Celebrating Excellence – Lisbon 2026 Scientific Awards

Celebrating Excellence – Lisbon 2026 Scientific Awards

Lisbon 2026 Scientific Awards

Behind every congress presentation there is a question, an idea, many hours of work — and someone willing to share it.

Lisbon 2026 once again showed the strength and diversity of the scientific work being developed across the ESRA community. From clinical research and innovative projects to educational ideas presented in new and creative ways, the congress gave colleagues from across the world an opportunity to present their work, discuss it with peers and contribute to the future of regional anaesthesia and pain medicine.

And, of course, some exceptional contributions were recognised with the Lisbon 2026 Scientific Awards.

Oral Communication Awards

Presenting research orally is about much more than good data. It requires the ability to tell the story behind the research, communicate its relevance and defend it in discussion with colleagues and experts.

This year’s awarded Oral Communications stood out for their scientific quality, relevance and presentation.

🥇 BEST ORAL FREE PAPER – RA

1^st Place
Author: Chun Kit Kenny Ling
Title: Opioid-sparing effects of regional analgesic techniques for hip fracture surgery: asystematic review and network meta-analysis of randomised trials

2^nd Place
Author: Malgorzata Reysner
Title: OP001 Intravenous vs Perineural Dexamethasone for Infraclavicular Brachial Plexus Block in Infants and Young Children: A Prospective Randomized Double-Blinded Trial

3^rd  Place
Author: Ashok kumar Murugesan
Title: RESPIRO trial – Comparison of Programmed Intermittent Bolus versus Continuous Infusion Local Anaesthesia Regimens via Erector Spinae Catheter (ESP) for Rib Fractures: A Multicentre, Randomised, Double-Blind Study

🥇 BEST ORAL FREE PAPER – CP

1^st Place
Author: Yi-Hong Wu
Title: COMPARATIVE EFFICACY OF PHARMACOLOGICAL INJECTIONS AND COMBINED INTERVENTIONS FOR ADHESIVE CAPSULITIS: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND NETWORK META-ANALYSIS

2^nd Place
Author: Luis Alberto Rodriguez Linares
Title: Perineural Dexamethasone as an Adjuvant to Bilateral Erector Spinae Plane Block for Post-Sternotomy Pain After Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting: A Randomized Pilot Trial With Extended Follow-up

3^rd  Place
Author: Mohammed Othman
Title: Effect of Ultrasound Guided Erector Spinae Plane Block Versus Ultrasound Guided Serratus Anterior Block on the Incidence of Post Mastectomy Pain Syndrome, Randomized Double Blinded Controlled Study

ePoster Awards

Posters remain one of the best places at an ESRA congress to discover new ideas, preliminary results and the work of emerging investigators.

The ePoster presentations in Lisbon brought research directly into discussion, giving presenters the opportunity to explain their findings, answer questions and connect with colleagues interested in the same areas.

🏆 BEST EPOSTER_RA

1^st Place
Author: Iliana Mrazek
Title: Contemporary analgesic benefit of perineural catheter for interscalene brachial plexus block: a systematic review and meta-analysis with trial sequential analysis

2^nd Place
Author: Melissa Wüst
Title: Pain management after hallux valgus repair surgery: an updated systematic review and procedure-specific postoperative pain management (PROSPECT) recommendations

3^rd  Place
Author: Yasemin Sincer
Title: Effects of the transversalis fascia plane block on opioid consumption in patients undergoing hand-assisted laparoscopic donor nephrectomy: a randomized controlled prospective study

🏆 BEST EPOSTER_CP

1^st Place
Author: Hui Kang Cheng
Title: Risk factors associated with persistent postpartum pain after childbirth: a secondary analysis of prospective cohort study in Singapore

2^nd Place
Author: Felicia Chu
Title: Factors associated with quality of obstetric recovery at two months after childbirth: a prospective cohort study

3^rd  Place
Author: Francisco Espinoza
Title: Rethinking Confounding in Regional Anaesthesia: DAG-Based Propensity Score Modelling for QL3 Block in Hip Arthroplasty.

Infographic Competition

Can you take a complex scientific or clinical message and make it understandable almost at a glance?

That was the challenge behind the ESRA Infographic Competition.

Combining science, education and visual communication, the competition offered a different way of sharing knowledge — concise, accessible and designed for the way we increasingly learn and communicate today.

🏆 Infographic Competition Winners

1^st Place
Author: Lucas Romero Baia Feitoza
Title: Beyond the Block – Is technical skill enough to prevent chronic postoperative pain (CPSP)?.

2^nd Place
Author: Hassam Zulfiqar
Title: Reimagining ultrasound-guided needling: A conceptual framework for dynamic imaging plane shifting to achieve continuous needle visualization without probe manipulation

3^rd  Place
Author: Ana Sofia Fernandes
Title: The ESRA/ASRA Recommendations on Local Anesthetics and Adjuvants Dosage in Pediatric Regional Anesthesia.

More Than an Award

Awards recognise outstanding work, but they also represent something broader.

Every abstract submitted, poster discussed, oral communication presented and infographic created contributes to the scientific life of our Society. They bring new questions to the table, challenge established practice, allow younger colleagues to present alongside experienced investigators and, sometimes, provide the first public stage for an idea that will develop much further.

So, congratulations to our Lisbon 2026 awardees — but also to everyone who submitted and presented their work and shared their ideas with the ESRA community.

Research grows when it is shared.

And Lisbon certainly gave us plenty to talk about.