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Prof. Dr. Dietrich Schlenzka, President of the EPOS 2012 Congress
In two weeks you will open the 31st Congress of the European Paediatric Orthopaedic Society (EPOS). Why has Helsinki been elected as destination?
According to the rules, the annual meeting is held in one of the member countries. We applied for it because of the fact that more than 20 years passed by since the meeting was held for the first time in Helsinki, in 1989. The decision is made by the EPOS Board which is assessing the applications. Many factors are considered, such as easy reachability from all parts of Europe, adequate conference facilities, functioning infrastructure, affordable hotels, and a realistic budget proposal.
In addition, there is the aim to keep a balance between the north, the south, the east and the west of Europe. In 2010, the meeting took place in the south, in Zagreb/Croatia; and last year it was held in Basel/Switzerland, in the middle of Europe. Thus, we thought it would be a good time to have it in the north again. It is obviously a great honor to be chosen as host of the annual EPOS meeting. But there is also quite a lot of work to do.
How important is the annual congress for EPOS?
The annual meeting is the highlight in the life of the Society. This is not only an event to present and to discuss scientific papers. The meeting is also a part of our program for continuous medical education. The day before the opening, in the morning, an advanced course “Arthrogryposis multiplex congenital – an update” will be organized. In the afternoon, the traditional Pre-Meeting Course takes place.
This year, the topic is “Bone tumours in children”. We are very proud to say that we succeeded in recruiting leading experts in the field from inside but also outside Europe as speakers for both events. This is reflected by the fact that we have already a significant number of bookings for the pre-congress day. During the congress, there will also be discussions from different working groups of the Society. Joint scientific projects, the further development of the Society, the educational program for third world countries, the matters of our publication, the Journal of Children’s Orthopaedics, and many more items will be discussed.
And last but not least, this is also a big social gathering serving the goal to improve communication, mutual understanding, and friendship between people from all over the world.
Do you integrate social media in the concept of the annual congress and the communication strategy of the European Paediatric Orthopaedic Society?
So far, we did not integrate social media. But we discussed this already in the board. It will be the next step in connection with the total restructuring of the EPOS website.
What are the main three challenges for EPOS these days?
- To improve our evidence-based knowledge on paediatric orthopaedic conditions to help us in making the right decisions for the future in an environment with limited resources
- To enhance the training in children’s orthopaedics in order to reach a high standard of care all over Europe.
- To support our colleagues in the third world to help them to create functioning paediatric orthopaedic structures according to their local needs.
Your Society is dedicated to enhancing the care of children. What do you do?
This question is answered, at least partly, by what is said above. Our children are the future of society. We try to do everything to give them a realistic chance to grow up as healthy individuals in a peaceful world.
The objective of the European Paediatric Orthopaedic Society (EPOS) is the advancement of Paediatric Orthopaedics in all its aspects, particularly in the fields of clinical practice, scientific research and the teaching of those conditions which affect the locomotor system during growth. The Society is dedicated to enhancing the care of children. 31st Congress of the European Paediatric Orthopaedic Society (EPOS) will take place in Helsinki from 18 to 21 April 2012. www.epos2012.org, www.epos.efort.org