One of Ireland's leading paediatric surgeons, Prof Prem Puri, has been elected president of the World Federation Associations of Paediatric Surgeons (WOFAPS). He is the first surgeon from Ireland or Britain to hold the position.
Prof Puri said that during his three-year tenure he would strive to improve surgical care for children in developing countries by educating paediatricians from African and Asian countries in performing surgery which is currently carried out only in Western countries.
"Imparting knowledge is something that's very interesting to me. Children's surgery is very well developed in this part of the world and Ireland is in a position now to share knowledge and expertise with developing countries," he said.
"As president of WOFAPS, that's something I'll be making a priority," he said.
Prof Puri has received numerous accolades for his contribution to the field of paediatric medicine.
In 1984, he was named Ireland's Person of the Year for raising the profile of Irish research into paediatric surgery and was last year awarded the Denis Browne Gold Medal for his work with sick children.
He also established the Children's Research Centre in Our Lady's Hospital for Sick Children in Crumlin. The institution is now recognised as a centre for research in the field of kidney reflux, congenital birth defects and children's cancer research.
A paediatric surgeon in Ireland for the past 35 years Prof Puri has performed surgery in Crumlin, Tallaght and Temple Street children's hospitals.
His research includes a breakthrough in the treatment of kidney reflux in children, a malformation resulting in the backward flow of urine from the bladder to the kidney, which if left untreated leads to serious kidney damage and, in some cases, kidney failure.
The "Sting", a minimally invasive 15-minute day-care procedure now used around the world, replaced the need for alternatives such as long-term antibiotic treatment or a 10-hour long open surgical intervention.
Ireland has one of the world's highest incidences of kidney reflux as it is reported in 50 per cent of children suffering from urinary tract infections.
Prof Puri and his research team are currently involved in identifying the disease that triggers kidney reflux, which could lead to a potential cure for the defect.
"We are doing some exciting research in collaboration with the National Genetic Centre at Crumlin, investigating genetics of kidney reflux.
"We already have some interesting leads into finding a gene or genes for kidney reflux," he said.