I would like to thank the Scottish Radiological Society (SRS) for awarding me the scholarship to assist towards my expenses to attend this year’s Annual Congress of the European Society of Musculoskeletal Radiology (ESSR) which was held in York, UK, from the 18th to the 20th of June 2015.
The ESSR Annual Congress is one of the largest dedicated musculoskeletal (MSK) imaging meetings in the Europe, which attracts more than 700 delegates from all around the world. The 2015 ESSR Annual Meeting and refresher course took the shoulder joint as its theme. The refresher course was delivered by renowned speakers from across the world. The lectures ran concurrently as two parallel sessions. One was dedicated to shoulder imaging and included discussion of all normal anatomy and pathological conditions affecting the shoulder. Along with lectures by radiologists, specialist shoulder surgeons were invited to provide a clinical perspective. The second stream covered a wide range of more general themes in MSK radiology including arthritis, metabolic conditions, trauma, tumours and sports imaging. I found the arrangement was useful that I was able to move freely between the two streams to tailor the course to my individual needs and learning requirements.
Apart from the refresher course, there were also scientific sessions for selected papers and electronic poster presentations. I felt privileged to be able to share the findings of my research work and at the same time admiring and studying the work from others.
In addition, a dedicated one-day Musculoskeletal Shoulder Ultrasound Course was offered and I felt lucky that I managed to get a place due to the limited spaces available. The course consisted of lectures, live demonstrations, and small group hands-on tutorial workshops taught by internationally-recognised experts in the field. The course content was excellent and really enhanced my understanding and improved my confidence in performing shoulder ultrasound.
The venue was perfect for the scale of the meeting whilst York itself is a pleasant city and is renowned for its exquisite architecture, tangle of quaint cobbled streets, iconic York Minster and wealth of visitor attractions.
There was also ample opportunity to explore the city around the meeting, which has made my trip even more enjoyable.
Overall, the ESSR Annual Congress was an unforgettable experience and a fantastic platform that allowed me to present my work. As an aspiring MSK radiologist, the meeting provided me with an invaluable learning opportunity. I strongly encourage others to attend and to strive to get their research presented at the ESSR, especially to Radiology trainees with MSK interest.
Dr. Phey Ming Yeap
ST4 Clinical Radiology (East of Scotland)
Dundee