MESSM

What MESSM does

The Middle East Society for Sexual Medicine (MESSM) is a Lebanon-based non-profit professional medical society founded in 2010 by Dr. Amr El Meliegy, serving as the regional body for sexual medicine practitioners across the Middle East and North Africa. MESSM operates a membership-based model targeting healthcare providers including urologists, andrologists, psychotherapists, psychiatrists, and gynecologists, offering tiered annual membership at $130 (high-income countries) and $90 (middle-income countries) that bundles subscriptions to the Journal of Sexual Medicine, Sexual Medicine Reviews, ISSM webinars, the MESSM Academy, and voting rights. The society's core product surface comprises the MESSM Academy (webinars and online courses), the MESSM Surgical School (advanced surgical training), recurring hands-on programs such as the Penile Implant Summer School and Andrological Ultrasound Course, and an annual scientific congress rotating across regional capitals (Cairo, Doha, Kuwait), with the 9th edition held in Doha in December 2025.

MESSM monetizes through three primary streams: recurring membership subscriptions via the ISSM Statusplus platform, transactional fees for paid training courses ($50–$100 each), and congress/event registration. Industry sponsorships from device manufacturers and pharmaceutical companies (Boston Scientific for penile prosthesis education; Eva Pharma for psychosexual workshops) provide supplementary GTM-funded programming. The organization distributes educational content through its website, bimonthly newsletter, webinars, and in-person regional events, and operates the AMEENA project in partnership with UNFPA to extend sexual violence support resources to 18+ MENA countries.

The society is governed by an elected board of clinicians led by President Osama Shaeer (2023–2025 term) and President-Elect Sandrine Atallah, with leadership rotating approximately every two years since founding. MESSM holds strategic affiliations with ISSM, ESSM, WHO, and the World Association for Sexual Health, and maintains a network of local affiliated national societies across the region. The organization operates with a lean 8-employee footprint and no disclosed funding rounds, consistent with its non-profit professional society structure.

Name

MESSM

Legal name

The Middle East Society for Sexual Medicine

Website

https://messm.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

MESSM is a Lebanon-based non-profit professional medical society founded in 2010 that serves as the regional credentialing and educational body for sexual medicine practitioners across 18+ MENA countries, offering tiered membership, surgical training, and an annual congress.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Medical Professional Society / Sexual Medicine Education

NAICS

Business Associations (813910)

SIC

Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAGACAI

Medical Missions & Global Health NGOs

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Health & Medical Nonprofits

Keywords

• Sexual medicine education
• Medical society membership
• Continuing medical education
• Surgical training programs
• Sexual health research

Headquarters

HQ city

Not specified

HQ country

Lebanon

HQ region

Middle East

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Annual membership subscriptions for healthcare professionals. Two tiers based on country income classification: High Income Countries at $130/year and Middle Income Countries at $90/year. Membership includes subscription to JSM journal, SMR journal, publication discounts, access to ISSM webinars, online university, MESSM Academy, Find a Provider listing, and voting rights.
2. Educational Courses and Events: Revenue from hands-on training courses, surgical workshops, and academy events. Examples include Hands-On Andrological Ultrasound Course ($100), Penile Implant Summer School ($50), and Psychosexual Counselling Workshops.
3. Congress and Conference Fees: Annual congress registration fees including the 9th Annual Congress in Doha, Qatar (December 2025), as well as regional meetings and masterclasses.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

MESSM is a non-profit professional medical society that provides membership subscriptions, continuing medical education courses, surgical training workshops, and an annual congress for healthcare professionals in sexual medicine across the MENA region. Core offerings include the MESSM Academy (webinars and courses), MESSM Surgical School (advanced surgical training), the Annual Congress, and tiered membership programs (high-income and middle-income country tiers). It also runs the AMEENA Project, a public awareness initiative connecting sexual violence victims with support NGOs across 18+ countries.

