We’re delighted that registration for the 2021 ESPE Annual Meeting is now open! As you know, we will be holding the Meeting online this year due to ongoing concerns and restrictions in relation to COVID-19. We are very pleased that we can offer a full annual meeting programme over five days, with a range of session types and the usual high quality speakers and content. This year there will be plenty of opportunities for interaction, questions and networking and we’re looking forward to making full use of our upgraded platform. The virtual nature of the event means that content will be available on-demand for several months following the meeting, all included in your registration fee. As always, the best rates for registration are available to early birds, with reduced fees until 26 July. We very much hope you will join us as we share the latest updates and best practice in paediatric endocrinology.
Meanwhile, there is still time to submit an abstract for ESPE 2021 Online by 10 May and reach our global audience with your work. We’re excited to see the abstracts coming in and to have this opportunity to share the latest research among colleagues, particularly as we weren’t able to do so last year. We’re pleased to let you know that we are offering 100 registration grants of €100 each to the presenters of the highest scoring abstracts if they are nurses, allied health professionals, fellows in training, basic scientists in training, or from middle or low income countries. Please just tick the box when submitting your abstract if you are eligible and would like to be considered for this support. We also have a number of other meeting prizes available for abstract submitters to recognise your achievements and contributions.
Our Clinical Fellowship programme has been successfully broadening and supporting the knowledge and skills of early career paediatric endocrinologists across the world for nearly 30 years, through training visits to European clinical centres. Unfortunately, many of our fellows were unable to complete their fellowships last year due to COVID-19. However, thanks to our dedicated Clinical Fellowship Committee, fellows past and present were able to take part in the Clinical Fellowship Spring Initiative online earlier this month, enabling them to meet with each other, with hosts and tutors and to benefit from a range of presentations on research and cases. My thanks to the Clinical Fellowship Committee and the team for developing this valuable event so quickly.
I wish students and faculty well for the upcoming Summer School and Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism School also taking place online in the next two weeks. I’m really pleased that these important educational opportunities can continue despite the challenges we’ve all faced over the last year.
I would like to remind you that the current call for the Early Career Scientific Development Grant closes on 31 May, with the next opportunity not until September. If you or a colleague could benefit from up to €2,500 to learn a new skill or technique, compile statistics or test samples, please do apply.
For those of you with an interest in congenital adrenal hyperplasia, don’t forget to register for the 2021 ESPE Science Symposium, taking place in The Netherlands in October. These symposia are excellent events for providing the latest scientific knowledge from eminent experts to both scientists and clinicians, to improve patient care. You can view the programme and book online.
Meanwhile, if you and your team would like to host the next Science Symposium, please apply by 30 June.
My best wishes,
Anita
ESPE Secretary General