WDHD 2009 Events & Success Stories

When: May 29, 2009
Location: Medical Society
Contact: Cecilia Calzona, Roberto Retta

In order to improve community awareness about IBS a meeting for doctors and the local community was held about IBS, and educational leaflets about gastrointestinal health were handed out. Additionally, on May 26, the local television station in La Plata, in association with the La Plata Gastroenterology Society, broadcasted a program about IBS.

When: May 29, 2009
Location: All main cities in Argentina
Contact: Edgardo Smecuol: esmecuol@intramed.net

Brochures with information about IBS were distributed to the general public.

Supported by Danone-La Serenisima (Argentina).

When: May 29, 2009
Location: www.sage.org.ar
Contact: Edgardo Smecuol: esmecuol@intramed.net

For the week of May 29, 2009, the website www.sage.org.ar included educational material about World Digestive Health Day 2009 addressed to gastroenterologists. A link to the “Monthly Research Review” from www.worldgastroenterology.org was added on the home page.

When: May 29, 2009
Location: La Plata, Argentina
Contact: The Buenos Aires Province Society of Gastroenterology

The Buenos Aires Province Society of Gastroenterology in cooperation with Phoenix and Pfizer Laboratories hosted a one day lecture about IBS on May 29 in La Plata base. A Spanish translation of a leaflet "the most frequent questions asked by patients with IBS" was handed out to the audience. This event was advertised in the local TV channel.

When: June 10, 2009
Location: SAGE Auditorium; M. T. de Alvear 1381 (9th floor); Buenos Aires, Argentina
Contact: Edgardo Smecuol: esmecuol@intramed.net

The Argentine Society of Gastroenterology (SAGE) organized an important press conference with the purpose of attracting news coverage for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). This event was developed on June 10, 2009 at the SAGE Auditorium and brought together leading IBS experts from Argentina to assess IBS diagnosis, management and treatment. Several articles on IBS in some major Argentinean newspapers. Also, the WGO Digestive Health test in Spanish was published in one of Argentina’s largest newspapers, La Nación. In addition, several WGO WDHD tools were also translated to Spanish and published on the SAGE website.

»  See article in La Nación
»  www.sage.org.ar/

» See article in La Nueva Provincia
» See article in Diario Popular
» See article in Pro Salud
» See article in Télam
» See article in La Prensa
» See article in Noticias Argetinas

When: October 3, 2009
Location: Mar del Plata, Argentina
Contact: Julio Horacio Carri: jhcarri@fibertel.com.ar

Several prestigious specialists will take part and give speeches on IBS, such as the WGO president, Eamonn M. M. Quigley, and also Luis Bustos Fernández from Argentina, Carlos Francisconi from Brazil and Agustín Balboa Rodríguez from Spain.

When: May 25-29, 2009
Location: Toowoomba (in all 3 hospitals, St Vincent's, St Andrews, Toowoomba Base Hospital)

Throughout the week May 25 -29, doctors in three hospitals wore T-shirts with the WDHD logo and brochures on gastrointestinal health were distributed to patients.

In cooperation with the Austrian Society of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Danone Austria sponsored a press conference entitled “Widespread irritable bowel syndrome: Millions suffer in silence” on May 26 to educate the public about IBS. In addition, the week of May 22 was designated “Internal Digestion Week” and various activities took place including a “Pimp Your Activia” Breakfast.

Sponsor: Danone

When: October 1, 2009
Location: Dhaka, Bangladesh
Contact: Prof. Projesh Kumar Roy: projeshroy@hotmail.com

A public gathering to raise awareness about IBS will take place in Dhaka.

When: May 26, 2009
Location: Minsk, Belarus
Contact: Prof. Yury Marakhouski rscg@open.by

With the support of the Ministry of Public Health of the Republic of Belarus, a national conference was held about IBS, with the main focus on SIBO and Leaky Gut Syndrome.

Together with the national and local medical associations, educational material for patients with IBS was handed out in doctors' waiting rooms throughout May 2009 and mailed to gastroenterologists across Belgium.

» Educational material in French

Sponsor: Danone

Together with the Brazilian Federation of Gastroenterology, IBS patient educational materials were distributed across Brazil and a public relations campaign was launched in the national newspapers.

