AO Trauma Europe and Southern Africa
AO Trauma Europe and Southern Africa (AO TESA) has a rich history as AO Trauma region and is an important cornerstone of AO Foundation's growth and success.
The 2009 strategic initiative to establish an AO Trauma division—with its full complement of education, research and community development commissions—became a restructuring process in 2010, delivering a consistent structure within the international and regional operations.
The AO TEU region continued to grow in 2010 with further integration of legacy members and alumni. The membership launch was well received by the 2,000 existing members from European countries. At the AO TEU Country General Council Assembly in London in August 2010, a largely decentralized governance structure was recommended as being the best way to proceed and progress. Community development, education and research officers were nominated, and the regional education and community development committees of were very active throughout 2010. Europe continued to account for nearly 45 percent of all AO Trauma course participants globally.
In March 2011, a country council general assembly facilitated by Paul Szypryt (GB) saw representatives from over 40 European countries agree on a representative voting method. This paved the way for transparent succession planning at the AO Trauma Europe Regional Board. Rami Mosheiff (IL) was elected AO Trauma Europe Regional Board Chairperson and Paul Szypryt was elected AO Trauma Europe Regional Board Vice-Chairperson. Emanuel Gautier (CH), AO Trauma Education Committee Chairperson, spearheaded the innovative educational concept, “Meet the Experts,” at the European Regional Masters Seminars and Workshops. Peter Brink (NL) took over the reins of the AO Trauma Europe Education Committee in 2012. The board continued its efforts to unite Europe under the leadership of Rami Mosheiff (IL) and Paul Szypryt (GB).
With activities in over 40 countries, different languages and cultures, this remains a challenging task, but finding commonalities remains a strong driving force. In 2017, the region was renamed to AO Trauma Europe and Southern Africa (AO TESA).