The International Society for Burn Injuries (ISBI) had its beginnings at the First International Congress on Research in Burns in Bethesda, Maryland in September 1960.
That congress was considered such a success by its participants that a Second Congress was scheduled in the city of Edinburgh, Scotland in 1965. This Second Congress generated as great, if not greater, enthusiasm among the participants for subsequent International Congresses. Additionally, the participants decided to establish a permanent organization. Mr. A.B. Wallace orchestrated the birth of the ISBI and became the Secretary General. As the ISBI's first Secretary General he said, "The delegates of the Edinburgh Congress aim to set up a permanent organization in the hope of reducing the incidence of this major scourge, as well as improving patient care, especially in developing countries." The original members of the ISBI Executive Committee, who represented 13 countries, ensured that the young Society received truly global input.
The details of our past congresses can be found on the Past Congresses page.
Since the Society was founded, the total medical care of burn patients has improved considerably. This is not only because medical science has improved but also because there is also a better understanding of the need for a team of professionals of different specialties such as surgeons, anesthetists, bacteriologists, critical care physicians, nurses, dietitians, physiotherapists, etc. Each and every one of these specialists plays a very important role.
Our society acknowledges the importance of all of these specialists in burn care and has intelligently admitted those professionals as members since its foundation. We must mention there are very few, in fact almost no other medical societies like ours which bring together such a number of different specialists. One of the main purposes and aims of our society is to disseminate knowledge and to stimulate prevention in the field of burns. The society now has over 1000 members representing 95 countries on all continents.