Ultraschall Med 2021; 42(04): 421-426
DOI: 10.1055/a-1544-4948
EFSUMB Newsletter

Presidential address

 

Dear members of EFSUMB, dear members of our European ultrasound family,

One month ago the General Assembly of our federation took place and elected the members of the Executive Bureau (ExB) and of the committees of EFSUMB. I really would like to thank all the delegates of our national societies for this really exciting election and for the trust you have placed in the newly elected members of EFSUMBs governing bodies.

Female leadership, democratic balance and future challenges

For the first time in the history of EFSUMB we will have a female president. Two strong and imaginative women have run for this position. I am very happy about this because this gives voice, weight and a face in the leadership of the EFSUMB to the many women who are advancing medical ultrasound in clinical practice and also scientifically in the countries of Europe. My warmest congratulations to Associate Professor Caroline Ewertsen, the new president elect of EFSUMB!

I am also happy that for two out of three positions in the Executive Bureau, there were two candidates for the delegates to choose between. This also required courage from the candidates and they stood for election not only as representatives of their national ultrasound societies, but also as personalities with their own particular visions for the future of the European ultrasound family. Important themes were openness to the different needs of our national and individual members, transparency, diversity, age and gender equality in the committees, but also uniformity in the professional standards across Europe. We will have to address these issues in the coming years and also respond to challenges. How to better balance the interests of the small member societies with those of the large ones such as DEGUM, SIUMB and BMUS, while following democratic principles? How to involve affiliated national societies and individual members in the decision-making processes of our Federation? How to attract new members especially in countries where there are no or only very small national ultrasound societies? How to satisfy the scientifically committed ultrasound experts and at the same time assist the many ultrasound practitioners in practices and hospitals who perform high-quality clinical ultrasound diagnostics with sometimes rather simple equipment and often under high time pressure? How do we want to continue to establish high-quality scientific guidelines in the future with scarce resources and independent of economic interests? How can we succeed in remaining a truly European Federation, but at the same time take into account the justified needs for further ultrasound training in countries also outside our continent where this is difficult? We will look for answers, among other things, by working out proposals for modifications with a new working group. For this we need constructive dialogue with our members. I therefore ask you all to share your ideas and suggestions and, of course, your criticism with us.


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EFSUMB Guidelines and Position Papers – a success story to be continued

Over the last two decades, high-quality guidelines and continuing education have become important, globally recognised trademarks of the EFSUMB, valued not only in Europe but worldwide. A series of 7 guidelines and position papers on gastrointestinal ultrasound have just been published under the leadership of our former president Professor Odd Helge Gilja. After the latest edition of the guidelines on contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) of the liver was designed under the umbrella of the WFUMB under the leadership of two former EFSUMB presidents (Professors Christoph F. Dietrich and Christian Nolsoe), the EFSUMB under the leadership of Professor Vito Cantisani has successfully taken up the exciting topic of adapting the radiological Bosniak classification for renal cysts to the superior temporal and spatial resolution of CEUS. The publication of EFSUMB guidelines on musculoskeletal ultrasound diagnostics and point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) is imminent. We will also soon publish a position paper, led by Professors Matthias Wüstner and Maija Radzina in collaboration between the EPSC and the EC, describing the uniform principles and quality criteria of professional ultrasound in Europe. We will follow up on this topic and describe and compare the different models by which medical ultrasound is practiced in Europe and beyond – everywhere with high quality and expertise, but by different professional groups: Clinicians of different specialisations, radiologists, sonographers and specialists in ultrasound diagnostics. Our past president Professor Paul S. Sidhu described ultrasound in 2015 as a multiparametric imaging modality that can go beyond morphological criteria to describe tissue properties such as elasticity, fat content, viscosity, vascularisation and perfusion. Consequently, our next major guideline project is dedicated to multiparametric ultrasound in pancreas, liver, thyroid, breast, testis and scrotum. There are many good ideas beyond that, we will see if we can muster the enthusiasm and strength to put it all into action in the next few years.

Not least due to the guidelines of the EFSUMB published predominantly in our journal "Ultrasound in Medicine/ European Ultrasound Journal” (EJU) and the formative activity of the EFSUMB representatives in the editorial board Professors Vito Cantisani and Paul S. Sidhu, the impact factor (IF) of the EJU has continuously improved in the past few years. On 1 July, 2021 we received the great news that the EJU has been documented as having a remarkably high perception in the world of science, with an IF of 6.56 (from 4.966 for 2019). Congratulations to the Thieme publishers, to our co-editors and to all who have contributed by publishing in EJU!


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Medical students – the future of ultrasound in Europe

Ultrasound has already found its way into the curricula at many universities in Europe. It is not only taught as a diagnostic modality, but also used to understand human anatomy and physiology on living humans and in real time. Medical students and young doctors are now learning ultrasound as part of the clinical examination and are enthusiastic advocates of the method. At our EUROSON congresses in recent years, they designed fantastic programmes of their own with a special touch. We also learn from them the use of social media for the dissemination and training of ultrasound, which thus becomes a truly democratic imaging modality. The Students Committee has beaten all click records on the EFSUMB website with its unique “Image Challenge”, making our federation known and attractive to young medical professionals. This is very much appreciated. Together with the WFUMB, we have launched webinars for medical students in 2021 and want to take up further ideas from the students, especially to establish innovative, contemporary teaching formats for medical students and young doctors. In future, the honorary secretary of the EFSUMB, Professor Helmut Prosch, will therefore provide special support to the Student Committee as an ex-officio member. The Student Committee is also open to the co-option of further student comrades-in-arms from the countries of Europe in order to give this important work a broader platform.


