Volume 20, Issue 1

Tania Hermoso and Audrey Borel are both IBD Nurses, working in Paris, and designated N-ECCO National Representatives for France since 2023 and 2024 respectively. Until recently, there was no formal training for nurses wishing to specialise in IBD, and the position of an IBD Nurse is not officially recognised by the French health system. “In France, the main challenge is to gain recognition for the IBD Nurse role and to legally validate training for advanced practice nurses in IBD,” says Audrey.

The 16th edition of the N-ECCO School and the 19th edition of the N-ECCO Network Meeting took place during the 20th Congress of ECCO, held from February 19 to 22 in a cold but sunny Berlin. The N-ECCO School gives nurses and dietitians the opportunity to increase their basic knowledge in IBD, while the N-ECCO Network Meeting provides an overview of new insights in IBD care, presented by a mix of excellent speakers.

We were in Berlin for the 10th D-ECCO Workshop! The workshop was full, with our largest attendance to date – 194 participants, including not only dietitians but also a great mix of specialists from all over the world. I, Chen Sarbagili (the Netherlands), opened the workshop by informing participants that the ECCO Consensus on Diet and Nutrition in IBD would be presented for the first time during this ECCO’s plenary session, as well as by presenting the various opportunities available to all IBD Dietitian Members, including the D-ECCO Grant and the D-ECCO Travel Award.

The 23rd ECCO IBD Intensive Course for Trainees took place on February 19, 2025, setting the scene for the 20th ECCO Congress in Berlin. It may have been cold outside, but this did not dampen the enthusiasm of the participants or the engagement of the expert ECCO Faculty. A total of 100 participants from 36 countries were in attendance and this year we again welcomed participants not only from European ECCO Country Members but also from Latin America, Asia and Australia.

Change drives scientific progress, and committees evolve with it. As members transition, fresh perspectives fuel innovation and shape the future. We are delighted to welcome two rising stars in IBD surgery to S-ECCO: Gabriele Bislenghi (Belgium) and Anthony de Buck van Overstraeten (Canada).

As the chair of the P-ECCO Committee, it is my pleasure to introduce the newly elected member of the Committee, Eileen Crowley, a paediatric gastroenterologist from London Health Sciences Centre in Ontario, Canada. Eileen completed her medical degree and Higher Specialist Training with the Royal College of Physicians, Ireland. She then moved to the Hospital of SickKids in Toronto, where she completed a Pediatric Gastroenterology Fellowship and a sub-specialty IBD Fellowship.