12-11-2016

UEMS Council Autumn Meeting was held in Brussels, Belgium, on 20th –22nd October 2016. Four members of UEMS European Board of Dermatovenereology have participated the meeting – Past President M. Czarnecka-Operacz, Secretary D. Jasaitiene, members R. Strohal and U. Langle.

The most important documents approved during the UEMS Council Autumn Meeting are regarding UEMS Future structures, EACCME 2.0 and Update: UEMS-CESMA Guideline Appeal Procedure for European postgraduate medical assessments. These and other important documents are available online: https://www.uems.eu/media-and-library/documents/meeting-documents/meeting-brussels-2016

Our Section &Board actively participated meetings of Thematic Federation on Wound Healing and Multidisciplinary Joint Committee in Phlebology.

Report from Thematic Federation on Wound Healing (R.Strohal)
The UEMS Thematic Federation on wound healing held its kick off meeting on the 20th of October 2016 in Brussels. After a warm welcome by two of the UEMS vice presidents. the executive committee of the TF was elected. All positions were elected unanimously: Chairman: Prim. Prof. Dr. Robert Strohal, Secretary: Prof. Sorin Tiplica, Treasurer: Dr. Henneberg. Next, there was a discussion whether members of European Wound Healing Societies should be invited to the TF. There was consensus that the largest European Wound Healing Society, EWMA, can send a delegate defined by it´s board. The status of the delegate will be one of an observer without voting rights. With regard to an external secretariat there was again consensus that initially the executive committee should fulfill all the secretarial necessities. If then certain projects need additional help, it is possible to look for such an external secretariat. The situation of finances is satisfactory, as all the delegates get their travel costs refunded by either their medical associations or their UEMS Section. Again, if certain projects need more money a budget plan has to be developed allowing asking the sections or scientific societies for financial support. Then, the proposal for a physician related European curriculum on wound healing was discussed. In general, it was accepted. However, the delegates from the Section plastic surgery mentioned that their specific knowledge and clinical point of view is not enough represented in the curriculum. Consequently, a plan was delineated that the representatives of the Section plastic surgery will bring the curriculum to their Section in order to make the adequate changes. With regard to all other TF delegates, they get the curriculum personally and will organize potential changes. The deadline for a final curriculum is April 2017. In addition, the TF will develop a questionnaire (Lead: Prof. S.Tiplica) on the situation of wound healing in Europe. It is planed that this questionnaire should be send to the Medical Associations and the Sections after the next TF meeting. Deadline for finalizing the questionnaires is again April 2017. As it is of utmost importance that the inter-professional and interdisciplinary field of wound healing is correctly defined by the TF, a position paper should be developed. An initial proposal of the paper will be done by the chairman and send to the delegates for potential changes and finalization. The final position paper should be approved in the next meeting of the TF.

Report from MJC in Phlebology (R.Strohal)
On the 20th of October 2016 in Brussels, the second meeting of the MJC in phlebology took place. Since the last meeting a year ago, two major projects were finalized, i.e. the situation of phlebology in Europe and the curriculum for phlebology, and discussed initially in this meeting. A major step forward of the MJC is the plan to create a European Board of phlebology, which after various preparations should also hold the Board examinations in phlebology. Regarding this Board the question occurred, whether only MJC delegates should be part of that Board or, alternatively, also members of European Phlebology Societies should be invited. During the discussion it became clear, that, at least initially, the creation of the board out of MJC members only holds a lot of advantages. For that, a small task force has been created. 2 days after the MJC meeting, the plan to create such a Board was presented at the UEMS Council, which finally approved this project. Now, the next steps will cover the final definition of Board members and the creation of a phlebology knowledge base taken from the different specialties which perform phlebology, to serve as a templet for the questions of the Board examination.