IATMJ and the German Surgical Foundation Ally to Set the Global Benchmark for TMJ Surgical Credentialing

IATMJ is proud to announce its formal alliance with the German Surgical Foundation (Deutsche Chirurgiestiftung, DCS) as the designated Credentialing Center for IATMJ Surgical Benchmarks in TMJ — uniting European surgical education standards with the world's most advanced clinical TMJ platform.

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A Union Built on Shared Purpose

This alliance marks a defining step in establishing transparent, internationally recognized, and evidence-based credentialing standards for TMJ surgical practice worldwide. Under the agreement, the DCS serves as the independent Credentialing Center for IATMJ Surgical Benchmarks — providing the certification and review infrastructure that underpins IATMJ's progressive training pathway, from foundational competency through to Fellowship. It brings to IATMJ the institutional rigor and European quality assurance traditions that have long distinguished German surgical education globally.

The German Surgical Foundation: A Legacy of Surgical Excellence

The German Surgical Foundation (Deutsche Chirurgiestiftung, DCS) was established as a non-profit foundation by Univ. Prof. Dr. Dr. Dr. h.c. mult. Ulrich Joos, MIB GmbH Medizin-Information & Beratung, and co-founding donors, headquartered in Münster, Germany. Its purpose is to promote science, research, education, and public health in the field of surgery — cultivating the next generation of surgical leaders for Germany and the world through structured educational programs, international conferences, research funding, and scholarships. Internationally, the DCS's frameworks are aligned with global surgical fellowship standards, including those of ASTMJS, ESTMJS, AO CMF, and SORG. Prof. Joos — DCS President and IATMJ Honorary President and European Co-Founder — is the living embodiment of the vision connecting both institutions.

The DCS-Affiliated Competence Center: The Global TMJ Project

At the heart of this partnership is the DCS-affiliated Competence Center for the Global TMJ Project, directed by Professor Chi Yang — IATMJ's Founding President and the world's foremost authority on minimally invasive TMJ endoscopic surgery. Having performed over 10,000 endoscopic disc repositioning procedures and built one of the world's largest TMJ clinical cohorts, Prof. Yang leads a program integrating world-leading surgical technique, rigorous clinical science, and systematic surgeon training into a unified global platform. As Center Director, he oversees training facilities spanning China, Europe, and Asia — including a simulation center in Shanghai and cadaveric training sites at Semmelweis University (Budapest), the Medical University of Innsbruck, and Mahidol University (Thailand). The DCS ensures all surgeons trained across this network meet competency benchmarks aligned with global fellowship standards.

What This Alliance Means for the Global TMJ Community

For IATMJ members and the wider TMJ community, this alliance creates something that has never existed before: a credentialing system for TMJ surgery that is global in reach, European in standard, and grounded in the world's deepest clinical evidence base. Credentials issued within the IATMJ–DCS framework carry the authority of IATMJ's multidisciplinary international standing and the DCS's established quality assurance tradition. More broadly, this partnership is an institutional affirmation that IATMJ has the scientific foundation, governance integrity, and clinical leadership to represent the future of the specialty. IATMJ is honored by the trust of Prof. Joos, the DCS, and Prof. Chi Yang in this shared endeavor.

Join the Member: https://www.iatmj.org/membership