Welcome by president ESDE - John V. Reynolds

As President of ESDE , it is my great honor and privilege to welcome you to our new Website on behalf of the Board. The current Board (2022-3) comprises Edoardo Savarino (General Secretary), Philippe Nafteux (Treasurer), Richard Van Hillegersberg, (Councilor and Chairman of the the ESDE Educational Committee, and Christiane Bruns, Suzanne Gizbertz, and Peter Siersema as Councilors, and Riccardo Rosati as immediate past president. Lucas Goense and Stella Mantziari represent the Trainee Chapter as Chairman and Vice-Chairman, respectively. All of us are committed to work to the misssion and ethos of the Society in providing education in all aspects of esophageal diseases, in development of Fellowship opportunities, and in fostering a spirt of great collegiality and partnership in Europe and internationally.

By way of brief history, presented in a wonderful lecture by Professor Toni Lerut, a founding father, at ESDE/Milan/2021, the origins and goals and constitution developed from the Groupe Europeen Etude Maladies Oesophage (GEEMO) which was founded on the 17th of September, 1980. In 2005 the name was changed to the European Society of Esophagology (Groupe d’Etude Europeen des Maladies de L’Oesophage), at this time the Board included esteemed leaders in esophagology including Professors Lundell, Zaninotto, Van Lanschot, Tack and Rosati. The current name, ESDE, was agreed in 2011 at the meeting in Newcastle, UK, in part to reflect the Affiliate Society identity of ESDE with ISDE. From the outset, the stated absolute governing principle was “ to create a study group aiming to promote progress in the pathology and therapy of different conditions of the esophagus in well defined fields”. This holds true today, and ESDE continues to seek membership, engagement and leadership from all the relevant disciplines, including surgery, gastroenterology, pathology, oncology, radiology, translational science, and allied health.

The new Website introduces some key developments. This will include a Members Only Page in addition to a general Homepage, this would have links to the minutes of meetings, and a directorate of members with contact details. In addition, there will be a link for the Trainee Chapter Group to develop their own goals and initiatives within ESDE. We are very grateful to Michel Kemp for the construction of the website, and to Richard Van Hillegersberg and Lucas Goense for providing oversight of the website for an initial 2 year period.

We are biased of course but the management of esophageal diseases, with all its technical, clinical and scientific challenges, and wonderful opportunites for innovation and scientific advance, has few rivals accross all of healthcare. This for most of you is the career you have chosen, so you agree. ESDE represents a relatively small but highly integrated community in Euope and indeed globally, and is very welcoming, all of us greatly look forward to interacting with you at Meetings. Webinars, and Workshops, and via the increasing numbers of collaborative networks that have developed from within this community.