London, December 19, 2024
I hope you’ve all had a good year.
Here is a brief update on what has been happening at ESHNR.
The annual congress was held in Malmo from September 12-14. The programme was interesting and wide ranging and we were fortunate to have some wonderful lecturers from across the globe. The highlights were the award of our diploma to some very deserving candidates and also the sessions that were combined with ESNR, BSHNI and ASHNR. Our Gold medal was awarded to Bert de Foer at the Gala Dinner.
The picture of a bridge of different ages and designs that speakers were asked to include in their lecture to signify building bridges across our speciality was a great idea and highlighted the increased international cooperation in head and neck radiology.
Many thanks to the congress President Bea Kovacsovics for her enthusiasm and hard work in making this a wonderful, educational and scientific meeting.
The congress was followed by our Masterclass which was held in Manchester on November 21-23. Thanks to Salman Qureshi and to all the faculty members, especially those that travelled some distance to get there, for their high quality lectures and workshops. We had to increase the delegate number due to demand but unfortunately due to the intentionally small size of the workshops we were unable to accommodate everyone. We will however continue to run one Head and Neck radiology Masterclass each year covering the whole neck in two separate courses over a two-year cycle. The Masterclasses for the foreseeable future will be online, which have worked well in the past, and will enable those who find it difficult to attend in person to log in and join. The Masterclass dinner was held in Manchester City football stadium and was greatly enjoyed. The final result was a victory for friendship with old and new acquaintances despite no football being played.
ESHNR is continuing to support ESOR fellowships. Thank you to the hospitals that have agreed to host successful candidates for their 3 month fellowship. I personally have learnt as much from the international fellows as they have from me. They always bring a new perspective and added enthusiasm to the department.
The ESHNR webinars, both topic and cased based, continued as well as our webinar collaboration with ASHNR. Many thanks to all the lecturers and moderators who have put in so much work to support this and in particular Soraya Robinson for her effort and enthusiasm for education. Please note that the webinars are available for review as an ESHNR member and are a very valuable educational resource.
We continue to run our ESR endorsed diploma in head and neck radiology twice a year and the information regarding the diploma and the requirements needed to participate can be found on the ESHNR website. Enormous thanks for the dedication of Steve Connor, head of the Education Committee, for his continued efforts in running the Diploma as this the most important part of the society.
Our next annual conference will be held in Glasgow/UK, from September 11-13. The exciting scientific programme has been finalised and, in addition to our ASHNR, BSHNI and ESNR sessions, we will include a session with our colleagues from India and Pakistan, highlighting the truly international nature of the meeting.
We will also be running a separate, practical hands on head and neck Ultrasound Workshop on the set-up day, Wednesday, September 10, at the conference venue. Numbers are limited to provide an adequate hands on experience so early booking is recommended.
Many thanks to the Congress President David Summers for organising such a great educational and social programme. I gather that there will be a distinctive Scottish flavour with live Scottish music and the odd dram of whisky.
On a separate note, Stanford University’s “World’s Top 2% Scientists list” is a prestigious ranking that highlights the most influential researchers across a broad range of scientific fields. This list is compiled in collaboration with Elsevier and is based on data from Scopus. The list serves as a powerful tool for identifying global scientific leaders who have made a significant impact on their respective fields.
The ESHNR is happy to announce that two of their Gold Medal Lifetime Achievement Award recipients, Minerva Becker from the University Hospitals in Geneva and Robert Hermans from the University Hospital Leuven are among the top 2% world’s best scientists in 2024. Congratulations!
The wonderful world of head and neck radiology continues to grow, and our society membership has expanded to 977, up from 887 last year, and 750 members at the end of 2022. These members are now from 62 different countries.
My sincere thanks also go to our Vienna Office staff for their support and optimism…everything is achievable.
Finally, I would like to wish you all Happy Holidays and a healthy 2025. See you in Glasgow if not before.
Tim Beale MBBS FRCS FRCR
London UK
ESHNR President