Product overview

MESSM operates as a professional medical society offering a unified platform of educational products and membership services for sexual medicine practitioners. The core offerings include MESSM Academy for webinars and courses, MESSM Surgical School for advanced surgical training, and annual congress events. Supplementary offerings include specialized training programs like the Penile Implant Summer School and Hands-On Andrological Ultrasound Course. The organization also provides membership programs with tiered pricing (High Income and Middle Income Countries) that include journal access, congress discounts, and professional development resources. Additionally, the AMEENA Project provides public awareness and victim support resources across the region.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ISSM / MESSM 2025 Membership – High Income Countries Annual membership tier for healthcare providers from high-income countries at $130/year, bundling access to Journal of Sexual Medicine (JSM) and Sexual Medicine Reviews (SMR) journals, ISSM World Meeting discounts, webinars, online university, MESSM Academy, Find a Provider listing, and voting rights.
• ISSM / MESSM 2025 Membership – Middle Income Countries Discounted annual membership for healthcare providers from middle-income countries at $90/year offering the same benefits as the high-income tier, including journal subscriptions, congress discounts, webinars, and academy access.
• MESSM Hands-On Andrological Ultrasound Course 2025 Hands-on training course in andrological ultrasound techniques for healthcare providers in sexual medicine, priced at $100 one-time registration.
• MESSM Penile Implant Summer School 2026 (3rd Run) Advanced surgical training program for penile implant surgery techniques, priced at $50 one-time registration, part of the MESSM Academy educational offerings.
• MESSM Academy Comprehensive educational platform offering webinars, courses, and training programs in sexual medicine for healthcare professionals across the Middle East region.
• MESSM Surgical School Advanced clinical and surgical training portal providing high-fidelity surgical training, bridging clinical gaps, and fostering expert-level knowledge exchange in sexual medicine.
• Annual Congress Annual scientific congress bringing together professionals in sexual medicine for education, research sharing, and networking across the MENA region.
• MESSM Penile Implant Masterclass Series Surgical masterclass programs on penile implant surgery, including collaborations with Boston Scientific and other partners.
• AMEENA Project Public awareness and victim support initiative providing country-specific resources and NGO contacts for sexual violence victims across 18+ Middle Eastern countries.

Quantifiable outcome

• 55,000+ foreign followers and 2,240+ students enrolled across 215+ courses

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and major.

• ISSM (International Society for Sexual Medicine)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2010MESSM operates as an affiliated society of ISSM, providing joint membership that includes access to ISSM resources, journals (JSM), webinars, online university, and international congresses. The partnership enables MESSM members to participate in global sexual medicine community and ISSM activities worldwide.
• ESSM (European Society for Sexual Medicine)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative relationship with European society for sexual medicine, including joint webinars, fellowship programs (FECSM certification), and international conference participation.
• WHO (World Health Organization)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMESSM is linked with WHO on the website footer, indicating alignment with global sexual health initiatives and public health guidelines.
• World Association for Sexual Health (WAS)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAffiliation with global sexual health organization promoting sexual health and rights worldwide.
• Boston ScientificmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for education portal on penile prosthesis surgery. MESSM-Boston Scientific Education Portal provides specialized training content. Collaboration on webinars including 'Challenging Cases in Penile Prosthesis Surgery' and ongoing masterclass programs.
• Eva PharmamajorGTM or Marketing PartnerCollaboration on Psychosexual Counselling Workshop – Wave 2, held September 2025 in Damietta, Egypt. Eva Pharma sponsored CME-accredited workshop on management of male sexual dysfunctions.
• UNFPA (United Nations Population Fund)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAMEENA project partnership with UNFPA for sexual violence support resources in Algeria and other countries, providing international backing for victim assistance programs.
• Local Affiliated SocietiescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNetwork of local affiliated societies across MENA countries including Egyptian Society of Sexual Medicine and Surgery, Tunisian Society of Clinical Sexology, and others for regional reach and local implementation.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• World Association for Sexual Health (WAS): Listed MESSM partner and global advocacy/promotion organization for sexual health and rights. Comparable mission in advancing sexual medicine and wellbeing, with international scope.
• Sexual Medicine Society of North America (SMSNA): North American professional society focused on sexual medicine with members from urology, psychology, and related disciplines. Closely comparable offering mix: meetings, journal, fellowship, and educational content.
• European Society for Sexual Medicine (ESSM): Regional European counterpart and listed MESSM partner. Provides fellowship (FECSM), joint webinars, and a comparable member-driven education model for sexual medicine specialists.
• International Society for Sexual Medicine (ISSM): Global professional society for sexual medicine and MESSM's parent/affiliated body. Offers joint membership, journals (JSM, SMR), webinars, online university, and congresses — directly comparable mission, products, and member base.
• Society for Sex Therapy and Research (SSTAR): International interdisciplinary society for sex therapy and research. Comparable professional society structure serving clinicians across urology, psychiatry, psychology, and gynecology.
• International Society for the Study of Women's Sexual Health (ISSWSH): Multi-disciplinary international society focused on women's sexual health. Overlaps with MESSM's gynecologist and psychosexual therapy programs and shares a congress-and-education model.
• American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors and Therapists (AASECT): US-based professional membership organization for sexuality educators, counselors, and therapists. Highly comparable membership-and-certification business model and clinician-training focus.

Regional players

• Asia Pacific Society for Sexual Medicine (APSSM): Asia-Pacific regional sexual medicine society analogous to MESSM's MENA remit. Comparable structure: regional congress, CME, and affiliated national societies serving a culturally diverse region.

Broad incumbents

• European Association of Urology (EAU): Major European urology association with sexual medicine content, guidelines, and meetings. A broader incumbent whose educational portfolio partially overlaps with MESSM's surgical and andrology training.
• American Urological Association (AUA): Large US urology professional society covering sexual medicine as a sub-specialty. A broader incumbent with overlapping CME, journals, and guidelines that compete for the same urologist mindshare MESSM targets.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/messm_org
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/messm

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about MESSM