“On the Shoulders of Giants: Honoring the Past and Shaping the Present.” The Key Roles of Each Member of this Board of Directors

At the beginning of the 20th century, most surgical procedures involving the hand—primarily infections, debridements, and amputations—were performed by general surgeons. During the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939), many such patients were treated. In the early 1950s, the only information on hand surgery came from France, specifically from Marc Iselin, who had published the books "Chirurgie De La Main" and "Livre Du Chirurgien" in 1945. These books helped Spanish surgeons with a special interest in hand surgery who were more fluent in French than English.[1]

In 1947, plastic surgeon Dr. Jaime Planas Guasch traveled to San Francisco, California, to perfect his knowledge of hand surgery and became the first Spanish Fellow in hand surgery in the United States, training with Sterling Bunnell. In 1951, Dr. Planas was responsible for the Spanish translation of Sterling Bunnell's book "Surgery of the Hand" (2nd edition). This Spanish version would change the future of hand surgery in Spain and Latin American countries. Dr. Planas later became one of the founders of the Spanish Society of Hand Surgery in 1969.[2]

In February 1969, thanks to the initiative of Dr. Alfredo Quintana and the collaboration of Drs. Pulvertaft, Vainio, Tubiana, and Souquet as visiting professors, the first meeting of surgeons with a special interest in hand surgery was held in Zaragoza. A few months later, on May 11, 1969, the Spanish Society of Hand Surgery (SECMA) was founded with only 29 members, under the leadership of the new president, Dr. Enríquez de Salamanca.[3] [4]

In the 1960s, surgeons did not perform primary flexor tendon repair in Zone II due to frequent flexion contractures and stiffness. Thus, Harold E. Kleinert (HEK), “a frustrated farmer turned hand surgeon,” and Joe Kutz, his first “Fellow,” a close friend and colleague of nearly 60 years, were presenting the first Louisville series of primary flexor tendon repairs at the 1967 ASSH meeting in San Francisco. The “old guard,” led by J. H. Boyes, was skeptical, and after the talk, he was dismissed as a renegade. ASSH leadership sent a committee (including Paul Weeks, Bob McCormick, and Bill Littler) to Louisville to conduct an on-site evaluation of HEK's patients. His findings, as we now know, are history... another paradigm shift occurred in hand surgery[5] that would change my life forever.

Not only will I be the first native of the Canary Islands, but also the first Spanish Kleinert "former fellow" to become president of this scientific society. Having met and worked in regulated operating rooms, on call, and in clinics with the three great tenors of hand surgery: HEK, as we affectionately called him, Dr. Kutz, and Dr. Luis Scheker, my close mentor ([Fig. 1]), has been the cornerstone that inspired my love for this surgical specialty, which I now have to foster, promote, and, above all, respect as president. For this purpose, I'm not going to talk about a team; I'm going to talk about specific names and surnames. This new board has been formed with the goal of each member being responsible for that area and being in charge of presenting a project with clear objectives and the corresponding costs for our society. In this board, the president won't be the most important figure; what matters will be the project presented by each of its members.

Fig. 1 The three tenors of hand surgery. From left to right: Kutz, Harold Kleinert, and Luis Scheker

I couldn't begin without mentioning Professor Clarisa Simon, to whom I owe the opportunity to be here today as president. She will be the General Secretary of our society and has extensive experience in this field. Her work will be difficult and extremely important; she will be informed of everything each of the members does and will keep a written record of all our decisions. She will be the core of our activity so that any request for information from any member is diligently, efficiently, and clearly addressed. Along with the General Secretary, I have decided to have two important surgeons very close by: Dr. Fernando Corella (vice president), a great friend with whom I have shared years of work, during which he was editor of RICMA and important research projects such as the work included in the WHO library on COVID, and the member of the Senior or "Master" surgeons, Dr. Manuel Llusá, who has been a teacher to all of us and, in my case, a true mentor. They will be, as Freud said, the "Super Ego" of our board, overseeing our activities to ensure they remain within what statisticians call the "confidence interval" and advising on all the decisions we make so that the project can continue with the new president in two years. Next, at the center of everything will be Dr. Eduardo Blanco, who, as treasurer, will provide us with budget forecasts to achieve all the objectives set by the board members, ensuring that the best and most cost-effective proposals are chosen.

The first role I would like to highlight is that of the Editor of the Ibero-American Journal of Hand Surgery (RICMA). I would like to begin by thanking Dr. Carratalá and his team of associate editors for their invisible yet arduous work in carrying the responsibility of the RICMA editorial office on their shoulders. Following his departure, a new editor with extensive experience in clinical research, important publications, research awards, and strong ties to the academic world, Dr. Rafa Sanjuan, has accepted this challenging position. We are aware that the goal of indexing our RICMA is extremely difficult, but the former editors, the rest of the board members, and I will be there to support him through reviews and scientific contributions to our journal.

