HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Figures Only Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Stern, E. J. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Stern, E. J. Social Bookmarking                      What's this? Hotlight (NEW!) What's Hotlight?

A Visit to the European Congress of Radiology Meeting

estern{at}u.washington.edu

Science is organized knowledge. Wisdom is organized life.

Immanuel Kant German philosopher (1724-1804)

This past March, along with Christopher R.B. Merritt, then President of the ARRS, I had the honor of representing the ARRS and the AJR at the annual European Congress of Radiology (ECR). For those of you unfamiliar with the ECR, it is an exciting gathering of radiologists from all over the world. ECR clearly has become one of the largest meetings of radiologists in the world, scientific or otherwise. Official registration figures show that 8,422 radiologists from 91 countries and 6 continents attended this meeting in snowy Vienna, Austria. A total of 4,151 scientific abstracts were submitted and 2,010 were accepted for presentation. This included 934 scientific papers, 649 scientific exhibits, and 427 educational exhibits. More than 5,000 exhibitors from nearly 200 companies displayed their latest products and services. These statistics are impressive, but do not capture the high quality of the meeting and its content. All presentations and meeting content are in English, from the oral presentations to the program syllabus. My opinion is that the meeting content was very balanced and of extremely high caliber.

ECR Chairperson, and 2004 President, Helen Carty states, "the philosophy that underpins the ECR is to provide an educational and scientific forum for all disciplines within radiology, for multiple levels of expertise. The platform that ECR offers is to provide an opportunity for spreading information both old and new to a very wide audience to ensure that radiological standards are refreshed and maintained." To that end, the ECR is a powerfully successful meeting. Since all presentations and meeting content are in English, from the oral presentations to the program syllabus, I was able to participate in several educational sessions. My opinion is that the meeting content was very balanced and of extremely high caliber.

View larger version (67K): [in this window] [in a new window] [as a PowerPoint slide]   AJR Deputy Editor Eric J. Stern (left) with ECR First Congress Vice-President Christian J. Herold from the University of Vienna, at the ARRS booth during the European Congress of Radiology Meeting, March 2005, in Vienna, Austria. (For more information about the ECR, visit www.myecr.org.)

One of the more interesting aspects of this meeting involves the ECR-pioneered EPOS—electronic posters online system. This Web-based system of electronically managing and displaying scientific and educational exhibits has been mimicked by many other societies. Users of the system, set up as computer terminals throughout the meeting space, including around the coffee bars and lunch areas, have access to current and prior years' exhibits, as well as the capability of emailing PDF versions of the exhibits to themselves or colleagues.

The meeting, sited at the Austria Center, is organized in a manner similar to the large United States radiology society meetings, with numerous educational sessions—instructional courses, scientific sessions, and honorary lectures, combined with an impressive exhibit hall. There are many large corporate technical exhibits and dozens of smaller society and book vendor booths, and scores of refresher courses. The ARRS and the AJR had a display booth in the exhibit hall, staffed by Keri Sperry and Linda Thomas. The booth was perfectly situated in a high-traffic area, allowing high visibility and many opportunities to greet attendees from all over the globe, distribute giveaways (memorably, even to radiologists from Iraq), and register new ARRS members.

There were hundreds of scientific sessions, honorary lectures, and Gold medalists. There also were myriad social functions. Perhaps most memorable was the Italian night Presidential Dinner. Although the meeting takes place in Vienna, Austria each year, there is a designated host country. For this past meeting, the host country was Italy, home of ECR President Antonio Chiesa, and the charms of that beautiful country were celebrated through song and dance and delicious food and drink

Even trying to be objective about my Austrian heritage, I am comfortablein stating that Vienna itself is one of the grand cities of Europe. It is a clean and safe metropolis that is easy to get to, easy to get around in—either on foot or by an excellent modern and efficient public transportation system—and the museums and hotels are world class and the food divine. There are no restrictions whatsoever for citizens of any country of the world to enter Austria.

There were a recorded 195 participants from the United States at the 2005 ECR. I for one would encourage a greater U.S. presence and participation at this meeting. Now don't get me wrong: My favorite radiology meeting is the annual ARRS meeting. However, I believe that friends in Europe have found that the ECR meeting does provide the right balance between organized knowledge and organized life.

CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    What's this?

This Article Figures Only Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Stern, E. J. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Stern, E. J. Social Bookmarking                      What's this? Hotlight (NEW!) What's Hotlight?