Dear Friends of the ECR,

With the European Congress of Radiology 2015 now just around the corner, I hope you are looking forward to it as much as I am. As an attendee of every ECR over the last 25 years, I have seen the meeting evolve significantly. I have watched the crowds in the entrance hall and the audiences in the lecture rooms swell to a point where the ECR now regularly attracts more than 20,000 participants. I am confident that this year will be no exception, because the ECR’s deserved reputation is not only for high scientific quality but also for constant innovation in science, education, interactivity, and networking.

Many of you will already have received your congress badge in the post and will be patiently waiting for the moment you can proudly display it as you walk into the Austria Center Vienna. A lot of you have hopefully also made use of the Interactive Programme Planner to browse the sessions and posters on offer at ECR 2015 and to start planning your visit. If you’re not attending in person, you can still use it to start planning your online viewing, as most of the sessions will again be available on our streaming platform, ECR Live.

ECR 2015 Congress President, Prof. Bernd Hamm, from Berlin, Germany

An important development this year, which I hope will help to make that planning even easier, is the restructuring of the session formats. Most of the educational sessions at the ECR are now grouped under the heading of E³ – European Excellence in Education, and they are now arranged according to the different levels defined by the European Training Curriculum for Radiology. Here, I would like to introduce you to the five branches of the E³ programme, which reflect the different levels of education in radiology, as well as the different stages of an individual’s professional career:

Rising Stars
The Rising Stars programme is already well established at the ECR; it is a series of sessions prepared especially for residents, medical students, and radiographers in training. This year there are six basic sessions, four student sessions and four different hands-on workshops on ultrasound within the Rising Stars programme.
View the Rising Stars programme in the Interactive Programme Planner > here

European Diploma Prep Sessions
The European Diploma in Radiology (EDiR) is already very closely connected with the ECR, with diploma examinations taking place at each of the last few congresses. Now we will also offer sessions that have been specifically designed to help future EDiR candidates to prepare. The content of these programmes reflects level I and II of the European Training Curriculum and the EDiR courses have been put together in close cooperation with the European Board of Radiology.
View the European Diploma Prep Sessions in the Interactive Programme Planner > here

The Beauty of Basic Knowledge
This name will also be familiar to attendees of previous ECRs, as Beauty of Basic Knowledge sessions have been a popular part of the congress for several years. This part of the programme focuses on knowledge essential to the daily practice of radiology and is best suited to residents and board-certified radiologists.
View the Beauty of Basic Knowledge sessions in the Interactive Programme Planner > here

ECR Academies
Each one of the new ECR Academies consists of a series of sessions relevant to a particular area of radiology, spanning several days and covers different facets of the area in question. An ECR Academy is a coherent course, with the different sessions complementing one another to reflect the entirety of the field. They are suited to general and subspecialised radiologists, with the content mostly corresponding to level III of the European Training Curriculum.
View the ECR Academies in the Interactive Programme Planner > here

ECR Master Classes
The ECR Master Classes focus on continuous professional development and lifelong learning and are designed for participants and subspecialists seeking cutting-edge information in specific fields of interest. There will be one ECR Master Class offered for each subspecialty in radiology (level III and beyond), held by experts in the field and reflecting state-of-the-art knowledge, as well as emerging trends.
View the ECR Master Classes in the Interactive Programme Planner > here

This new structure is the result of intense exchange and excellent cooperation between the Congress Programme Planning Committee members and I am very much looking forward to seeing all this hard work and preparation come to fruition. I have no doubt that this will enhance the clarity of the ECR programme (for both participants and speakers) and make for a smoother experience, especially for the many delegates visiting the congress for the first time.

If you have seen the ECR 2015 poster, then you will know that the motto for this year’s congress is ‘radiology without borders’. Today, more than ever before, our specialty transcends the boundaries between countries. Wherever we are in the world, we have always been united by our profession and the effort we all make to drive our field forward, but now we are increasingly working together in a practical sense too; sharing information, learning directly from each other and literally helping each other. I think the ECR is the perfect reflection of this spirit. At the congress there are no boundaries; we are all united by our passion for the specialty.

Of course, there is more to the ECR than radiology. The opportunity to network, to catch up with old friends, and to make new connections is a key component too. This is why one of the highlights every year is the ECR Party. This year’s event, which I am very much looking forward to, will take place in Vienna’s wonderful Hofburg Palace, right in the centre of the city. Tickets are already available via the MyUserArea on the ESR website.

Whatever your plans for your visit, educationally, scientifically or socially, I offer you a very warm welcome to Vienna and I sincerely hope you will enjoy the congress. Most of all, I hope you will leave having gained new knowledge, some wonderful experiences and a real sense of ‘radiology without borders’.

Prof. Bernd Hamm,
ECR 2015 Congress President

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