ERASS Office 
Schulthess Klinik 
Lengghalde 2 
CH-8008 ZURICH, Switzerland 
 eras@kws.ch
   
 

Erass 2006: Zürich
Dates: May 25-27

General Outline:

  •  Format Keynote lectures and free papers and workshops at Schulthess
  •  Educational aspects for rheumatologists and orthopedic surgeons

Keynote lectures:
Bogosch, Angst, Stanley, Gschwend, Grob, Aeschliman, Garling
Look at the keynote lectures online: click here

Basic Research:
Outcome measures, Infection and biologicals

Clinical topics:

  •   Upper Extremity: shoulder 4th generation (inversed prosthesis, surface replacements)
  •   Lower extremity: MIS, Resurfacing
  General assembly ERASS 26.05.2006

Members of the EC and scientific committee
Beat Simmen (BS) P.M. Rozing (P.R.), C. Howie (C.H.), U. Rydholm (U.R.), D. Herren (D.H.)
A. Paus (A.P), A. Lluch (A.), R. Nelissen (R.N.), Christian Fontaine (CF), Rolf Miehlke
Total of 32 members present
Nr. Who What / Task
1. BS Apologies
John Getty, Jan Pahle, MacClayton
2. BS Approval of the minutes Lund 2004
approved by all
3. BS Report of the president
Executive Committee had several telephone conferences.
EFORT 2005: Urban Rydholm organized session on “the place of RA surgery” No specialty day was organized at last EFORT meeting. Marty Hamalinen (treasurer EFORT), elucidates that EFORT is going away from the specialty days at congress, in stead the different societies are asked to participate in an instructional course (see also 11).
4. BS

Status ERASS Congress Zurich
150 participants
It turned out to be difficult to sponsor a congress in Switzerland; companies have to be pressed to participate in Industrial exhibition and workshop. The latter was the reason to organize a 2-day instead of a 3-day congress. The “ third” day will be organized at the Schulthess Klinik with a symposium of sociocultural differences between Japan and Europe.
5. DH Financial report
The society is financially healthy, despite a loss of the current congress. Details were shown at the GA.
At the moment there are no corporate members, no contracts have been signed in the past.
6. RN Changements of the ERASS constitution
a. Name ERASS: European Rheumatism and Arthritis Surgical Society, instead of European Rheumatoid Arthritis Surgical Society and the French and German translations. 31 votes in favor, 1 absence, none against.
b.Corporate members: Addition “ have no voting right”. Unanimously accepted.
7. RN New Members
10 new members are all welcomed unanimously by the GA. Hilde van Ransbeek, Belgium; Barut Pompe, Slovenia; Peter Tobias Franke, Germany; Huub van der Heide, the Netherlands; Zulfi Rahimtoola; the Netherlands; Keirichiro Nishida, Japan; Honkanen Pivo, Finland; Gianni Rigani, Switzerland; Kuiro Masuda, Japan; Huber Martin, Switzerland.
8. RM Honorary Member
ProfessorKazuhiko Inoue, Tokyo
9. RN Communications
10 instructional course on foot and ankle problems will be organized at EFORT in 2007 by ERASS
10. RN Education/Congresses
Fall 2005, an instructional course on hand and elbow problems was organized by Alberto Lluch in Barcelona (130 participants).
Discussion starts on future meetings, consensus exists on organizing annual meetings. Discussions arises on the format:
biannual congress, annual instructional courses or specific joint or joint regions or joining national societies at their meetings. Discussion also on the format of reuma/ arthritis surgeons and participation of rheumatologists at the congress and within the society (i.e. covering all aspects of patient care in a more holistic approach to patient care, as is currently the format).
Executive Committee will explore different options for the annual meetings (e.g. explore again contacts with EULAR, and the above mentioned instructional courses next to the ERASS congress which will cover the entire field, and thus will be organized biannually)
11. P.R. Vacancies EC and SC
2006/08

Position Person
President John Getty
Vice-President Christian Fontaine
Secretary Rob Nelissen
Treasurer Daniel Herren
Past President Beat Simmen
c.m. Colin Howie
c.m. Rolf Miehlke
c.m. Urban Rydholm
c.m. Thomas Pauly
c.m. A. Lluch (congress president 2008)
   
members of educational committee:
Chair: C. Howie  
P. Kopylov  
F. Hagena  
A. Lluch  
A. Paus  
The new Executive Committee and the new members to the educational committee are unanimously appointed by the GA. The past president Beat Simmen is thanked for his presidency by the leaving past president Piet Rozing.
12. RN European-Japanese fellowship/ERASS fellowship
No applications have been received for Japan- Europe fellowship, the main reason is that the 4 weeks period is too long. Conversation with professor Inoue learned, that a 2 person for 2 weeks option is a viable option for the Japanese.
13. P.R.

Varia
 The congress in 2008 will be held in Barcelona, organised by Alberto Lluch.
For the protocol:

Rob GHH Nelissen, Zurich 26 May 2006
Honorary secretary