Christian Maaser © ECCO

The hands-on imaging workshops have become one of the most rapidly booked ECCO Workshops in recent years as they are known to offer excellent interactivity. Participants have the opportunity to explore the potential of intestinal ultrasound (IUS) through the use of hands-on simulators and in some years even by imaging patients. In addition, there is always very interactive discussion in small groups with radiologists who are internationally well known for their expertise in abdominal imaging.

Marietta Iacucci © ECCO

In 2021 the ECCO Endoscopy Workshop reached its 7^th edition, and it has now become a mainstay of the educational activities of ECCO. This year it moved online as a fully virtual meeting and was organised by the Education Committee (EduCom).

Participating speakers and chairs: Ralf Bisschops, Belgium; Bu'Hussain Hayee, UK; Rosanna Cannatelli, Italy; Marietta Iacucci, UK, Pierre Ellul, Malta

Pascal Juillerat  © ECCO

Dear ECCO Members,

I truly hope that you and your loved ones are faring well and that you enjoyed well-deserved rest during the summer.

I also hope that you all enjoyed the exciting scientific and educational programmes at ECCO’21 Congress in July. All of the presentations of both programmes are available on demand on the virtual congress platform until October 31, 2021. This was the first time that ECCO held its Congress virtually – the preparations kept everyone at ECCO very occupied with the organisation having been just as tough and demanding as for a physical congress. By no means did this signify that the production of our e-Learning material had been hampered – on the contrary, we have prepared plenty of new material for you to check out, and made significant improvements to the IBD Curriculum!

To make it easier to navigate and learn from, the IBD Curriculum now directly links to material in the e-library. This provides a more wholesome and hands-on overview for those seeking to develop their expertise in IBD.!

Our journey over the past year has been a remarkable one, and all of us have faced challenging times. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s ECCO Imaging Courses, including the Basic Imaging and Advanced Ultrasound Workshops, have had to move online as fully virtual meetings.

Konstantinos Karmiris  © ECCO

Owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 19^th ECCO IBD Intensive Course for Trainees will exceptionally take place in a virtual format on Friday, July 2, 2021 (one-day duration), one week prior to the start of the main ECCO Congress. The ECCO IBD Intensive Course for Trainees has become a tradition. It is the oldest educational initiative of ECCO, dating back to 2003, before the launch of the ECCO Congress, and is the cornerstone of the Education Committee’s activities.

Henit Yanai  © ECCO

“I’m not a fellow anymore but I would love to have the opportunity to be part of such a course!” This is a quote from a colleague who works in a private practice that I heard on the bus on the way back to Copenhagen airport after ECCO 2019. Thanks to this remark we embarked on this endeavour to hold the 1^st ECCO Postgraduate Course in IBD.  

Pascal Juillerat  © ECCO

Dear ECCO Members,

I hope you and your families are well and you are looking forward to spending the Christmas holidays together, as far as this is possible. In case you missed or would like to re-watch some of the content from the ECCO’21 Virtual Congress that took place last summer – we kindly ask you to visit our e-Library, where all of the recordings can be found.

Henit Yanai  © ECCO

The European Crohn’s and Colitis Organisation (ECCO) brings together national groups and individuals interested in different aspects of Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IBD). One of ECCO’s core aims is to promote education in the field of IBD and thereby improve the quality of care for IBD patients throughout Europe.

The 19^th ECCO Intensive Course for Trainees (previously named IBD Intensive Advanced Course) designed for residents, fellows in gastroenterology and junior faculty will take place in Copenhagen, Denmark, on July 7, 2021, immediately prior to our next Congress. We are pleased to inform you that the preliminary programme for this course is already available.

Pascal Juillerat  © ECCO

Dear ECCO Members,

I would like to thank my predecessor, Peter Irving, for championing the role of ECCO e-Learning Ambassador and now passing the baton on to me. I am honoured to take on this responsibility and thrilled to be able to reach out to you with the latest news regarding the e-CCO Learning Platform.