcome to exchange your ideas and enthusiasm with other physicians who share your interest in caring for patients with diseases affecting the liver, pancreas, and biliary system, including the use of transplantation for diseases of the liver and pancreas. Through our annual meetings, educational sessions, and consensus conferences the AHPBA increases awareness of new developments within the field of surgery. The AHPBA helps surgeons remain current with the fast-paced changes in the field of medicine. Importantly, the AHPBA provides an important mechanism to establish friendships and enhanced educational and training experiences for all of our members, and these opportunities continue throughout the career of our members. Our annual meeting is the highlight of the year for most of our members, typically held in South Florida in February or March you will be able to meet old friends, make new ones, and get educated on the state of the art in HPB surgery, and hopefully get involved in some of the many committees and initiatives that we have in place.

Please also find time to visit the AHPB Foundation. The Foundation encourages philanthropy that will benefit and make possible many of the great things the AHPBA is able to do – Research Grants, Medical Outreach missions, Travel Fellowships, and much more. Please make a donation today.

Once again, thank you for your interest in our organization. We welcome your participation. Please do not hesitate to contact us with any comments, questions, or suggestions.

Elijah Dixon, MD
2014-2015 AHPBA President