On 10-11/5/2024, the course of the 5th unit of the 2nd semester of the Postgraduate Program on the topic of "Rectal Cancer" was held online with very important presences: Paris Tekkis, Albert Wolthuis, Antonino Spinelli. These are surgeons who lead developments at an international level and therefore their participation is a special honor for the Postgraduate Program "Colorectal Surgery" and by extension for the Department of Medicine of the University of Thessaloniki.
On 8-10/3/2024, in the context of the theoretical courses of the MSc on the topic of "Colorectal Cancer", we were honored with their presence by Werner Hohenberger, Michel Adamina, Claus Bertelsen, all of them great personalities, with a huge contribution to the international bibliography, but also to the shaping of surgical practice in the treatment of colorectal cancer. And all of them prominent members of the European Society of Colon and Proctology (ESCP) with long-standing active participation in the training programs of young surgeons under the auspices of ESCP. Warm thanks and immense gratitude! After the course, a dinner was provided to all the official guests.
A fantastic two-day training course was held in Athens on 16-17/12/2022 as part of the 3rd semester of the Postgraduate Program "Colorectal Surgery" for the students' internship, in collaboration with the non-profit organization NoDE Institute and HYGEIA Hospital.
Its duration was 2 days and the internship was divided as follows:
The first day included practical training in Special Simulators. The students were divided into groups of 5 and 6 people and each group went through the following training stations during the day:
The skills achieved by the students are:
The second day It included performing laparoscopic colectomies (right and left colectomy), laparoscopic enterectomy, low anterior resection and laparoscopic anastomosis on human cadaveric models by the trainees under the guidance of experienced instructors.
The purpose of the training program and internship was the coordinated learning of the aforementioned techniques by the participating students of the Postgraduate Program, so that they would be able to reproduce these procedures on patients under real conditions.
Upon successful completion of the internship, the students were trained in performing the following procedures:
We warmly thank Mr. Konstantinos Mavrantonis, surgeon and Director of the 6th Surgical Clinic of HYGEIA for the impeccable organization and hospitality, as well as the participating surgeon instructors from Larissa, the Director of the Postgraduate Medical School Mr. Georgios Tzovaras, Mr. Ioannis Balogiannis and Mr. Dimitrios Symeonidis, valuable collaborators of the Postgraduate Medical School.
At the scheduled swearing-in ceremonies of the Department of Medicine of the University of Thessaloniki, amidst an atmosphere of emotion and joy, our beloved students received their Master's Degrees.
The swearing-in ceremonies took place in person at the “Ippokrates” Amphitheater of the Department of Medicine of the University of Thessaly in Larissa, with a simultaneous online broadcast for the students’ relatives. Also, the summer swearing-in ceremony took place at the Alcazar Garden Theater in Larissa, where a large crowd attended the ceremony.
We congratulate the students of the postgraduate program "Colorectal Surgery" for obtaining their degree and wish them a good career and every success in their lives!!!
At the scheduled swearing-in ceremonies of the Department of Medicine of the University of Thessaloniki, amidst an atmosphere of emotion and joy, our beloved students received their Master's Degrees.
The swearing-in ceremonies took place in person at the “Ippokrates” Amphitheater of the Department of Medicine of the University of Thessaly in Larissa, with a simultaneous online broadcast for the students’ relatives. Also, the summer swearing-in ceremony took place at the Alcazar Garden Theater in Larissa, where a large crowd attended the ceremony.
We congratulate the students of the postgraduate program "Colorectal Surgery" for obtaining their degree and wish them a good career and every success in their lives!!!
On the occasion of the completion of the 2nd Semester, there was also a social event with the participating students and some of the lecturers of the Postgraduate Program. It was a very nice evening, where we had the opportunity to talk, relax, have fun and get to know each other even better outside of the classrooms.
Presentation of Diploma Theses of the Postgraduate Students. We thank all the members of the three-member committees for their participation, guidance and valuable assistance to our students. Congratulations to all the children!!! We sincerely wish them a good career and all the best in their lives!!!
During the 2nd Semester, we had the great pleasure of hosting prominent personalities from abroad in the postgraduate courses. These are surgeons/centers that lead developments at an international level and chart a strategy in the surgical treatment of colon cancer, and therefore their participation is a special honor for the postgraduate course "Colorectal Surgery" and by extension for the Department of Medicine of the University of Thessaloniki.
A great honor for us was the personal visit of Professor W. Hohenberger (Erlangen, Germany), a great figure in the international arena of colorectal surgery, the surgeon who invented, described and disseminated the technique of complete mesenteric resection (CME) for colorectal cancer and spoke extensively about the technique.
Professor Claus Anders Bertelsen (Copenhagen, Denmark) participated online with an important role in the educational program of the European Society of Coloproctology (ESCP), where he described the laparoscopic version of CME colectomy.
Prof Paris Tekkis, Royal Marsden Hospital, Imperial College, London presented the latest views on the treatment of locally advanced rectal cancer and the strategy for treating recurrences, and Prof Albert Wolthuis, University Hospital of Leuven, Belgium presented all the details of TaTME, a new laparoendoscopic technique for the treatment of rectal cancer, a technique in which his department is a pioneer.
Finally, Senior Lecturer C. Kontovounisios (Royal Marsden, London, UK) and close collaborator of the internationally recognized Prof P. Tekkis, referred to the use of robotic techniques in colorectal cancer.
The postgraduate students of the MSc had the opportunity to attend excellent presentations, accompanied by impressive corresponding videos from scientists who are at the forefront of the topics they developed.
For yet another academic cycle of studies, the courses of the 1st and 2nd Semesters were held with great success. The courses were implemented in a hybrid manner, in person and remotely for our very distant students. We had the honor and pleasure once again, to have distinguished Professors and Instructors with extensive scientific experience in the field of Colorectal and Rectal Surgery participate, both from Greece and abroad. Our students followed the entire process with great zeal and appetite, gaining knowledge and experiences beneficial for their professional career!
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