World Gastroenterology Organisation (WGO) News and Events

WGO TRAIN THE TRAINERS FORTALEZA, BRAZIL 2024 The Portuguese language, with its deep and rich historical roots, plays a significant role in global communication. Officially spoken in nine countries, including Brazil, Portugal, Angola, Mozambique, and others, Portuguese is the native language of ∼265 million people, making it the fifth most spoken language in the world. Its relevance is not only due to the number of speakers but also because of its cultural, economic, and political influence in international relations. In scientific and medical events, the use of Portuguese facilitates access to knowledge for communities that might otherwise be excluded from the global dialogue, promoting inclusion and the dissemination of information in a language that unites diverse nations and cultures. World Gastroenterology Organisation (WGO) is pleased to announce our first Portuguese-language Train the Trainers (TTT) workshop as a great success! The 33rd WGO TTT workshop took place this past September 12–14, 2024 in Fortaleza, Brazil. This interactive workshop, organized by the WGO and the Federação Brasileira de Gastroenterologia, with support from the American College of Gastroenterology, was made up of 12 modules, including lectures, small group discussions, and hands-on sessions while creating the opportunity for everybody to engage in an open discussion on many topics related to teaching and training. The Fortaleza 2024 TTT workshop was a fine addition, and being the first Portuguese workshop, it opened the WGO Train the Trainers program to many societies in the Lusophone World (Mundo Lusófono). In particular, TTT Fortaleza 2024 was an intensive 3-day course focused on improving the abilities and educational skills of trainers in the field of digestive health. Fortaleza 2024 brought together renowned faculty members from WGO (trainers) and participants (trainees) from 8 different countries and settings around the world, in an enabling environment to improve their potential for teaching. Going beyond seminars, the workshop also sought to bring the participants and faculty together through a variety of team-building and small-group activities. For the first time ever, this TTT had a majority female participation. The cultural night highlighted the diverse backgrounds of our faculty and participants, who came from a total of 8 countries—and from every region of Brazil. During the meeting we were treated to a tour of Fortaleza as well as amazing Brazilian food, particularly from the State of Ceará. We wish to thank our esteemed faculty: Flávio Ejima (Brazil), Mariana Gouveia (Brazil), Ricardo Küttner-Magalhães (Portugal), Susana Lopes (Portugal), Guilherme Macedo (Portugal), Liliana Mendes (Brazil), Carolina Olano (Uruguay), Mario Reis (Brazil), Rosamar Rezende (Brazil) and Eduardo Rodrigues-Pinto (Portugal). Three of WGO’s Training Centers were represented on the faculty: Brasilia and Porto Alegre in Brazil and Porto in Portugal. WORLD CONGRESS OF GASTROENTEROLOGY 2025—SAVE THE DATE! WGO is pleased to announce that the next World Congress of Gastroenterology will take place from September 21–24, 2025 in Melbourne, Australia, in partnership with the Gastroenterological Society of Australia. More details will be available soon. We hope to see you there.