» Newspaper article

Sponsor: Danone

When: May 29, 2009
Location: Bulgaria
Contact: Danone Bulgaria

To encourage patients to visit their doctors for help with digestive disorders, Danone Bulgaria organized an “open day” of free access to gastroenterology clinics and practices. Danone Bulgaria also arranged the distribution of the IBS Toolkit (IBS Q&A for healthcare professionals, IBS Test, IBS Clinical Studies Handbook) at the Bulgarian Gastroenterologists Annual Congress and for members of the Bulgarian Society of Gastroenterology.

Danone Bulgaria organized the printing of the WGO digestive health test and recommendations in “Diet and Beauty“, a national magazine.

» WGO digestive health test in Bulgarian

When: May 10 - June 10, 2009
Location: www.CDHF.ca
Contact: Canadian Digestive Health Foundation: Director@CDHF.ca

IBS is the most commonly diagnosed gastrointestinal disorder in North America. Millions of people suffer from bouts of diarrhea, constipation, abdominal pain, gas, bloating and/or nausea. The Canadian Digestive Health Foundation wants the world to acknowledge the impacts IBS has on personal, scholastic and professional lives so that we can take action to improve lives.

The Canadian Foundation published a survey on the Foundation’s website to highlight the key issues for those living with IBS. The participants had the opportunity to ask a digestive health expert a question while completing the survey.

One winner was also selected to have a 20 minute appointment with a leading gastroenterologist via teleconference.

» www.CDHF.ca

When: May 29, 2009
Location: Canada
Contact: Danone Canada

Danone Canada raised education and awareness of IBS in the Canadian Digestive Health Foundation’s quarterly newsletter for healthcare professionals. Information about WDHD was sent to dieticians in conjunction with the Canadian Digestive Health Foundation.

» CDHF E-Newsletter

When: May 29, 2009
Location: Santiago de Chile at the Clinical Hospital of the University of Chile

A tent was located outside the main entrance of the Clinical Hospital of the University of Chile in which several activities took place: educational speeches about IBS for medical professionals and patients; material was given to the patients and surveys on IBS were conducted. Additionally, several TV and radio interviews were given.

Find the published articles here:
» Article in La Segunda Online
» Article in La Tercera

When: May 29, 2009
Location: Czech Republic
Contact: Danone Czech Republic

Danone Czech Republic distributed a press release to the national journalists’ network about Digestive Discomfort and IBS.

Danone Czech Republic also sent out a mailing and visited key opinion leaders and healthcare professionals on the topic of IBS. The literature sent out included brochures, IBS questionnaire and other educational materials to increase understanding of the topic and to keep patients informed.

» Educational Material in Czech

When: May 29, 2009
Location: San Salvador, El Salvador
Contact: Dr. Marisabel Valdez Munoz: mvaldez.gastro@hotmail.com

The Salvadorian society of gastroenterology celebrated WDHD and organized a course on the pathology and treatment of IBS. Didactic material about IBS was distributed to doctors and television programs were broadcasted on the largest national television channels to raise awareness about IBS among the local population.

When: May 29 & May 30, 2009
Location: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Contact: Dr. Berhane Redae: berhane@mail.ru

On May 29, 2009 a radio transmission on raising awareness about IBS was broadcasted and on May 30, 2009 an article about IBS was published in a weekly newspaper.

Location: Germany

To raise awareness about WDHD and IBS in the national media, Danone Germany distributed a nutrition brochure on digestive health and a digestion test to all the major media outlets. Radio stations and various magazines and journals published patient information about IBS.

» Digestive health test in German
» 10 recommendations for IBS in German
» Educational information on IBS in German

Sponsor: Danone

When: Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Location: Eugenides Foundation, 387 Syngrou Ave., Palaio Faliro, Athens
Contact: Irini Kapeloni, Boehringer Ingelheim Ellas, Marketing Manager Consumer Health Care
2, Ellinikou str.,16777 Elliniko (Athens)
tel. +30 210 8906342, fax. +30 210 8983207, Kapeloni@ath.boehringer-ingelheim.com

Organizer: Hellenic Society of Medical Studies under the auspices of Ministry of Health and Hellenic Gastroenterological Foundation.
Participants: Gastroenterologists and general practitioners
Speakers:
Prof. Fermin Mearin (WGO Representative, Spain)
Prof. Papatheodoridis (Multinational & Greek epidemiological studies on abdominal pain & on constipation)
Prof. Dourakis (The importance of prevention)
Prof. Karaitianos (Treatment)

