Prof. Dato’ Dr. Harikrishna K. Ragavan Nair is an internationally recognised leader in wound management with more than 25 years of clinical, academic, and organisational leadership in advancing wound care practices across Asia Pacific and globally. He currently serves as the Director of Kuala Lumpur Hospital (HKL), Malaysia’s largest tertiary hospital, and is the President of the World Union of Wound Healing Societies (WUWHS), the highest global authority in wound care. He is also the Founder and President of the Malaysian Society of Wound Care Professionals (MSWCP), which has become Malaysia’s leading platform for wound care education, multidisciplinary collaboration, and clinical excellence. A pioneer in modern wound care, Prof. Dato’ Dr. Harikrishna established Malaysia’s first specialised Wound Care Unit and the country’s first Diabetic Foot Care Unit, now managing more than 25,000 complex wound cases annually. , Prof. Dato’ Dr. Harikrishna additionally serves as National Advisor for Primary Health (MOH Malaysia) and Professor at the Institute of Health Management, Vienna, contributing to health system strategy, policy development, and workforce capability‑building. He holds senior and influential roles across global and regional organisations, including:

• President, D‑FOOT International
• President, Asian Wound Care Association (AWCA)
• Chairman, ASEAN Wound Council
• Chairman, Commonwealth Wound Care Resource Alliance
• Director for Asia, International Skin Tear Advisory Panel
• Vice Director, Asian Academy of Wound Technology
• Chair, International Committee on Education (WUWHS)
• Board Member, International Wound Infection Institute IWII
• Board Member, International partner Organisation EWMA
• Editor in Chief, Malaysian Journal of Medical Research
• Editor in Chief, Global Wound Care Journal

Prof. Dato’ Dr. Harikrishna has been instrumental in driving wound care capacity‑building across Asia Pacific, having chaired and organised more than 20 major regional and international wound conferences, and fostering collaborations with Wounds Canada, Wounds Australia, the New Zealand Wound Care Society, and other global partners. A prolific academic and researcher, his contributions include:

• 160+ peer‑reviewed journal publications,
• Over 20 books and national clinical guidelines, including multiple editions of The Compendium of Wound Care Dressings in Malaysia,
• Participation in international clinical trials, consensus documents, and groundbreaking work in biotherapy.
  
  

His work has received global recognition, including the prestigious WHO Dr. Lee Jong‑Wook Memorial Award for Public Health, acknowledging his impact on advancing biotherapy and modern wound care practices. Prof. Dato’ Dr. Harikrishna continues to shape the future of wound management through high‑level research, education, and global leadership bringing unparalleled expertise to the ECSA judging panel.

Dr. Nicoletta Frescos is a highly respected podiatrist, clinical researcher, and wound‑care leader with more than 30 years of experience dedicated to advancing diabetic foot care and chronic wound management. She currently serves as the Allied Health Research Lead at the Northern Centre for Health Education and Research (Northern Health & La Trobe University), where she supports multidisciplinary research capacity and leads major clinical projects in wound care. She also practices clinically in the High‑Risk Foot Clinic, managing complex diabetic foot wounds and chronic lower‑limb conditions.

A credentialed Advanced Wound Professional and Fellow of Wounds Australia, Dr. Frescos is widely recognised for her contributions to education, clinical excellence, and wound‑care policy. She has held long‑standing academic appointments as a lecturer and senior lecturer at multiple universities, and for over a decade has volunteered across the Pacific region including Fiji, Nauru, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, and others to strengthen local capacity in diabetic foot prevention, wound assessment, offloading techniques, and interdisciplinary care.
Dr. Frescos holds prominent leadership roles across influential regional and global wound‑care organisations, including:

• Chair, Australian Wound and Skin Alliance
• Vice President‑Elect, Asia Pacific Association for Diabetic Limb Problems
• Scientific Committee Member, World Union of Wound Healing Societies (WUWHS) 2026 Congress
• Country Liaison Representative for Australia, WUWHS (2025–current)
• Australian Representative, Commonwealth Wound Care Alliance
• Editorial Board Member, International Wound Journal and Journal of Wound Management
• Associate Editor, Wound Practice and Research
  
  

She is also a recognised authority in guideline development, having contributed to the 2023 International Working Group on the Diabetic Foot (IWGDF) recommendations, and to the International Pressure Ulcer Guidelines (2014 & 2025). Her advisory history spans the Department of Veterans’ Affairs, Medical Device Partnering Program, and multiple national research and education committees.

A sought‑after speaker, Dr. Frescos has delivered more than 100 national and international presentations. Her areas of expertise include diabetic foot disease, wound‑related pain, wound hygiene, debridement science, biofilm management, and interdisciplinary care models.

Dr. Frescos is an accomplished researcher with over 25 peer‑reviewed publications, covering diabetic foot disease burden, wound pain mechanisms, debridement research, health‑service utilisation, and psychosocial impacts of wound‑related disorders. She has also authored book chapters in “Wound Care Made Easy” and “Disaster Wound Management” and contributed to consensus documents including the APAC autolytic debridement and biofilm management guideline (2024).

Through her extensive clinical, academic, and global advocacy work, Dr. Frescos continues to shape wound‑care practice and policy across the region. Her deep expertise in pain management, diabetic foot disease, evidence‑based wound management, and interdisciplinary education brings significant value to the ECSA 2026 expert panel.

