Dr Juris Vītols is one of the founders of modern gynaecological surgery in Latvia. A graduate of the Riga Medical Institute in 1967, he has been performing gynaecological surgery since 1973 and was the first in Latvia to introduce several important laparoscopic techniques – including the country’s first laparoscopic hysterectomy in 1995, as well as the Burch and Wertheim procedures. He is also the only surgeon in Latvia who performs vaginal neoplastic surgery on patients with vaginal aplasia. As the pioneer of gynaecological endoscopic surgery in Latvia, Dr Vītols has had a major impact on the development of the industry. He is a member of the European Association of Gynaecological Endoscopists and the Latvian Association of Gynaecologists and Obstetricians, as well as a board member of the Latvian Association of Gynaecological Endoscopy. For his contribution to medicine, he was awarded the Order of the Three Stars.