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THE BULGARIAN SOCIETY OF PEDIATRIC OTORHINOLARINGOLOGY

IS FOUNDED ON 21.03.2017 IN THE CITY OF PLOVDIV.

THE SOCIETY HAS THE FOLLOWING GOALS:

APPROACHES AND MEANS FOR ACHIEVING THE GOALS:

  • Supporting the development, treatment and diagnostics of otorhinolaryngology and pediatric otorhinolaryngology in Bulgaria.
  • Promoting and supporting the development of the treatment of otorhinolaryngological and pediatric diseases in accordance with the latest achievements of world medicine.
  • Supporting the development and improvement of the professional qualification of Bulgarian otorhinolaryngologists, pediatricians, neonatologists, general practitioners.
  • Protection of the professional and social interests of the Bulgarian specialists in the field of otorhinolaryngology.
  • Support, development and professional realization of young specialists in the field of pediatric otorhinolaryngology.
  • Creation of prerequisites for the development and popularization of the latest achievements in the diagnostics and treatment in the field of otolaryngology and pediatric otorhinolaryngology.
  • Collaboration with other professional medical and pharmaceutical organizations in the country and abroad.
  • Development of the creative and scientific activities in the field of otolaryngology and pediatric otorhinolaryngology.
  • Participation in meetings, seminars, conferences, congresses, symposiums and other scientific events in the country and abroad.
  • Organization of local, national and international meetings, congresses, conferences, symposiums.
  • Organizing and participating in training courses and practical trainings in the field of otorhinolaryngology and pediatric otorhinolaryngology.
  • Issuing scientific studies in the field of otorhinolaryngology and pediatric otorhinolaryngology.
  • Conducting other activities that do not contradict the law and the Statute and are related to the goals of the Society.
  • Each member is obliged: To participate actively in the execution of the goals of the Society and to pay his/hers membership fees.
  • The new members are accepted by the Manager of the Society on the basis of a written request, with an explicit statement by the applicant that he/she accepts the Society’s goals.

 

BGSPO was established according to ESPO directive.

ESPO Membership: www.espo.eu.com/membership 

ESPO Juniors Membership www.espo.eu.com/espo-juniors

History of ESPO

By Martin Bailey

Martin Bailey, Secretary-General of ESPO, narrates the story of a society which has promoted and supported the development of paediatric otolaryngology in Europe.

In the early 1950s, pioneers in paediatric otorhinolaryngology became active in European countries such as Poland, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, the UK and France. At least four categories of medical practitioner – family doctors, paediatricians, otolaryngologists and paediatric otolaryngologists – were (and still are) involved at three levels of care: primary, secondary and tertiary. At that time there were obvious differences between countries in the level of care provided, and this was reflected in the number of paediatric otolaryngologists practising in each country.

In 1968, a small group of paediatric otolaryngologists in Italy (Carlo Gatti Manacini, Renato Fior and Giulio Pestalozza) took the initiative to organise a conference in Sirmione to share their experience and discuss potential innovations.

EWGPO

In 1977 a second meeting followed, organised by the same group: the official 1st World Congress of Pediatric ORL. At the end of this event, the European Working Group in Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology (EWGPO) was founded.

After the conference, Robert Pracy (who had been Conference Chairman), Giulio Pestalozza and Robert Ruben decided to begin a new peer-reviewed journal, the International Journal of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology. Manuscripts derived from conference presentations were selected for publication in the first and second editions of the journal. Under Editor-in-Chief, Robert Ruben, the journal has developed into a prominent forum to “concentrate and disseminate information concerning prevention, cure and care of otorhinolaryngological disorders in infants and children.”

In the years that followed, meetings of the EWGPO were held regularly in various countries, with local chairmen:

1979   Warsaw, Poland (Jan Danielewicz, Eva Kossowska)
1982   Bath, UK (Robert Pracy, John Evans)
1984   Sèvres (Paris), France (Philippe Narcy)
1986   Eger, Hungary (Jeno Hirschberg, Zoltan Labas)
1987   Nijmegen, Netherlands (Cor Cremers)
1988   Paris, France (Jacques Desnos)
1990   Ghent, Belgium (Paul van Cauwenberge)
1992   Sirmione, Italy (Renato Fior, Giulio Pestalozza)
1993   Jerusalem, Israel (Jacob Sade)
1994   Rotterdam, The Netherlands (Carel Verwoerd and Jetty Verwoerd-Verhoef)

ESPO

At the end of the Rotterdam meeting, Congress President, Carel Verwoerd, presented to the General Assembly a proposal to transform the Working Group into an official Society with Articles of Association (bylaws) and this was accepted by acclamation. The name was changed to the European Society of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology (ESPO) and the bylaws were ratified by notary in Rotterdam in 1997. The first official Board of ESPO consisted of Carel Verwoerd (President); Renato Fior (Secretary-General); Cor Cremers (Treasurer); Paul Van Cauwenberge (Past-President); Pekka Karma (President-Elect); and Jetty Verwoerd-Verhoef, (Member representative).

