letter from executive board

Dear Colleagues,

On behalf of the board of directors of ESRA and members of the organizing committee it is our pleasure to introduce the XXVII Annual ESRA Congress, which will be held in Genoa, Italy from Sept 24 -27 , 2008. Indeed it is an honour for us to be able to host this congress in Genoa for the first time.

Since its foundation in 1980, ESRA has sought to associate and affiliate into one organization all anaesthesiologists, physicians and scientists who are engaged in, or interested in, the techniques of regional anaesthesia for surgery, obstetrics, pediatrics and pain control.

As in the highly successful 2007 Valencia Congress, the focus of the scientific programme will be on state of the art presentations in our field as well as new insights into basic science, clinical research and therapeutic interventions. The scientific standard at the annual ESRA congress is recognised as one of the best in the world and as a result carries a high rating with the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education, who now assign credit hours to all ESRA congresses.

The scientific committee are currently developing a programme that will consist of refresher course lectures, symposia, pro/con debates, panel discussions, luncheon sessions, workshops including cadaver workshops and of course the opportunity for free paper and poster presentations. Residents will be able to submit their papers for inclusion into the ESRA Resident Best Free Paper & ESRA Resident Best Poster Award competitions.

For those participants who successfully completed the first part (written exam) of the ESRA Diploma in Valencia, 2007 the second part (practical) will take place during the Genoa congress along with the written exam for those who wish to register for the Certified ESRA Diploma on Regional Anaesthesia. Full details on the requisites for attendance along with registration information can be found on the congress website at www.kenes.com/esra

We very much hope you will join us in Genoa 2008, one of the most beautiful and picturesque port cities in Italy.