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50th years anniversary: a look back and ahead

The 11 February, 2022, marks the 50th anniversary of the founding of EFSUMB. We can look back on those five decades with pride. A rather small group of enthusiasts who met in Basel in February 1972 has grown into a society with a strong membership, which despite political upheavals, in different political systems and under very different economic conditions, and in the face of the rise of other imaging modalities, has defied numerous centrifugal forces and grown together into a strong-minded, lively, discussion-ready and influential European Ultrasound Family. EFSUMB in 2021 is a strong player in the European scientific and educational landscape. But the anniversary is also an occasion to pause, to reflect and to learn from the good and bad experiences of these 50 years of family history. Not all founding societies are still full members of the EFSUMB. The SGUM, whose predecessor society had been invited to the founding meeting, is no longer a full member of the EFSUMB. Belgium and Finland are no longer represented by national ultrasound societies in the EFSUMB. We have had wins and successes but have also suffered losses and setbacks. Some conflicts have accompanied us for more than 50 years. We want to build on the success story of these 50 years by learning from both: from the achievements and progress, but also from the mistakes of this multi-faceted family history. Our next EUROSON Congress from 25–28 May 2022 in Timisoara, jointly organised with WFUMB and the Romanian Ultrasound Society, will provide good opportunities to review 50 years of EFSUMB from different perspectives. I call on all member societies and members of the EFSUMB to add their national ultrasound histories to the “History of Ultrasound” section of our website. Also help us by sending interesting historical ultrasound images from your collections to create an Anniversary Ultrasound Quiz for the Congress in Timisoara. Other material for an anniversary brochure, such as photos of historical ultrasound equipment, anecdotes from 50 years of EFSUMB and memories of the highlights of the major European ultrasound congresses are also very welcome! I personally hope that an ebbing of the COVID pandemic will enable us to have a successful live 33 rd EUROSON in Timisoara 2022 and to meet again in person. I wish the team around Professor Alina Popescu a good preparation of the joint WFUMB and EFSUMB congress and assure the Romanian ultrasound society and the local organising team our support to the best of our abilities.


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Thanks and requests

The past 1 ½ years have been strongly influenced by the COVID pandemic. Among others, we have learned one thing in particular: of course, travel educates, but there are also efficient and ecological alternatives for exchanging opinions and constructively working together. Zoom, WebEx, Microsoft Teams and other tools have partly made air travel superfluous. But it was a tough time for many international and national professional societies, including EFSUMB. I would like to express my sincere thanks to Professor Adrian Saftoiu who, as President of our Society, has led our Federation with wisdom, skill and confidence during this difficult time. He has certainly had one of the most difficult presidencies in the history of the EFSUMB and has handled it with flying colours. Thank you Adrian! Professor Paul S. Sidhu has retired from the EFSUMB ExB after 8 successful years of excellent work, marked by important guidelines under his leadership, diplomatic skills in the discussions about the balance within our Federation and far-sighted decisions for the future of EFSUMB. Thank you too, Paul, and congratulations to your election to the WFUMB ExB! And one remains, thankfully, without whom EFSUMB would be difficult to imagine, Lynne Rudd, the organising force and pacesetter for ExB and Committees. Thank you for being with us, Lynne! I would also like to thank another important woman at the side of EFSUMB, Suzanne Cain. You will all have noticed: the EFSUMB website has become better, faster, more beautiful and more secure – and it is accessed hundreds of thousands of times worldwide. But I would also like to thank all of you from so many European countries and beyond who have guaranteed the vitality of the EFSUMB as members and through active participation in committees and guideline groups, as speakers at congresses and in webinars, and as sponsors. I would like to ask you all to support and critically accompany the representatives of the member societies as well as the individual members, the EFSUMB and the newly elected ExB on our way to closer and more respectful cooperation, democratic federation culture, diversity, open discussion approaches and transparency. Together with you, we want to further advance ultrasound in Europe in the multi-parametric orchestra of imaging modalities.

On behalf of the EFSUMB ExB.


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EFSUMB Executive Bureau 2021–2023

PRESIDENT

Christian Jenssen

PRESIDENT ELECT

Caroline Ewertsen

PAST PRESIDENT

Adrian Săftoiu

HONORARY SECRETARY

Helmut Prosch

HONORARY TREASURER

Vito Cantisani

CO-OPTED

Alina Popescu

CO-OPTED

Adrian Lim


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Education and Professional Standards Committee 2021–2023

CHAIR

Matthias Wüstner

MEMBER

Alina Popescu

MEMBER

Liat Appelbaum

MEMBER

Vladimir V. Miktov

MEMBER

Arturas Samuilis

MEMBER

Gonçalo Ramos

EX-OFFICIO MEMBER

Caroline Ewertsen

CO-OPTED

Fernando Alfageme Roldan

CO-OPTED

Jay Shyamal Chotai


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Publications Committee 2021–2023

CHAIR

Julian Künzel

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EDITOR Case of the Month

Zeno Sparchez

EDITOR Nesletter

Malene Roland

MEMBER

Maria del Mar Pérez

MEMBER

Rosa Coelho

MEMBER

Viktors Linovs

EX-OFFICIO MEMBER / EFSUMB EJU EDITOR

Vito Cantisani


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Safety Committee 2021–2023

CHAIR

Christian Kollmann

SECRETARY

Klaus-V. Jenderka

LITERATURE SECRETARY

Carmel Moran

MEMBER

Susana Marques

MEMBER

Panos Antsaklis

MEMBER

Fernando Jimenez


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Student Committee 2021–2023

MEMBER

Flávio Pereira

MEMBER

Emilia von Bohlen und Halbach

MEMBER

Daniele Fresilli


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Christian Jenssen, President

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Publication History

Article published online:
03 August 2021

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Fig. 19 csdcd