Mexico City, Mexico – 20-23 Apr 2026

The Asian Collaboration for Trauma (ACT) was honoured to partner with the Ambroise Paré International Military Surgery Forum (APIMSF) for a landmark joint session at International Surgical Week (ISW) 2026 in Mexico City. Held on the final afternoon of the Congress on 23 April, this collaboration brought together civilian and military trauma leaders to explore evidence-based strategies for managing complex injuries across both conflict and civilian settings.

The joint ACT–APIMSF session featured COL (Prof) Amila Ratnayake (Sri Lanka), Prof Dinesh Bagaria (India) and Prof Aireen Madrid (Philippines), who shared perspectives on limb and conflict-related trauma, systems of care in resource-constrained environments, and operating in rural, remote and austere conditions. The discussion was chaired by ACT President Dr Raj Menon (Singapore), with Prof Kenneth Mak (Singapore) serving as panelist to highlight the implications for trauma systems, preparedness and policy in Asia and beyond. Members of the APIMSF including APIMSF President, Major General Andreas Stettbacher (Switzerland) contributed to the vibrant discussion as well.

For ACT, this was a significant milestone in deepening collaboration between Asian trauma centres and the international military surgery community, aligning with our mission to improve trauma care through partnership, education and research. We look forward to building on this first joint session with APIMSF at ISW 2026 and to future activities that strengthen our collective readiness for both everyday trauma and mass casualty events in the region.

ACT Past Presidents Prof Amit Gupta (India), and Prof Teo Li Tserng (Singapore) also spoke on mass casualty planning, and new members Dr Ailica Lee and Dr Grace Tan (Singapore) spoke on global health efforts.