Message from President

President's message - December 2016

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Dear friends and colleagues,

How quickly the months slip by, is it really 3 months since the ESID 2016 in Barcelona? I am sure you would want to join with me in thanking everyone who worked so hard to make this such a wonderful meeting. There were over 2400 delegates, more abstracts,  and more discoveries than ever before, but over and beyond this I was so encouraged by the way so many people came to so many sessions, and that there was such lively debate and discussion. The educational day was very strongly supported with very positive feedback. I was both humbled and delighted that one very long standing and senior member of our society said that this was the best immunology meeting they had ever been to. However we do not want to be complacent even after such a successful meeting, and the board will be looking at the feedback very carefully when we meet next month, and do let us know via the secretariat if you have some specific suggestions or comments. We very much value such feedback. The autumn has also been busy with the assessment of the proposed European Reference Network for rare immune disorders. The review was exacting, detailed and in parts challenging, but I am pleased to report that the preliminary report is very good, and that "RITA" seems to have got through to the next stage. We will hear more early in the new year, but are already making plans to  enhance the activities of our  working parties, and in particular the clinical, registry, BMT  and genetic working parties, so that ESID to lead the way in ensuring equal access to high quality diagnosis and treatment for PID patients across Europe. We have very much appreciated  the partnership of colleagues  from IPOPI, as  Medics, scientists, nurses and patients working together will greatly enhance the value of this project.

I am very much looking forward to 2017 with all the opportunities it presents; the new educational platform, the special meeting focused on immune dysregulation in Edinburgh in September, and with it some the opportunity for further excellent educational sessions. Our new board members are bringing even more new ideas  for research and innovation, improving diagnosis and  treatment, and finding better ways to work together within ESID ; how exciting and what a privilege to find ourselves in such a great community in the midst of such a  rapidly moving field!

With my very best wishes for Christmas and the New Year.

Prof. Andrew Cant (ESID President) on behalf of the ESID Board