Eveline Hoefkens © Eveline Hoefkens

Belgium

N-ECCO National Representative:
Eveline Hoefkens
Job Title: IBD Nurse

What influenced your decision to apply for the role of N-ECCO National Representative for your country?

By being a national representative, you are actively involved in N-ECCO meetings. The yearly national representatives meeting at the ECCO congress is the ideal place to expand your network. You interact with IBD nurses from other countries and share experiences. It is a great opportunity to create an international network. 

Nensi Lusičić  © Nensi Lusičić

Vesna Oroz © Vesna Oroz

Croatia

N-ECCO National Representative:
Nensi Lusičić
Job Title: IBD Nurse

What influenced your decision to apply for the role of N-ECCO National Representative for your country?
Opportunity to become more involved in IBD.

Tariq Ahmad  © Tariq Ahmad

Ian Arnott © Ian Arnott

United Kingdom

Name of group: The IBD section of the British Society of Gastroenterology (BSG).
Number of active members: Approx. The IBD section is the largest section of the BSG and has 997 members including physicians, surgeons, pathologists, radiologists, scientists, nurses, dietitians, and others interested in IBD. The IBD section committee includes nurse, trainee and patient group membership.
Number of meetings per year: The BSG holds an annual national meeting in June with two or three IBD symposia. In addition, the BSG supports or endorses numerous regional gut clubs and network meetings across the UK each year. Many of these are focused on IBD. The IBD section includes the IBD clinical research group which leads research activity across the UK.
This group holds an annual meeting every November to which all investigators are invited. In 2018, 120 delegates attended, including physicians, research nurses and research co-ordinators. 
President and Secretary: BSG president – Cathryn Edwards BSG secretary - Adrian Stanley Chairman, IBD section of the BSG – Ian Arnott Chairman of IBD clinical research group – Charlie Lees
National Representatives: Tariq Ahmad, Exeter and Ian Arnott, Edinburgh. Lynn Gray, Wirral University Hospital and Catherine Stansfield, Salford Royal are the UK representatives of N-ECCO. 
Joined ECCO in: 2003
Incidence of IBD in the country: Recent data from Scotland reveal incidence rates for UC, CD and IBDU of 19.8, 13.6 and 5.4 per 100,000 respectively (Jones GR Gut 2019)

Denmark

Name of group: There is an interest group for IBD, but gastroenterologists with an interest in IBD are organised in “Dansk Selskab for Gastroenterologi og Hepatologi” (DSGH), which is our national society of gastroenterology and hepatology.
Number of active members: Approx. 750 members of DSGH
Number of meetings per year: There is one annual meeting lasting 2 days. In addition, a number of minor meetings are held throughout the year, one or two of which have an IBD focus. 
President and Secretary: President: Ebbe Langholz, Department of Gastroenterology, Herlev-Gentofte University Hospital Secretary: Annette Dam Fialla, Department of Gastroenterology, Odense University Hospital
National Representatives: Jørn Brynskov, Department of Gastroenterology, Herlev-Gentofte University Hospital Signe Wildt, Department of Gastroenterology, Køge University Hospital
Joined ECCO in: Denmark has been a member of ECCO since 2004
Incidence of IBD in the country: Crohn´s disease:10/100,000    Ulcerative colitis: 15/100,000

Norway

Name of group: The Norwegian IBD Group

Number of active members: The Norwegian IBD Group is organised within the Norwegian Gastroenterology Association (Norsk GastroenterologiskForening NGF). The Norwegian Gastroenterology Association has 370 active members. The IBD Group consists of 8 members elected at the Norwegian Gastroenterology Association general assembly (four members elected every second year). Approximately 100 members are active within IBD care.

Additionally,the Norwegian Nurses Organization includes a group for Gastroenterology Nurses (NSF/FSG) with 439 active members, of whom approximately 100 IBD Nurses. There is no formal IBD Nurse network but NSF/FSG arranges a yearly national IBD symposium for nurses interested in IBD.

Number of meetings per year: The IBD Group arranges a national IBD symposium annually. The Norwegian Gastroenterology Association has one national conference and one to two regional meetings in the five different health regions in Norway per year. The NSF/FSG arranges a yearly national IBD symposium for nurses interested in IBD.

President and Secretary:President the Norwegian Gastroenterology Association is Mette Vesterhus, associate professor at Haraldsplass Hospital in Bergen. Petr Ricanek MD, PhD at Akershus university hospital, is head of the IBD Group

National Representatives:Marte Lie Høivik MD PhD at Oslo University Hospital and Kristin Kaasen Jørgensen, MD PhD at Akershus university hospital. Elisabeth Finnes, IBD nurse specialist at Oslo University Hospital is the Norwegian representative in N-ECCO.

Joined ECCO in: 2005

Incidence of IBD in the country: There are no updated incidence numbers available in Norway. According to data from the IBSEN study the UC incidence was 12,8/100.000 persons/year and CD incidence 6/100.000 persons per year in the early nineties. We are awaiting updated incidence data from the ongoing IBSEN III study within 2020.

France

Name of group: GETAID
Number of active members: 54 GETAID centres (with 1-2 members per centre)
Number of meetings per year: 6 
President and Secretary: Laurent Peyrin-Biroulet (president), Arnaud Bourreille (secretary)
National Representatives: Stéphanie Viennot, Jérôme Filippi
Joined ECCO in: 2007
Incidence of IBD in the country: Crohn´s disease:7.6/100,000    Ulcerative colitis: 4.4/100,000

Hungary

Name of group: Hungarian Colon Section
Number of active members: 200
Number of meetings per year: 2 
President and Secretary: Karoly Palatka (president), Klaudia Farkas (secretary)
National Representatives: Tamas Molnar, Karoly Palatka
Joined ECCO in: 2004
Incidence of IBD in the country (if available): 10/100,000

Slovenia

Name of group: There is no separate group for IBD. The disease is covered under the national organisation named the Slovenian Association for Gastroenterology and Hepatology.
Number of active members: 75
Number of meetings per year: 2 
President: Stojan Potrč
National Representatives: David Drobne and Gregor Novak
Joined ECCO in: 2008
Incidence of IBD in the country (if available): UC 6.8/100,000, CD 5.7/100,000, total incidence including UBDU 13.7/100,000 

Malta

Name of group: GI group within the Medical Association of Malta
Number of active members: 15
Number of meetings per year: Not applicable 
President: Stephen Fava 
National Representative: Pierre Ellul
Joined ECCO in:  2016

Anastasia N. Nicolaou © Anastasia N. Nicolaou

Cyprus

N-ECCO National Representative: Anastasia N. Nicolaou
Job Title: GI - IBD Nurse

What influenced your decision to apply for the role of N-ECCO National Representative for your country?
I work in a centre which sees a large number of IBD patients and therefore I felt the need to have a more active role. I have also applied for a PhD in a local university which has a research programme on IBD.