ESPO purpose and bylaws

ESPO is a non-profit organisation, exclusively performing charitable, scientific and educational activities.

The main purpose of ESPO (bylaws article 3) is to promote the quality of otorhinolaryngological care for children by:

  • Facilitating the dissemination of knowledge.
  • Facilitating scientific communication and collaboration among members and among the different disciplines in the treatment of otorhinolaryngologic disorders in children.
  • Supporting and promoting clinical and basic research.
  • Organising meetings at which those interested in paediatric ORL can discuss clinical practice and present research papers.
  • Promoting standards of professional practice.
  • Promoting the training of otorhinolaryngologists who are concerned with the care of children.

The council is the governing body of ESPO (bylaws article 12). Members are proposed by national ORL or paediatric ORL societies in Europe, and each country can have two representatives. Countries outside Europe may be represented in the council by liaison delegates. The first delegates appointed were Robin Cotton (USA), Kimitaka Kaga (Japan), Ajay Kothari (India) and Tania Sih (Brazil). Today, liaison delegates include representatives of the five other main regional paediatric ORL societies worldwide:

  • ANZSPO (Australian & New Zealand Society of Paediatric Otorhinolaryngology)
  • APOG (Asia-Pacific Pediatric Otolaryngology Group)
  • ASPO (American Society of Pediatric Otolaryngology)
  • IAPO (Interamerican Association of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology)
  • PENTAFRICA (Paediatric ENT Africa)

In 2006, minor changes were made to the bylaws and, most importantly, the original distinction between minor conferences and major congresses (held alternately) was abolished. The bylaws were subsequently updated in 2011 and again in 2018 as the society grew and expanded its activities.

“The next congress will be held in Marseille (23-26 May 2020) under the chairmanship of Jean-Michel Triglia, with the theme, ‘Transfers, Bridges and Frontiers in Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology.”

ESPO Congresses

After 1994 conferences and congresses were held in:

1996   Siena, Italy (Desiderio Passali, Luisa Bellussi)
1998   Helsinki, Finland (Pekka Karma)
2001   Graz, Austria (Heinz Stammberger)
2002   Oxford, UK (John Graham, Chris Raine, Martin Bailey)
2004   Athens, Greece (Nikola Simasko, Thomas Nikolopoulos)
2006   Paris, France (Noël Garabédian, Jean-Michel Triglia, Patrick Froehlich, Françoise Denoyelle)
2008   Budapest, Hungary (Gábor Katona, Zoltan Farkas)
2010   Pamplona, Spain (Javier Cervera, Manuel Manrique)
2012   Amsterdam, The Netherlands (Anne Schilder, Hans Hoeve, Maroeska Rovers)
2014   Dublin, Ireland (John Russell)
2016   Lisbon, Portugal (Jorge Spratley, Luisa Monteiro)
2018   Stockholm, Sweden (Ann Hermansson, Georgios Papatziamos, Richard Kuylenstierna)

The number of conference participants has steadily increased from around 70 in 1984 (Sèvres,Paris) to more than 1500 at the 2018 congress in Stockholm! It is the largest paediatric otorhinolaryngology meeting in the world, held in Europe every two years but with speakers and delegates drawn from around the globe. The next congress will be held in Marseille (23-26 May 2020) under the chairmanship of Jean-Michel Triglia, with the theme, ‘Transfers, Bridges and Frontiers in Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology’ (www.espo-2020.org).

“The number of participants has steadily increased from around 70 in 1984 to more than 1500 in 2018.”

ESPO membership

Otolaryngologists, other medical specialists and non-medically qualified professionals with a special interest in ORL care for children are eligible for membership and are most welcome to participate in congresses, meetings and training programmes. We currently have members from 51 countries around the world, and individuals can join ESPO online at

www.espo.eu.com/membership/join-us

– membership confers a significant discount on the registration fee for ESPO Congresses!