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. 

Henit Yanai © ECCO

The 18^th IBD Intensive Advanced Course took place before the ECCO Congress as the highlight of the educational programme, which runs in conjunction with the Congress.

This well-known course, which has been held almost since the inception of ECCO, took place once again, attracting a full attendance from Europe and elsewhere. Overall, 94 doctors attended the course from 37 countries and were treated to a comprehensive update on IBD.

Marietta Iacucci © ECCO

In 2020 the ECCO Endoscopy Workshop reached its 6^th edition, and it has now become a mainstay of the educational activities of ECCO. Since 2019 the Endoscopy Workshop is a part of the ECCO-ESGAR Basic Imaging Workshop. The workshop was organised by the ECCO Education Committee (EduCom), and was devoted to and structured for physicians or colorectal surgeons who are specialists in IBD with at least some experience in endoscopy.

Christian Maaser  © ECCO

At ECCO 2020 two ultrasound workshops were held. The 2^nd ECCO-ESGAR Basic Imaging Workshop was devoted to the basics of intestinal ultrasound (IUS) and MRI. In this workshop, gastroenterologists from ECCO who are experts in intestinal ultrasonography and radiologists from the European Society of Gastrointestinal and Abdominal Radiology (ESGAR) who are experts in IBD jointly provided delegates with a full immersion in imaging in IBD. 

James Lindsay © ECCO

The 64^th ECCO Educational Workshop took place at the Hotel Pullman Aerocity on August 10, 2019, the day before a National IBD study day. The ECCO Faculty comprised Willem Bemelman and myself; however, we were fortunate also to be joined by Simon Travis, who was part of the faculty for the following day.

The local organiser was Vineet Ahuja, who was joined by 16 local faculty who moderated the sessions and acted as an expert panel to facilitate discussion as well as to present some of the cases. The workshop was a resounding success, with 250 participants, including a mixture of physicians, surgeons and trainees.

Pierre Ellul © ECCO

The 62^nd ECCO Educational Workshop was organised on June 15, 2019 in Larnaca, Cyprus.

Delegates from Cyprus attended this interactive and productive workshop. It was a memorable educational experience and provided plenty of opportunities both for networking and for further clinical case discussions over coffee and lunch breaks. In the background, the serene Mediterranean Sea further stimulated healthy interactions.