Professor Christian Maaser is the head of gastroenterology at the Lüneburg Ambulanzzentrum in Germany. He is a very experienced IBD specialist and has led many important studies in the field. He has been particularly active in developing the use of ultrasonography as a point of care test in the management of IBD patients. He is also the new Education Officer of ECCO, succeeding Gionata Fiorino. We are very honored and pleased to discuss with Christian his vision as Education Officer of ECCO.
First, could you please remind us of your professional situation and involvement in IBD?
The centre of my professional and family life is Lüneburg, a mid-size university town in northern Germany that is a 30-minute train ride from Hamburg. In Lüneburg I have two different jobs: I lead the gastroenterology outpatient department with a major focus on IBD and I am the acting chair of the medical department as well as chair of the department of geriatrics. My clinical and research focus is on the use of intestinal ultrasound to optimise IBD treatment and in this respect I co-founded IBUS.
Great, thank you. Could you also remind us of your previous experience and responsibilities in ECCO?
I started my ECCO career as a member of GuiCom and chaired the committee during the second half of my term. From GuiCom I moved on to EduCom, where I was mainly responsible for the imaging courses. I ended my term in GuiCom as a member of the ECCO 2022 Organising Committee. In the following years I continued my involvement in ECCO as tutor for the IUS imaging courses.
So you have already been very much involved in several projects with our society. What are the main educational challenges you see in the IBD Community?
The field of IBD diagnostic and treatment options is expanding rapidly, as is the workload for all members of a professional IBD team. The challenge is therefore to integrate all the available information into clear, accurate, personalised and accessible educational resources[RM2.1] across all levels—that is to say, for not only professionals but also for patients and the general public.
And how do you see the role of ECCO in this setting?
ECCO brings together IBD expertise from all relevant IBD teamplayers from all over Europe and beyond. The experts on the various committees and working groups evaluate the growing body of information, selecting the relevant new data and developments for inclusion in high-quality educational resources and up-to-date recommendations in ECCO Guidelines and Topical Reviews.
And what about the evolution of the educational mission of ECCO?
Many ECCO Educational Projects have started as a sort of appetiser and then evolved to offer more in-depth teaching and training with the aim of enabling participants to attain competency. I am absolutely thrilled by the many different ECCO educational options and tools that have been established and further optimised over the past years.
What will be your priority during your mission as Education Officer?
To help maintain the high quality of ECCO Educational and Guideline/Topical Review Projects while ensuring the integration of new educational modalities, allowing ECCO Education to become more personalised and accessible.
Thank you so much Christian. Are there any other things you wish to communicate?
Quality education is a team effort: New ideas on how to further optimise ECCO Education for the various IBD team members as well as for ECCO Guidelines and Topical Reviews are always welcome!
Thank you again, and all the best for your role as Education Officer of ECCO!