» Program

Sponsor: Boehringer Ingelheim Ellas

When: May 9, 2009
Location: Guatemala
Contact: Dr. Arturo Carranza accgid@intelnet.net.gt

On May 9th, a cultural event was held in the Guatemalan Highlands for gastroenterologists and their families. All participants wore a T-shirt with the WGO logo, and a booklet containing all WGO guidelines was distributed. A Grand Gala took place on May 20, with a number of recognized IBS specialists in attendance. The Gala was followed by a concert and the launch of a health awareness program for the general public.

When May 23, 2009
Location: Calicut, Kerala, India
Contact: Dr. Ashik Sainu: drashiksainu@gmail.com

A continuing medical training course with a special focus on IBS was given at the Department of Gastroenterology at the Calicut Medical College.

When: May 29, 2009
Location: Bhubaneswar, India
Contact: Julio Horacio Carri: jhcarri@fibertel.com.ar

World Digestive Health Day event in Bhubaneswar was a great success. A community meeting about diagnosing and living with IBS was held, and for the first time in India, patient educational literature about IBS was distributed in the Hindi and Oriya languages.

» Program
» IBS Q & A in Hindi
» IBS Q & A in Oriya
» Information in English about WDHD in Bhubaneswar

Images of World Digestive Health Day in Bhubaneswar

When: May 29, 2009
Location: Nagpur, India
Contact: Dr. Abhiram Paranjape: Consultant - Medical Gastroenterology, Ph 00917126632200. drabhi_sasa@hotmail.com

An article was published in the local newspaper and free consultations were given to patients suffering from IBS by Dr. Abhiram Paranjape.

When: May 29, 2009
Location: Pune, India
Contact: shabeerk@pn3.vsnl.net.in

The Pune Chapter of the Indian Society of Gastroenterology launched a local and national media campaign to educate doctors and patients about IBS. Educational pamphlets were distributed in Pune medical facilities and an article was published in the Times of India (one of the world's largest selling English broadsheet newspapers), about World Digestive Health Day and IBS. A further article about IBS will be published in the Indian Medical Association’s journal later this year.

» Article in the Times of India

When: May 15-17, 2009
Location: Borobudur Hotel, Jakarta, Indonesia
Contact: Ari Fahrial Syam: ari_syam@hotmail.com

Meet the Expert: Irritable Bowel Syndrome Around Us.

When: May 16, 2009
Location: Millennium Hotel, Jakarta, Indonesia
Contact: Ari Fahrial Syam: ari_syam@hotmail.com

A symposium was organized in Jakarta about the relationship between intestinal diseases and the urban environment (fiber diet and IBS).

When: May 21 - 29, 2009
Location: Iran
Contact: mirna@ams.ac.ir

A series of seminars for physicians and a variety of lectures for the general public about digestive health were organized. Several radio and TV programs and newspaper articles also further raised awareness.

When: May 26, 2009, 3 PM. & 7 PM.
Location: Lecture Theatre G01 Brookfield Health Science Building, College Road, University College Cork
Contact: Andrea Doolan (a.doolan@ucc.ie or +353 (0)21 4901406)

A series of lectures for healthcare professionals took place at the University College in Cork.

Irritable Bowel Syndrome - promoting a greater understanding for healthcare professionals (3 pm.)

Program:
Professor Ted Dinan, Professor of Psychiatry, University College Cork (UCC), and Principal Investigator: APC Inflammation in IBS: The cause of psychiatric co-morbidity?
Dr. Anu Agrawal, Univeristy of Manchester: Management of IBS: Do all Probiotics work the same?
Ms. Sarah Keogh, dietitian, the Albany Clinic Dublin: Diet and IBS: Practical advice for patients

» Event details

Irritable Bowel Syndrome - easing the symptoms (7pm.)

PATIENTS, FAMILIES AND FRIENDS WELCOME.   ADMISSION FREE

Program:
Professor Ted Dinan, Professor of Psychiatry, University College Cork (UCC), and Principal Investigator: Recent studies on the causes of IBS
Dr. Anu Agrawal, Univeristy of Manchester: Probiotics in Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Ms. Sarah Keogh, dietitian, the Albany Clinic Dublin: Diet and IBS: Practical advice for patients

» Event details

When: May 29, 2009
Location: Ireland
Contact: Jill McCarron jill.mccarron@danone.com

Danone Ireland has taken steps to raise awareness of digestive health issues among healthcare professionals by distributing a Digestive Health Evaluation Kit for patients to GPs, Practice Nurses and Dieticians.

