Britta Siegmund © ECCO

Dear ECCO Friends,

Spring is here and I am reflecting on the wonderful congress we had in Stockholm! The new ECCO strategy – “E” element of REACH strategy – was not only fully launched but also already addressed in all our committee meetings. The focus of this year’s congress was the letter “E” – Equitable access to IBD to care”, – expanding the outreach and inclusivity of ECCO initiatives across the globe. With 99 different countries represented at the congress and many multi-national exchanges throughout the programme, such as the Global Forum, it shows the growing network, with more plans to come. We as the Governing Board are very excited that the ECCO family shares our enthusiasm for “E” element of REACH strategy !

The 19^th Congress of ECCO, Stockholm, Sweden – Inflammatory Bowel Diseases 2024, held on February 21-24, 2024, attracted a total number of 7,223 delegates from 99 different countries. Since the inaugural ECCO Congress in 2006 in Amsterdam, at which there were 350 delegates, participant numbers have steadily increased, as shown in the graph below. Despite the COVID-19 outbreak in the beginning of 2020, we are happy that this high number of delegates had the chance to participate in the ECCO’24 Congress in Stockholm.

Brigida Barberio © ECCO

Dear IBD colleagues and friends,

Are you enjoying the first sunshine of spring, with its blooming trees, with longer days and milder temperatures?

Now, just for a moment, I want to bring all of you back to last winter and, particularly, to our 19^th Congress of ECCO, held in Stockholm February 21-24, 2024, which I think was really exciting!

Isabelle Cleynen © ECCO

At the last ECCO Congress, we had three members stepping down from the ECCO Scientific Committee: Marc Ferrante (Leuven, Belgium; Member since 2019, Chair since 2023), Yves Panis (Clichy, France; Member since 2020) and Konstantinos Papamichail (Boston, US; Member since 2020). Although all three of them served on SciCom in a period greatly impacted by the pandemic, together with the other SciCom Members they ensured a seamless continuation of SciCom activities and the initiation of new ones.

At ECCO’24, Stockholm, the winners of the ECCO Fellowships and Grants programme received their certificates, presented by SciCom Chair Marc Ferrante together with President Britta Siegmund. This year, a record number of grants were awarded, including the new Global Grant designed for low and lower-middle income countries as well as the IIS Registry Grant given for the first time. 

Murat Toruner © ECCO

Dear IBD Friends and Colleagues, 

ClinCom organised two courses at the recent 19^th Congress of ECCO in Stockholm. The first course was the 9^th ClinCom Workshop, which comprised two sessions and attracted 39 participants.

A total of 116 abstracts with an epidemiology theme were accepted for presentation at the ECCO Congress in 2024. This represented an increase over the previous year, with total submissions in this category up by 20%. It is clear that ECCO Members and IBD researchers see epidemiology as a vital part of our understanding of the overall picture of IBD aetiology, management and outcomes. Here we highlight just a few of the top abstracts that caught our eye.

Natália Queiroz © ECCO

The 22^nd ECCO IBD Intensive Course for Trainees took place on February 21, 2024, in the vibrant city of Stockholm. Despite the cold and moody weather outside, the course itself was a lively and buzzing experience, filled with enthusiastic discussions and valuable insights.

Glen Doherty © ECCO

Fast facts in IBD is a new web-based virtual learning opportunity brought to you by EduCom as an additional way to participate in ECCO Education. It is designed to complement the in-person ECCO Postgraduate Course in IBD, which takes place bi-annually at the ECCO Congress.

Ultrasound and MRI Portion

Mariangela Allocca © ECCO

M. Barreiro-de Acosta © ECCO

The 5^th ECCO Basic Imaging Workshop was successfully conducted on site during the 19^th ECCO Congress in Stockholm in February 2024, as a part of ECCO’s educational programme. The workshop saw two sessions on the same day due to the high demand for participation. A heartfelt thank you goes out to the speakers and tutors for their dedicated efforts in covering both sessions. Gastroenterologists with expertise in intestinal ultrasound from ECCO and IBUS, along with radiologists from the European Society of Gastrointestinal and Abdominal Radiology (ESGAR), collaborated to provide attendees with a comprehensive immersion into imaging in IBD.