From the President of EFIC®
Dear Friends and Colleagues!
It is my pleasure and my privilege to invite you to participate in the “7th Pain in Europe Congress” of the European Federation of IASP Chapters (EFIC®) that is going to take place in Hamburg/Germany from 21st to 24th September 2011.
Growing steadily from its founding days in 1993, EFIC has become an internationally renowned federation and the European voice of pain researchers and those who are treating pain patients across Europe.
Today, EFIC is a large multidisciplinary and multi-professional organization in the field of pain medicine, representing 35 National Pain Societies and some 20,000 pain researchers, physicians, nurses, psychologists, physiotherapists and other healthcare professionals from 35 countries.
The last congresses of EFIC in Istanbul and Lisbon have shown that the international reputation of EFIC reaches far beyond Europe, and the Pain in Europe VII Congress in Hamburg will build up on this reputation and expand it even further.
The Scientific Program Committee (SPC) chaired by Martin Koltzenburg has prepared an excellent and challenging program which broadly covers our field and will provide new insights into basic science, clinical research and therapeutic interventions. State-of-the-art plenary presentations by leading experts, topical seminars on important aspects of current research and pain management, and daily poster presentations will encourage an interactive and inspiring exchange between participants. Together with the comprehensive industrial exhibition and the sponsored satellite symposia this program will make the EFIC Pain in Europe VII Congress a highly innovative and informative venue for clinical research and for the practicing physician.
Last but not least, EFIC congresses have always been known as an effective opportunity for meeting friends and colleagues, and for networking among scientists and clinicians from all over Europe.
On behalf of EFIC, I would like to encourage and to welcome you to take part and benefit from attending this major pain congress in 2011.
We all hope to see you in Hamburg!
Prof. Hans Georg Kress
President of EFIC
From The Chairman Of The Scientific Programme Committee |
Dear Friends and Colleagues,
On behalf of the scientific program committee it gives me pleasure to invite you to participate in “Pain in Europe VII”, in Hamburg, Germany on September 21-24, 2011.
Pain in Europe has emerged as one of the premier international conferences of the field and the meeting in Hamburg reflects this achievement by moving to a biannual conference cycle. It will be a showcase in Europe of the very best that research and education has to offer in this important scientific and clinical area.
Pain impacts on all branches of medicine, and research of its causes has evolved as an exciting area in the main stream of science, which attracts an ever growing number of researchers and clinicians with diverse professional backgrounds. This reflects the belief that causes of pain are very diverse, that pain relief remains one of the global unmet medical needs and that the effective future treatments for our patients will be underpinned by world class science. The conference will be a multi-disciplinary event covering the breadth of the field – from molecular and cellular biology, to systems neuroscience, to clinical and psychological diagnosis and treatments.
Progress in the field is made at an ever accelerating pace and the conference will provide extensive learning opportunities to catch up with the latest developments. Refresher courses, will provide an opportunity to hear and meet experts and will be equally informative for participants who attend their first pain meeting as well as a for key opinion leaders who want to brush up on their knowledge outside their own area of specialisation. The conference will have a strong translational theme and at least one plenary lecture on each day will cover the latest discoveries in science and current advances in evidence-based pain therapy. When you leave Hamburg you will be able to use newly acquired knowledge straight away in your daily practice at the bench or at the bedside.
The scientific organizers are committed to provide researchers who are early in their career with an opportunity to present their work in topical workshops. There are also dedicated events for junior researchers to meet leaders of the field in an informal setting. Workshops will provide themed presentations of invited speakers and forums of discussion. There will be considerable emphasis on the free poster sessions which will not clash with other conference events and profit from the spacious halls of the venue. A novel feature of the conference will include the opportunity to disseminate posters electronically thereby ensuring that the information and the effort that goes into their presentation is not limited to the exposure on the day but will reach a wider audience.
The conference venue is in the heart of Hamburg, Germany’s cool city of the north and harbour to the world. The title of Freie und Hansestadt (Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg as it is locally known) pays tribute to the proud history of independence, trade, exploration and openness to the world. It will give you the opportunity to sample urban life within a short stroll from the beautiful lakes of the city.
We very much look forward to seeing you in Hamburg!
Prof. Martin Koltzenburg
Chairman of the Scientific Committee |