When I came back into clinical studies, my gastroenterology rotation was with the IBD team in Edinburgh in around 2005, and I specifically remember a patient whose colon was “rescued” with infliximab. They went from being extremely sick and likely needing surgery to going home with symptoms under control in a matter of days. The fact that we could affect immune pathways to achieve this meant this is what I was set on. So, having a background in science, I took all the opportunities I could, sought out people who would foster that interest and got quite lucky along the way. As a result, I am very fortunate to have a job where I can be a gastroenterologist half the time and spend the rest of my time working at the university developing experimental approaches to better understand how the human gut works, why this might go wrong and how we can try to fix it.
Could you share what initially motivated you to join the Y-ECCO Committee? Was there a specific moment or experience that inspired you to get involved?
I attended ECCO to present a clinical abstract in Vienna in 2013. This was my first ECCO and I saw that there was a Y-ECCO symposium the day before the conference started, so I signed up and enjoyed it. Subsequently I would attend ECCO most years and whenever I did, I always went to the Y-ECCO meetings. I will be honest that initially it was hard as a young gastroenterologist. I felt that I probably didn’t fit in and didn’t always interact as much as I might in the early stages, but incrementally I became more confident and enjoyed it more.
I was then asked to write one of the literature reviews for ECCO News. I was surprised to be asked as I didn’t think anyone knew who I was or that I came to these meetings. I then answered a few calls looking for Y-ECCO Member participation, and I was selected for one to deliver some e-learning. So, it was really an organic process by which the more I interacted with Y-ECCO, the more I enjoyed it, and so I continued.
Having learnt the value of putting your hat in the ring and getting involved, and not being too disappointed by knock backs, I eventually applied for the Y-ECCO Committee. As is the case for most of us, it required more than one attempt, but it was worth it. I have really enjoyed the whole experience and hope to maintain my participation in ECCO during the coming years.
One of the strengths of ECCO is its international and multidisciplinary nature. From your perspective as Chair, what steps has Y-ECCO taken to make sure that all voices across gender, geography and background are represented and empowered within the committee and its activities?
ECCO is a diverse group of clinicians and the key thing I have enjoyed is getting to know colleagues from all over Europe and beyond. While there is always more to do, we have aimed to encourage participation from our whole membership and have taken steps to achieve this. For example, at one stage a few years ago, all our Y-ECCO Science Workshop selected abstracts were delivered by female gastroenterologists and scientists. However, this same group was completely underrepresented in applications to the Y-ECCO Committee, which resulted in no women being on the Y-ECCO Committee for the following year. We addressed this by encouraging applications from a range of members and by speaking with people and advertising more widely, with the aim of removing perceived barriers. As a result, we now have equal numbers of applicants of all genders and from across a range of countries. We continue to pick the best candidates for the job from a larger pool and as I leave the Y-ECCO Committee, it will have more women than men for the first time in a long time, if ever. However, we want to continue to be inclusive and are always open to ideas on how we can help all members reach their full potential regardless of where they come from, the opportunities they have had or the personal characteristics that they cannot change.
Collaboration is at the heart of Y-ECCO. How do you see the Committee fostering more engagement and support among young clinicians and researchers across different countries and disciplines?
One of our biggest and best initiatives has been the Y-ECCO Mentorship Forum in Vienna, which happens every other year. This has been a fantastic occasion where around 20 Y-ECCO Members, the Committee and members of the higher echelons of ECCO, including the ECCO President, have met together. We have included a team-building activity, a dinner and a day of workshops and it has been an unusual and special occasion where members can interact with each other. The real challenge here is to keep Y-ECCO collaborations and interactions going between meetings and between congresses. Hopefully we provide a fertile ground for this, but if people have ideas on how to keep up the momentum, then they would be very welcome!
Also, collaboration with other disciplines is something I am particularly interested in. As a Y-ECCO Committee Member I was invited to participate in a meeting of young societies at EULAR, the European rheumatology meeting, and it became abundantly clear that we have an awful lot in common, and a lot to discuss! This has led to a first joint webinar between Y-ECCO and EMEUNET (young rheumatologists), where we discussed an introduction for the rheumatology that gastroenterologists ought to know and vice versa. This was illuminating and I think that such interactions do not happen nearly enough and offer a very rich learning environment, so I really hope this is something we can develop in the coming years, not just in Y-ECCO but for gastroenterologists in general.
What did you personally learn from being on the Y-ECCO Committee in recent years?
I have learned to be organised! The ECCO Activities are not limited to the Congress, and this results in what feels like a near constant stream of applications to review and meetings to organise, and I now really appreciate the role the ECCO Office plays in keeping this show on the road. However, probably more importantly, my experience as a Y-ECCO Member and subsequently on the Y-ECCO Committee has given me the opportunity to be part of a larger community and experience the good that this can do. It has been rewarding to watch colleagues come through and take on more leadership roles and help deliver projects which I think are genuinely worthwhile. I think being a Y-ECCO Member is what you make of it. Aside from the Committee, there are a lot of opportunities, and I would recommend people to get involved at all levels.
On a personal note, outside of your professional commitments, what does Robin Dart enjoy doing in his spare time?
I have always enjoyed the buzz of seeing things live—I watch Arsenal football club play as often as possible—and this includes music. I spent much of my time at university, when not studying, going to concerts. This ended up with me writing for, and at one point editing, the music pages of the student newspaper, which in those days was printed and could be found all over the campus. This meant lots of gigs and the opportunity to do interviews which were even more exciting than this one! Most memorable, for me at least, was interviewing Graham Coxon of Blur on the steps of a pub at about midnight in Edinburgh after a show.
So now that I am dad to two young girls, this is something I am passing on. We go to see both women’s and men’s Arsenal teams play, which gives me an extra very good excuse to go! Then in the last two years we have gone as a family to their first concerts, which I have found really magical. The level of excitement generated by two under-10s at an Olivia Rodrigo concert is a force to behold and through them I have been reliving the feeling of my first shows!
