Belgian Section of Obesity and Metabolic Surgery
BeSOMS
The national association for obesity care in Belgium. We connect surgeons, healthcare professionals, and researchers who collaborate on improving the treatment of obesity.
About BeSOMS
In 1996 the Benelux Association of Bariatric Surgeons was founded to unite specialists from the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg with a special interest in the surgical treatment of obesity. Due to the exponentially growing interest in the field of bariatric surgery, a Belgian organisation was founded in oktober 2005 under the name “Section of Obesity Surgery Belgium” or SOSB, and the BABS structure was kept as the liaison with the IFSO. The names of the original founders were J. Closset, A. De Roover, B. De Waele, A. D'Hoore, B. DIllemans, M. Legrand, L. Lemmens, L. Hendrickx, D. Herman, J. Himpens, G. Hubens, M. Miserez, G. Vander Velpen and E. Van Vyve. The first chairman was Piet Pattyn. Further evolution in the field of bariatric surgery revealed the important role of this type of surgery on the control of metabolic disorders like diabetes, hypertension, sleep apnoea and the name of the society was changed to “Belgian Section of Obesity and Metabolic Surgery” or BeSOMS. Meanwhile, the BeSOMS is a full section of the Belgian Royal Society of Surgery (RBSS) and has organised numerous congresse, symposia, workshops and other scientific meetings in Belgium and abroad.
BeSOMS Winter Meeting 2026
Save the dates: 13 February 2026!
Welcome to the BeSOMS Winter Symposium 2026. Explore a range of insightful sessions focusing on varied topics concerning the bariatric community.
Program highlights
- Keynote session with international experts
- Out-of-the box sessions on AI and legal issues
- Challenging video session