A new year has begun, and the Steering Committee elected in Odense in June 1997 is now preparing the Scandinavian Postgraduate Course on Gastrointestinal Motility (cf. next page).
Find enclosed the report from the General Assembly in Odense. We thank Lene Wallin, Copenhagen, for her steady and careful contributions to SAGIM as Secretary of the Steering Committee for many years. Also, we welcome Odd Helge Gilja, Bergen, as new member of the Steering Committee.
There were many motility contributions presented at the Odense meeting during the VIII. Scientific SAGIM session and as abstracts. Hasse Abrahamsson, Gšteborg, gave a comprehensive state of the art lecture entitled ÇNew aspects on GastroparesisÈ and the meeting was successful.
A one day SAGIM Pre-symposium was arranged on Wednesday 11th of June 97 in connection with the Nordic meeting. Fruitful discussions developed during the sessions, which were of high quality with invited international experts. Find enclosed the Proceedings from this meeting.
The XXX Nordic Meeting will be arranged in Oulo, Finland from the 3.- 6. of June. The IX. Scientific SAGIM Session on Friday afternoon 4.6., dedicated to GI motility, will include free paper presentations and the two guest lectures:
Pankaj Pasricha, Galveston, USA: Recent advances in achalasia.
Jarmo Salo, Helsinki, Finland: Modern operative treatment of achalasia.
Members of SAGIM are strongly encouraged to submit abstracts to this meeting. Deadline for receipt is 1. of March, and authors who present a motility abstract will receive travel grant of 3000.- SEK from SAGIM.
The General Assembly for SAGIM will be arranged on Friday 4.6. of June from 17:00 to 18:00 at the Congress Center, immediately after the SAGIM session. Detailed announcement will appear in the final program.
SAGIM WEB PAGE
The Steering Committee will establish a WEB page this year, primarily to inform about the organisation and facilitate registration of new members. Further details will follow in the next Newsletter. SAGIM members with ideas and contributions to the web page are encouraged to contact their national representatives (cf. addresses in the Proceedings enclosed).
SAGIM: Scandinavian Postgraduate Course on Gastrointestinal Motility
During 1997 preliminary planning of a postgraduate course on GI motility in Scandinavia was made. The new steering committee has now given this course top priority for the current period. The aim is to develop a training course of high quality based on Scandinavian expertise, that can ambulate among Scandinavian centers at an annual or every other year basis.
Time and place: The first course will take place at Sahlgrenska Hospital in Gšteborg from 15. - 17. of October 1998, with The Steering Committee of SAGIM as responsible Course Committee and Henrik Sjšvall, Gšteborg, as responsible local organiser. Participation will be restricted to about 40 participants, and priority will be given to assure participation from all Scandinavian countries. Announcements will appear in the national medical journals in Scandinavia, and will be distributed through the respective Societies of Gastroenterology. A second announcement with final program will appear in the month of May.
Program and focus: The core topics of the Gšteborg Course will be basic physiology of GI motility, esophagus, stomach, small bowel, and large bowel and ano-rectum. These topic sessions will include specific physiology, pathophysiology, methods, testing and clinical management. Practical training will take place on Saturday 17.10. until lunch time.
The course is suitable for medical doctors during specialist training in medical or surgical gastroenterology and for specialists that perform motility testing or plan to. Few training courses are yet available for this topic, and SAGIM takes advantage of the merits of Scandinavian motility expertise and research over several decades. The course is also highly relevant for pediatricians, and may be of interest for neurologists.
The course is well suited during Ph.D. training, and it will be approved by most Scandinavian Universities as a supplementary course after individual application, provided that the topic is of relevance for the candidate.
Registration: A fee of 1200.- SEK is paid as indicated by the enclosed information at registration. Participants arrange with travel and accommodation, but suggestions for Hotels conveniently located and with different rates will be provided to those who register. Members of SAGIM will have documented expenses for travel and accommodation amounting to 3000.- NOK reimbursed from SAGIM after the course.
Register to Docent Henrik Sjšvall, Medisinsk Avdeling II, Sahlgrenska Sjukhuset, S-41345, Gšteborg. Note that participation is limited and that seats are booked in the order that registrations are received.
Oslo, 28.1.98
Yours sincerely,
Einar Husebye
President
Grants are not provided if travel expenses are otherwise covered by SAGIM (speakers, steering committee members etc.) or if membership fee is not paid.