ESCP is delighted to have been able to increase the amount of fellowship support offered through the Society over the past 12 months, with ten new fellowships being offered in 2013. Since the start of 2012, a total of 21 three-month fellowships have been offered, made possible through grants from Medtronic and Covidien, together with funds from ESCP’s Training and Education fund.
The purpose of the fellowships is to provide young surgeons with an opportunity to visit clinical, teaching and research centres with scientific merit in the field of Coloproctology in a different country in Europe.
Reports from four ESCP fellows who completed their fellowships between January and June 2013 are presented below:
Luana Franceschilli
from University of Rome "Tor Vergata", Rome, Italy
visited Churchill Hospital, Oxford, UK under the direction of Ian Lindsey
My three months fellowship at Churchill Hospital in Oxford was a great and exiciting experience. I learned so many different treatment options for pelvic floor disorders and I was actively involved in various surgical procedures.Thanks to the kindness and availability of all my Colorectal Consultants and my fellow collegues, I took part in day-to-day activities in the colorectal department. I met a lot of wonderful people that made my stay memorable.
Luana presented briefly on her fellowship experience at the ESCP meeting in Belgrade in September 2013
Thomas Golda
from Hospital Universitari de Bellvitge, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
visited Academisch Medisch Centrum, Amsterdam, Holland under the direction of Willem Bemelman
Longum iter est per praecepta, breve et efficax per exempla.
(Seneca, Epistulae morales ad Lucilium I, 6)
Long is the journey through studying advice, efficient and short through examples.
As an ESCP fellow I feel very honoured to have had the chance to observe, learn and get hands on in the Academisch Medisch Centrum in Amsterdam. Professor Dr. Bemelman and his team shared with me not only their highlights and best results, but also focused on discussions about scientific and practical issues and the entire team offered insights into inflammatory bowel disease, malignancy and functional disorders. I am deeply grateful to him and his team.
My appreciation also goes to the ESCP and the funding company for the opportunity of this fellowship. Besides learning and studying from examples, it allows to connect ideas, research and daily work across our continent, and above all to create networks with other European colleagues.
Last but not least I feel very lucky to have had this three month inside-out experience and I am thankful to my own institution for taking over the burden of my daily work meanwhile.
Thomas presented briefly on his fellowship experience at the ESCP meeting in Belgrade in September 2013
Sonia Lockwood
from Northern General Hospital, Sheffield, UK
visited Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark, under the direction of Søren Laurberg
The European Society of Coloproctology Surgical Fellowships have an excellent reputation for providing high quality fellowships in the field of colorectal surgery, thereby promoting and supporting postgraduate surgical training opportunities across Europe. I was fortunate enough to receive a 3 month fellowship from the ESCP to take place in Aarhus, Denmark in the spring 2013. The ESCP fellowship in Aarhus sponsored by Covidien is a 3-month comprehensive, ‘hands on’ clinical fellowship program at one of the largest hospitals in Denmark. My aims and expectations were to gain experience and expertise in complex proctology, pelvic floor and functional colorectal surgery in an internationally recognised pelvic floor unit. The fellowship is managed under the auspice of Professor Søren Lauberg, Professor of Colorectal Surgery and the attachment and clinical preceptorship is with Dr Steen Buntzen, Dr Lilli Lundby and Dr Peter Christensen of the anorectal physiology department [...read full report]
Sonia presented briefly on her fellowship experience at the ESCP meeting in Belgrade in September 2013
Giedre Rudinskaite
from Vilnius University, Institute of Oncology, Vilnius, Lithuania
visited, Royal Marsden Hospital, London, UK, under the direction of Paris Tekkis
I am in the middle of the second week of my 3 month Covidien fellowship at the Royal Marsden Hospital in London. At this world-leading cancer centre, I had extremely busy first week under the supervision of colorectal surgeon Prof. Paris Tekkis.
I had pleasure of assisting in operations with the big sophisticated multidisciplinary surgical team (together with urologists and plastic surgeons) and to observe the surgical technique of Prof. P. Tekkis and his team, which is of the highest excellence. Some of the interesting operations which were done included: total pelvic exanteration; abdominoperineal resection with coccygectomy and rectus abdominis muscle flap perineal reconstruction; low anterior rectal resection with resection of right ureter, right seminal vesicles, deferent duct and resection of anterior division of internal iliac artery; extended superior rectal resection with acendorectostomiam (twisted colon).
The colorectal unit at RMH is a perfect example of multidisciplinary team work. 15 cases were discussed and the treatment plan was made at a colorectal Multidisciplinary Meeting, which takes place weekly under the supervision of Prof P. Tekkis, Prof. A. Darzi and Prof. D. Cunningham.
I also observed 10 colonoscopies, 2 of them with biopsies of polyps, 1 polypectomy and 2 bandings of hemorrhoids. Two days per week there is an outpatients colorectal clinic, where we examine primary and follow up on cancer patients.
I want to thank Prof. P. Tekkis and all his team for kindness and hospitality. I am sure that all time that I am going to spend at The Royal Marsden Hospital will be highly valuable to my future carrier and professional development.
Giedre presented briefly on her fellowship experience at the ESCP meeting in Belgrade in September 2013