Welcome!

On behalf of the Programme Organising Committee (POC), the Local Organising Committee (LOC) and the Czech Endocrine Society, it is my great honour and pleasure to invite you to Prague for the 49th Annual Meeting of the European Society for Paediatric Endocrinology (ESPE).

Our host city is the seat of the oldest university in Central Europe founded by King Charles IV in 1348. Our country is also known for being the birthplace of scientists and physicians who have contributed greatly to the achievements of medicine, including Gregor Mendel, Jan E. Purkinje and Sigmund Freud.

The theme of our meeting will be "Bridging Clinical Care and Basic Research". The plenary lectures, symposia, meet-the-experts and interactive sessions will aim to bring new data from the basic sciences to the clinician, as well as to stimulate discussion of topics needing future research both at the bench and in the clinics. We hope that you will appreciate this new symposia format and look forward to your feedback. The Prague meeting will also reflect the globalisation of our specialty, and aim to promote further collaboration among the sister societies through joint symposia. These symposia will provide a unique occasion to share medical experience from around the world, and help to elucidate the role of genetic heritage and different systems of health care delivery on disease phenotype and outcome.

The glass-walled Prague congress centre will give you a panoramic view of the city while attending the exhibitions, poster sessions and coffee breaks. However, we hope that you will also find the time to stroll along the streets, lanes and riversides of medieval Prague, to appreciate its rich history and architecture, as well as its specialty shops and restaurants.

I look forward to seeing you at the 49th Annual ESPE
Meeting in Prague!

Jan Lebl
President ESPE 2010