STEERING COMMITTEE

President: Einar Husebye, Oslo

Secretary: Niels Quist, Odense

Treasurer: Henrik Sjövall, Goethenborg

Member: Juhani Sand, Tampere

Member: Odd Helge Gilja, Bergen

Steering Committee meeting at Gardemoen, Oslo on the 14.12.98.

Steering Committee meeting at Nordic Meeting, Tromsø 03.06.99.

 SPONSORSHIP AGREEMENT

Agreement on continued main sponsorship by Janssen-Cilag has been negotiated by the President. For the current period this includes basic funding of the organisation and support related to the Scandinavian Postgraduate Course on Gastrointestinal Motility and the Web-page.

SAGIM NEWSLETTER

Newsletter was made in November 1998 together with report from European Symposium on Neurogastroenterology and Motility, but unfortunately these were not distributed to the members for technical reasons. The newsletter and report will soon appear on our web site.

INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC MEETINGS AND REPRESENTATION

SAGIM was represented at the European Symposium on Gastrointestinal Motility in Maastricht in the Netherlands in October 1998 by Niels Quist. Einar Husebye was present as representative for the European Society (cf. later). A written report enclosed with the Newsletter was made by Niels Quist.

Einar Husebye gave an invited lecture on the comparison of computer analysis for the recognition of contractions in small intestine during this meeting.

Henrik Sjøvall gave an invited lecture on the integration of gastrointestinal secretion and motility during the World Congress of Gastroenterology in Vienna in September 1998.

Niels Quist gave an invited lecture on gallbladder motility after surgery during the International Workshop on Gallbladder Motility in Ferrara, Italy in April 1999.

"THE FIRST SCANDINAVIAN POSTGRADUATE COURSE ON GASTROINTESTINAL MOTILITY"

SAGIM has now made an important step forward by arranging the first Scandinavian Postgraduate Course on Gastrointestinal Motility. From 15th to 17th of October 1998 forty participants and the Scandinavian Faculty focused the core issues of GI Motility at Sahlgränska Hospital with engagement, under excellent local leadership by Henrik Sjövall. The need for a Scandinavian alternative with both theory and practical training was further evidenced by the fact that registration exceeded available seats. A report from that course with the detailed programme and pictures is presented the SAGIM Web page (cf. later).

The Steering Committee of SAGIM 1997-99 worked out a model for a permanent postgraduate course on gastrointestinal motility with Scandinavian experts of professional quality to ambulates between Scandinavian centres on a 1-2 year’s basis.

The organisation:

Responsible organiser: The Steering Committee of SAGIM.

Local organiser: Representative at centre to give a particular course

Faculty: Modules with chairmen and lecturers

The course and its Faculty is based on nine modules covering the following core topics of GI motility:

General (1-4) Specific (5-9)

Each module has a chairman appointed by the Steering Committee of SAGIM as indicated above. The chairmen of the modules selected for a particular course are responsible for, in co-operation with the local organiser, to set up the programme and invite the lecturers.

Topic modules included in the first Postgraduate Course in Gothenburg 1998 were:

The course included both lectures, practical demonstrations and group discussions focusing on methodology, test evaluation and interpretation.

There were more than 40 participants, and the course was well appreciated by the participants, who greatly contributed by active discussions during the sessions. The course also brought together motility expertise from the different Scandinavian Countries.

The Steering Committee of SAGIM hopes that the Postgraduate Course will contribute to future development and co-operation within the field of gastrointestinal motility in Scandinavia, and that the course will be a permanent part of the agenda of SAGIM. The next course will be announced through SAGIM newsletters and thought the medical journals of the Scandinavian Countries.

Lectures

Guest Lecture at the SAGIM Motility Session during the Nordic Gastroenterology Meeting in Tromsø in June 1999:

"After gastro-oesophagal reflux. How does the oesophagus clear and neutralise the refluxate?" Daniel Sifrim, Leuven, Belgium

"The motor abnormalities in chronic intestinal pseudoobstruction; implications for the clinical management" E. Husebye, Oslo, Norway.

Participation of SAGIM representatives in educational activities arranged by other organisers is not listed.

DATABASE ON LECTURERS IN GI-MOTILITY IN SCANDINAVIA

The database including Scandinavian experts established last year was used in connection with planning of the post graduate course.

THE Xth SCIENTIFIC SAGIM SESSION DURING THE NORDIC GASTROENTEROLOGY MEETING IN TROMSØ 1999

SAGIM members were encouraged to submit motility abstracts to this meeting through the SAGIM newsletter, and a travel grant of 3000.- to each one who presents a motility abstract was announced. About 25% of the abstracts submitted to the meeting are motility-related, and in addition to those selected for oral presentation during the SAGIM session, there will be poster presentations of motility abstracts.

The guest lectures during the session are mentioned above.

EDITORIAL BOARD OF NEUROGASTROENTEROLOGY AND MOTILITY

SAGIM has been represented by Hasse Abrahamsson during this period.

EUROPEAN SOCIETY OF NEUROGASTROENTEROLOGY AND MOTILITY

Einar Husebye is member of the Steering Committee, and participated in preparations of the European Symposium on GI Motility in Maastricht 28. - 31.10.98.

The Society is currently negotiating with the American Society of Gastrointestinal Motility in an attempt to make Neurogastroenterology and Motility the official journal of both organisations. This will require a new three party deal with Blackwell Publishing Ltd. This contact is part of a strategy to make closer connections between the European and American Societies.

Members of the SAGIM are encouraged to become members of the European Society of Neurogastroenterology and Motility. For a membership fee of 65£ you receive at the same time the journal for free. Contact Philip Saugman, Blackwell Science Ltd. fax 44 1865 206026 or the President of the European Society Louis Akkermans by fax 31 30 2541944. Membership also allows you to participate at the European Symposia on Neurogastroenterology and Motility at a reduced fee.

INFORMATION AND RECRUITMENT

SAGIM has used posters and information in connection with national meetings to bring out information about the organisation. In connection with the SAGIM Postgraduate Course there were announcements twice in the Medical Journals of all Scandinavian countries.

The SAGIM Newsletter has been and important tool for informing members about activities and issues of interest.

One of the goals of the current steering committee was to establish a web page for SAGIM, which was achieved during the last year. Steering committee member Odd Helge Gilja has set up the web-page and he is the webmaster (Bergen, Norway). The structure and contents of the web-page have been worked out in co-operation with Einar Husebye and the steering committee. The web page serves multiple purposes according to the major aims of SAGIM. It is a convenient way of informing our members, and at the same time it allows SAGIM to reach out to those with the interest of GI motility, far beyond its circle of members.

The web page contains the history of SAGIM, information about the organisation, important activities, publications, information on the postgraduate course and links to motility sites. The possibility to recruit new members through the web-page is particularly important, and we do see the web-page as tool for communication that can be further developed and modified to apply to the needs of SAGIM in the future.

The steering committee of SAGIM