Dr. Homid Fahandez will continue to lead the important DECIM program, a key component of this project. The goal is to regain UEMS European credits and access to the National Diploma in Hand Surgery through various channels, not just the DECIM training program (e.g., surgeons with eight or more years of experience can apply directly for the DECIM exam). This will create a national map of hand surgeons accredited by autonomous communities and hospitals, with a personal QR code as proof of this. This training program would not be possible without the work of Dr. Pau López-Osornio, who has accepted the important teaching position for both institutional courses and the SECMA Academy program. He is also responsible for relations with the pharmaceutical industry and commercial companies to obtain sponsorships and funding through the SECMA Foundation. Training and teaching cannot be successful alone, without the research spokesperson, "the forgotten child." Research must be like the microscope always at the patient's bedside in a hand surgery operating room. SECMA, by definition, is a scientific society, and science must be evidence-based. In 2012, 80% of scientific publications on hand surgery of Ibero-American origin were level IV evidence, the majority of which were case series and cross-sectional studies.[6] That hasn't changed 13 years later: e.g., "the word 'case-control' is still used in the title of a publication on outcomes assessment in thumb surgery, when that design only allows for the assessment of causal association and not for studies of treatment efficacy." Changing this requires commendable work and many hours of dedication. To achieve this, we have counted on one of the most highly regarded members of the board, Professor José Ballesteros, a disciple of Dr. Llusá. His new ideas, the enthusiasm he instills, and his new goals, such as helping to mentor young researchers, creating platforms on our website for mentoring research projects, etc., have truly been one of the biggest surprises in this management project.

Dr. Higinio Ayala, winner of the 2016 FESSH European Diploma Award and already experienced in this field, will continue to lead the international relations committee for the Spanish Federation of Sports Medicine (FESSH) and the International Federation of Sports Medicine (IFSSH). He will be closely accompanied by Professor Pedro Hernández, the only hand surgeon in Spain accredited by ANECA as a professor of Traumatology and Orthopedics. He will also be responsible for relations with other scientific societies in Spain, such as SECOT and SECPRE, as well as with Ibero-American societies.

The communications office will be led, of course, by Dr. Samuel Pajares, the "coach," as I affectionately call him. He has done and will continue to do excellent work in all of SECMA's communications and will now also be responsible for improving our technical secretariat and promoting the national registry of hand prostheses.

Let's talk about the "new blood" on this board, which will serve as a stimulus for young hand surgeons. DECIM alumni are joining this board. Working very closely with the communications committee, Dr. Pedro Fuentes will replace a true friend who has worked for SECMA for many years, and whom I am grateful to. I am talking about Dr. Eduardo Vaquero, that kind and conciliatory Galician who will be sorely missed. Dr. Pedro Fuentes brings new ideas for social media and the website that only young people can bring to help this analogous president. Another DECIM alumnus, Dr. José Manuel Pérez Alba, recently accredited with the European Diploma in Hand Surgery and perhaps one of the best DECIM CVs, will oversee the committee for young surgeons and will be the national delegate for the YEHS (Young European Hand Surgeons).

Finally, I conclude with Dr. Alex Lluch, treasurer of FESSH, who now joins this project as vice secretary, accompanying Dr. Corella in his candidacy for vice president. His experience on the FESSH executive committee over the years will significantly contribute to all the work of this board of directors.

In short, 32 years ago I relied on the three giants: HEK, Kutz, and Scheker to educate me. Now these colleagues, whom I have brought into this publishing house, constitute the giants I rely on as I face the culmination of my professional and academic career: the presidency of SECMA. "On the Shoulders of Giants." Thank you.

 

MissingLinkText

Conflicto De Intereses

El autor declara no tener ningún conflicto de intereses.

• Referencias

• 1 Lluch- Homedes A. Sociedad Española de Cirugía de la Mano (SECMA). 40 años de historia (1969–2009). Rev Iberam Cir Mano. 2008; 36: 84-87
• 2 Garcia-Elias M. Opening up the world: An inevitable necessity. Rev Iberoam Cir Mano. 2016; 44: 67-68
• 3 Quintana-Montero A. Orígenes y evolución de la Sociedad Española de Cirugía de la Mano. Rev Esp Cir Mano. 1997; 24: 59-80
• 4 Rosales RS, Landin L, Corella F. Hand surgery in Spain. J Hand Surg Eur Vol 2019; 44 (03) 332-334
• 5 Stern PJ. First Hand: Harold E. Kleinert, MD: A Tribute and Personal Reflections. J Hand Surg Am 2014; 39 (01) 118-119
• 6 Rosales RS, Reboso-Morales L, Martin-Hidalgo Y, Diez de la Lastra-Bosch I. Level of evidence in hand surgery. BMC Res Notes 2012; 5: 665

Publication History

Received: 14 April 2025

Accepted: 16 April 2025

Article published online:
21 July 2025