President’s report
With the hospitality of the sunny and lively city of Barcelona and our enthusiastic Hostess, Ana Giménez-Arnau, and under the Honorary Presidency of Agustin Alomar and Luis Conde-Salazar, the ESCD welcomes you all to the 12th Congress, to be held at Palau de Congress, from 24 to 28th June 2014.
An exciting social programme is being prepared for all of you with a welcome reception with the sounds of the Barcelona Guitar Orchestra. A Congress dinner will be held in the magnificent gardens of the Hotel Juan Carlos for which more than 100 participants have already registered.
The Scientific Committee has prepared a fascinating programme with sessions covering all fields of contact dermatitis and contact allergy (6 plenary lectures, 14 focus sessions, 8 “Breakfast with the expert”, 6 interactive workshops, 3 satellite symposia, 3 sessions for oral communications, 3 for case reports and 2 for short poster presentation and an interactive poster viewing session).
Moreover, a Pre-Congress Symposium on “Contact dermatitis: from the molecule and basic science to the safety of consumers” and a Course on “How to test your patient – Insides of Cutaneous Provocation Test” will be held on the 1st day, after a slot reserved for the CILAD (Collegium Ibero-Latin American of Dermatology) for Portuguese/Spanish speaking countries and another parallel space for the French-speaking group REVIDAL/GERDA (Groupe d´Etude et de Recherche en Dermato-Allergologie).
More than 250 abstracts have been received, 12 were selected for focus session, 29 for oral case reports, 24 for oral communication and 50 for poster with short oral presentation. A total of 128 posters will be presented with a time for interactive discussion. More than 400 participants had already registered by the end of April.
The 12th ESCD Congress in Barcelona certainly promises to be a highlight in the world of contact dermatitis and cutaneous allergy. I expect to see you all there, accompanied by all those who have shown their interest in the field of contact dermatitis. A public thank of the ESCD to Ana Giménez-Arnau, the Congress President, for all her work and enthusiasm.
Margarida Gonçalo
President 2012–14