Y-ECCO Members’ Address
Bram Verstockt, Y-ECCO Committee Chair
|
|
Bram VerstocktDear Y-ECCO Friends,
As I will be stepping down as Y-ECCO Chair at the upcoming ECCO Congress in Berlin, I want to take this final “Member’s Address” as an opportunity to thank each of you for your commitment to our shared mission of supporting those living with Inflammatory Bowel Disease. Your combined dedication is driving real progress in raising awareness, advancing research and creating invaluable resources that strengthen our community. As young clinicians and researchers, you are the future our patients will rely on, so keep pushing the boundaries!
I know that many of you have recently been working tirelessly on your abstracts for our upcoming Congress . We’re thrilled to be finalising the programme for the Y-ECCO Science Workshop , and I look forward to seeing some of you present groundbreaking insights into “Remodelling IBD”. Our workshop will begin with the intriguing “Gut in a Dish” session, featuring Joana Neves, followed by an in-depth look at “Unravelling Bowel Damage” with Florian Rieder. We’ll close with Nick Powell’s exploration of “Perianal Crohn’s Disease”, a session that promises to shed new light on this complex area. If you haven’t registered yet, I encourage you to join us! Let’s make this a vibrant gathering where scientists and clinicians of the future come together across disciplines.
During the ECCO Congress, we’d love for you to take a few minutes to complete our latest Y-ECCO–ClinCom survey on “Management of pain in IBD”, led by Dr. Dharmadasa . Your input will be invaluable in shaping our community’s understanding and direction in this important area of IBD research. And don’t miss out on the Y-ECCO Corner at the ECCO Hearts and Minds networking event! Let’s come together, raise a glass and celebrate all we’re achieving together—here’s to inspiring collaboration and connection across our community!
Looking further ahead, we’re eagerly anticipating the next Y-ECCO Mentorship Forum in Vienna in June 2025. Following the success of our 2022 and 2023 events, we’re preparing another dynamic and engaging workshop that brings together experience, energy and ideas. We hope to see many of you there, making it an interactive and memorable experience once again!
Looking to the future, we want you to be at the heart of what we do. Do you have a fresh idea? Is there something missing that you think Y-ECCO can address? Reach out to us through X , email or in person at the Berlin Congress—we’d love to hear from you. Your voices and insights are what drive our community forward, and we thrive on these dynamic exchanges. And if you’re interested in joining the committee, keep an eye out for our call for applications in spring 2025! Remember, persistence is key. This year, we had 11 fantastic applicants but could welcome only one person. So don’t be discouraged—each application strengthens our community. I’m excited to announce that Florian Tran will be joining Y-ECCO next year, and I’m confident he will bring tremendous energy and value to the team.
Furthermore, keep an eye out for some exciting new initiatives in 2025, including fresh Y-ECCO Educational Activities on the ECCO Portal and engaging new podcasts!
Finally, a heartfelt thank you to my colleagues and friends on the Y-ECCO Committee: Virginia, Manuela, Nuru, Gabriele and Robin. Working with you has made my time here truly special. To all past and present Y-ECCO Members in our committee and beyond, thank you for the pleasure of collaborating and building this community together. I’m confident that under Robin’s leadership, the committee will continue to move the needle for young clinicians and scientists.
Let’s keep pushing forward and REACH ing together!
Bram Verstockt