Prof. Dr. René H. Fortelny is an internationally recognized Austrian surgeon and Chair of General Surgery at the Medical Faculty of Sigmund Freud Private University, Vienna.

A leading expert in abdominal wall surgery, he has made major contributions to hernia research, mesh innovation, and patient-related outcomes. Formerly head of the Hernia Center at Wilhelminenspital and the Experimental Hernia Unit at the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute, he has authored over 145 peer-reviewed publications with 1,881 Citations
and 19 h-index.

Prof. Fortelny has served as President of both the Austrian Hernia Society and the Austrian Society for Minimally Invasive Surgery, chaired the 2017 European Hernia Society Congress in Vienna, and currently serves as President-elect of the European Hernia Society.

Dedicated to advancing surgical education, he continues to shape modern hernia surgery through teaching, research, and global collaboration.