Dear Friends and Colleagues,
The forthcoming congress is a very important landmark in the history of European trauma-and emergency surgery, because it is the first congress organized by our new European society, ESTES. As most of you know by now, at the 8:th European Trauma Congress in Graz May 2007, the two big European trauma societies, ETS and EATES, merged into one society, the European Society for Trauma and Emergency Surgery = ESTES.
This merging process was initiated in 2004 and could after discussions in a very constructive atmosphere be finalised earlier than anticipated. In Graz, an interim board including the boards of the old societies was appointed to run the new society until the Budapest congress where a new, common board will be elected. The tasks of the interim board have been to settle the bylaws for the new society, make decisions with regard to registration and administrative organization, prepare for the election of the common board and, of course, support the organization of the first congress of the society in Budapest.
The advantages of merging into one society are apparent: The new society will be very strong with more than 5000 members, covering the whole of Europe with a great potential to significantly influence the development of trauma-and emergency surgery in Europe with regard to organisation, education and training, and development and research. One strong society also has a better possibility to get a political impact within the health care sector with regard to promotion of these fields. It also increases the possibilities to organise attractive meetings, and to attract sponsorship.
The former EATES (the European Association for trauma and Emergency Surgery) has brought into the new society the field of emergency surgery, which to an increasing extent today is promoted together with trauma into one entity with advantages for both fields. ETS (the European Trauma Society) brings in the important connection with the national trauma societies, and strengthening of the profile of skeletal trauma. Considering this together, the conditions for making the new society strong and successful in promoting these fields in Europe are very good.
We hope that this first congress of ESTES will reflect this positive development and attract many of our members to attend, and also contribute by submitting abstracts for presentation as free papers or posters. Do not forget that membership of the society – especially individual membership- includes several advantages, among those a significantly lower congress fee, so this is a good opportunity to be a member!
On behalf of our new society and of our local organisers, it an honour and a pleasure for us to welcome you to Budapest, and we hope that you will have a both pleasant and professionally fruitful stay with us!
 Otmar Trentz President former ETS |
 Sten Lennquist President former EATES |
Welcome by the Congress Presidents
Dear Colleagues,
The
Hungarian Trauma Society (HTS) is honoured to organise the 9th European
Congress of Trauma and Emergency Surgery in co-operation with the European
Society for Trauma and Emergency Surgery (ESTES) from May 24 - 27, 2008.
Returning to the location of the very first Trauma Congress, it will again take place in Budapest, the capital of Hungary, now a member state of the European Union.
We wish to invite all organisations, institutions and professions involved in casualty treatment and traumatology, i.e. trauma surgeons, orthopaedic surgeons, general surgeons, anaesthesists, intensive care therapists, emergency physicians, neurosurgeons, thorax and abdominal surgeons and casualty rehabilitation specialists, to register and attend this congress. We also welcome and count on the attendance of financing and managing experts of these fields. This Meeting is an occasion for all participants to co-operate in order to improve the standards of casualty treatment. Therefore, we have chosen “SYNERGY” as motto of the Congress. A wide range of topics will be addressed, and all participants are invited to give lectures or to present posters. The organisers are firmly resolved to extend young colleagues’ knowledge by offering instructional courses and plenary sessions. Thus, we would like to call on our more experienced colleagues to support their young, enthusiastic and devoted colleagues so that they can participate in this most important congress.
We look forward to welcoming you to Budapest, which offers marvellous sights, culinary pleasures as well as colourful folklore events.
I am certain that in addition to the professional programme, the social programmes will guarantee that we all have a good time together in Hungary.
Péter Fröhlich, Congress President
The European Association for Trauma and Emergency Surgery (EATES) and the European Trauma Society (ETS) have bestowed on me a great honor by agreeing to choose me as the EATES co-president of the upcoming 9th European Congress for Trauma and Emergency Surgery to be held in Budapest, May 24-27, 2008.
Due to the enormous efforts undertaken by the members of the EATES board under the direction of the past president Ari Leppaniemi (Helsinki, Finland) to rebuild and strengthen the organizational structure as well as the diplomacy, characteristic of the new president of EATES, Sten Lennquist (Linköping, Sweden), and the General Secretary, Korhan Taviloglu (Istanbul, Turkey), the consensus of the members of both executive boards that met in May 2007 in Graz, Austria, we now all proudly belong to one new society, the European Society for Trauma and Emergency Surgery, or ESTES.
It is therefore with great pleasure, with my co-presidents Professors Omar Trentz and Janos Simonka, that we welcome you to what will be the first official joint meeting of both societies under the new name of European Society for Trauma and Emergency Surgery.
Abe Fingerhut, Congress Co-President