Asst. Prof. Dr. Kusuma Chinaroonchai is a leading trauma, burn, and wound‑care surgeon based at Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Thailand’s oldest and most prestigious medical school. She currently serves as Lecturer, Attending Physician, Instructor, and Head of the Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBO) Clinic within the Division of Trauma and Burn Surgery. Her clinical work spans major trauma, burn surgery, chronic wound management, reconstructive surgery, and advanced wound‑healing technologies. Dr. Kusuma completed her medical degree with first‑class honors, followed by board certifications in General Surgery and Trauma Surgery. Her advanced training includes fellowships and visiting scholar experiences in leading centres across the United States (Harborview Medical Center, University of Washington; Oregon Health Science University), Germany (EWMA/ICW), Korea, and Malaysia, strengthening her expertise in burn care, trauma surgery, wound debridement, and modern wound‑healing science. She has made substantial contributions to Thailand’s national wound and burn‑care policy. Dr. Kusuma serves on multiple national advisory boards, including:

•  Thailand Diabetic Foot Guideline
• Thailand Burn Guideline Committee (2020–present)
• Training Committee, Trauma Surgery Board of the Royal College of Surgeons of
  Thailand
• Subcommittee on Non‑Technical Skills for Surgeons, Siriraj Hospital
  

Regionally and globally, she holds prominent leadership roles that reflect her growing influence in wound‑care and surgical education:

• Chair, Congress Venue & Scientific Committee for ICS Pacific Federation
  Congress 2026.
• Board of Directors, Burn and Wound Association of Thailand (BWAT)
• Course Director, Thailand DFU Academy “Speak the Common Language” (BWAT)
• Committee Member, Supporting Society of the World Union of Wound Healing Societies (WUWHS) – 2025 onward
• Treasurer & Board of Directors, International College of Surgeons (ICS), Thailand Section
• Administrative Board Member, Royal College of Surgeons of Thailand (2025–2027)
  
  

Dr. Kusuma is also recognised internationally as an ICW‑certified wound instructor under the Initiative Chronische Wunden and the European Wound Management Association (EWMA). She has been actively involved in ATLS and ACLS instruction, HBO therapy program leadership, diabetic foot care training, and national surgical curriculum development. An accomplished researcher, Dr. Kusuma has authored more than 30 peer‑reviewed publications, including randomized controlled trials, translational wound‑healing studies, and clinical outcome investigations in burn care, diabetic foot ulcers, oxygen therapy, biomaterials, and infection control. Her work has appeared in leading journals such as the International Journal of Lower Extremity Wounds, Journal of Burn Care & Research, Siriraj Medical Journal, and International Journal of Biological Macromolecules. She has also participated as principal investigator or site investigator in major multicentre international trials. Throughout her career, Dr. Kusuma has been recognized with multiple national and international awards for clinical innovation, research excellence, and academic contribution including first‑prize awards at the Burn and Wound Healing Association of Thailand Annual Meetings, the Asian Wound Care Association Conference, and prestigious distinctions from national research organizations. With her strong foundation in trauma and burn surgery, advanced wound‑care science, HBO therapy, and regional leadership, Asst. Prof. Dr. Kusuma Chinaroonchai brings substantial clinical and academic expertise as the ECSA 2026 Expert Panel.

Prof. Dr. Zairong Wei is a distinguished academic surgeon and hospital executive with extensive expertise in burn surgery, plastic and reconstructive surgery, and complex wound repair. Serving as Vice President (Deputy President) of the Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University and President of the Guizhou Cosmetic & Plastic Surgery Hospital, he has played a pivotal leadership role in advancing clinical excellence, surgical innovation, and specialist training within China’s wound‑care landscape.

A Chief Physician, Level II Professor, and Doctoral Supervisor, Prof. Wei is internationally recognised for pioneering several landmark surgical innovations. His contributions include the development of graded classification of perforator vessels, re‑classification and nomenclature of perforator flaps, the “3‑Longitudinal/5‑Transverse” ALT flap design method, the “2‑Longitudinal/3‑Transverse” thoracodorsal artery perforator flap method, and the widely adopted Zunyi suturing technique. These techniques have significantly expanded reconstructive options for patients with severe wounds, deformities, trauma, and scar complications.

Prof. Wei has been the Principal Investigator for three National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) projects, including groundbreaking research on Schwann‑cell‑based nerve regeneration, mechanistic studies in tactile recovery, and most recently, a 2024–2027 project investigating antibiotic bone cement in modulating fibroblast heterogeneity to promote diabetic foot wound healing. His scientific leadership also extends to multiple provincial and industry-funded programs.
He holds influential positions across major academic and professional bodies, including:

• Chair, Wound Prevention & Tissue Repair Committee, Chinese Research Hospital Association
• Chair, Burn & Plastic Surgery Branch, Guizhou Medical Association
• Member, Chinese Society of Plastic Surgery (Chinese Medical Association)
• Standing Committee Member, Plastic & Aesthetic Surgeons Branch (Chinese Medical Doctor Association)
• Editorial Board Member for multiple journals, including the Chinese Journal of Plastic Surgery, Chinese Journal of Microsurgery, Chinese Journal of Burns and
  
  

Wound Healing, and Journal of Tissue Engineering and Reconstructive Surgery, reflecting his regional authority in reconstructive and wound‑healing science.
Prof. Wei’s contributions to clinical science and innovation have earned him top national recognition, including the First Prize of the Chinese Medical Science and Technology Award and designation as a State Council Special Government Allowance Expert, one of China’s highest honours for scientific and medical achievement.

A prolific academic, Prof. Wei has published more than 200 scientific papers, including 30 SCI‑indexed publications, and has authored or co‑edited major textbooks and expert consensus documents in burn care, perforator flap reconstruction, and wound‑healing science. His recent high‑impact publications span diabetic foot ulcer reconstruction, lymph angiogenesis driven wound healing, biofilm‑related wound management, nerve regeneration, and innovations in surgical wound reconstruction.

With his deep expertise in surgical wound management, reconstructive innovation, diabetic wound science, and translational clinical research, Prof. Dr. Zairong Wei brings exceptional strength and global perspective to the ECSA 2026 as an expert panel