Francisco Schlottmann received his medical degree with honors at the University of Buenos Aires in Argentina. He then completed his general surgery residency at the Hospital Alemán of Buenos Aires. After his surgical training, Dr. Schlottmann completed the Soudavar fellowship at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, focusing his research on esophageal cancer. He then did a 2-year gastrointestinal surgery fellowship at the University of North Carolina, focusing his clinical and research activities on foregut disorders. Dr. Schlottmann obtained his Master of Public Health at the University of North Carolina Gillings School of Global Public Health. He also completed a 1-year Minimally Invasive and Robotic Surgery Fellowship at the University of Illinois at Chicago. He currently serves as Clinical Instructor at the University of Illinois at Chicago and as Affiliate Professor of Surgery at the Hospital Alemán of Buenos Aires with an active clinical and research interest in esophageal disorders, gastroesophageal reflux disease, obesity, esophageal cancer, and gastric cancer.

Dr. Schlottmann has published over 200 journal articles, and has written over 40 book chapters.

Fernando Herbella obtained his MD, residence in General Surgery, Residence in Gastrointestinal Surgery, MSc, PhD and is Associate Professor, Attending Surgeon, at the Department of Surgery, Federal University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo - Brazil. He did a fellowship in physiology and surgery of the esophagus at the University of California, San Francisco under DR. Marco Patti and at the University of Rochester under Dr. Jeffrey Peters. His interest is in the physiology and surgery of the foregut.

Marco G. Patti was born and raised in Catania, Italy. He graduated from the University of Catania, School of Medicine in 1981. Between1983 and 1986 he did research at the University of California San Francisco, studying gastrointestinal physiology (Dr. Carlos Pellegrini and Dr. Lawrence Way). Between 1986 and 1993, he completed a Residency in General Surgery at UCSF. After completion of his residency, he did a fellowship in esophageal cancer at the Queen Mary Hospital in Hong Kong (Professor John Wong). Subsequently he practiced at the University of California San Francisco, the University of Chicago, and the University of North Carolina. Presently he is involved with mentoring in the Department of Surgery at the University of Virginia. Dr. Patti's clinical activity focuses on foregut disorders. Over the years, he has given major contribution to the diagnosis and treatment of GERD and achalasia. Dr. Patti has published more than 300 manuscripts in peer review journals and 10 books. He has been an invited speaker more than 220 times in the US. He is Past President of the International Society for Digestive Surgery and Past President of the International Society of Surgery. He was President for the World Congress of Surgery in August 2017 in Basel, Switzerland. He has been an invited speaker in North and South America, Europe, and Asia, giving more than 160 lectures.

1. Esophageal anatomy: the antireflux barrier.- 2. Pathophysiology of GERD.- 3. Clinical presentation: Esophageal and extraesophageal manifestations of GERD.- 4. "Refractory GERD": fake reflux and real reflux.- 5. Radiologic evaluation of GERD.- 6. Endoscopic evaluation of GERD.- 7. Esophageal manometry and ambulatory pH monitoring.- 8. Medical therapy for GERD.- 9. Endoscopic treatment of GERD.- 10. Laparoscopic antireflux surgery.- 11. Robotic antireflux surgery.- 12. GERD and Obesity.- 13. GERD after bariatric surgery.- 14. Failed antireflux surgery: What next?.- 15. GERD, Barrett's Esophagus and Beyond.- 16. GERD, Lung fibrosis and Beyond.