Danone Ireland contributed to raising awareness about Digestive Health and World Digestive Health Day among journalists by writing a press release and handing out Health Breakfast hampers. Digestive health tests were also sent out to journalists and radio stations.

A Partnership was formed with University College Cork on IBS Public Forum “Easing the symptoms”.

When: May 28, 2009
Location: Al Basher Hospital, Amman, Jordan
Contact: Waseem Hamoudi: waseem6520012001@yahoo.com

In honor of the World Digestive Health Day, the Jordanian Society of Gastroenterology and the Jordanian Ministry of Health hosted an awareness campaign about IBS. In the radio, television and newspapers information about IBS was published. Also, IBS related lectures were given to doctors and nurses by prestigious members of the Jordanian Society of Gastroenterology.

When: May 28, 2009
Location: Latvian Center of Oncology, Hipokrata 5, Riga, Latvia
Contact: Prof. Marcis Leja: cei@latnet.lv, pokrot@latnet.lv

Dr. Uldis Likops from the Latvian Health Agency opened an IBS symposium. Prof. A. Danilans and Prof. M. Leja participated with video presentations.

When: May 28, 2009
Location: Riga, Latvia
Contact: PMarcis Leja: cei@latnet.lv

139 participants, including GPs, gastroenterologists, and hospital physicians attended the WDHD event in Riga, Latvia.

A press release for the general public was circulated in the leading media channels and interviews were given in Latvian and Russian.

The event and WDHD were publicized on the relevant web pages, in particular:
- Riga East university hospital: www.aslimnica.lv
- Digestive Diseases Centre GASTRO: www.gastrocentrs.lv
- Agency for Public health (responsible governmental institution for Public health issues) www.sva.gov.lv

When: May 29, 2009
Location: Selangor, Malaysia
Contact: Malaysian Society of Gastroenterology & Hepatology, 19 Jalan Folly Barat,
50480 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Tel: 603-20930100, Fax: 603-20930900
acadmed.po.jaring.my/acadmed@streamyx.com

The Malaysian Society of Gastroenterology & Hepatology inaugurated World Digestive Health Day Malaysia 2009 by organizing educational activities on digestive health and irritable bowel syndrome with the goal of ‘Prevention through Education’.

Activities included WDHD launch and road show as well as a series of educational press articles.

» WDHD 2009 Malaysia report

When: May 27-29, 2009
Location: Hospital Angeles Torreón, Coah, Mexico
Contact: Dr. Alberto Castilla Villegas: circastilla@hotmail.com

A multidisciplinary team of experts carried out a campaign of free consultations to diagnose patients with IBS and to improve the treatment of patients with IBS.

When: May 29, 2009
Location: Rabat, Morocco
Contact: Kanouni Nawal: nawal1kan@yahoo.com

In celebration of WDHD, meetings were organized and dedicated to IBS in Morocco. One took place in Casablanca where interviews by the president of the local association were given to the press to raise awareness about IBS. Another speech about IBS, which was followed by a vivid debate, was given to general physicians in Rabat. Also, in Fes, Prof. Ibrahimi Adil, the president of SMMAD, gave an interview to the local medical press and radio.

When: May 29, 2009
Location: Internal medicine OPD and Ward, B.P.Koirala Institute of Health Sciences Ghopa, Dharan, Nepal
Contact: shatdalchaudhary@yahoo.com

A public awareness campaign about IBS was launched to encourage the public and ward patients to find appropriate treatment for IBS.

When: May 29, 2009
Location: Hotel Inter de Metrocentro, Managua, Nicaragua
Contact: Zarate Arauz: szarate99@yahoo.com

A refresher course about IBS was organized for doctors, internal medicine specialists and surgeons in Nicaragua.

» Course Program

When: May 20, 2009
Location: Department of Gastroenterology Peshawar, Pakistan
Contact: A/Prof. Aamir Ghafoor Khan FRCP FACG
Vice/President Pakistan Society of Gastroenterology
Email draamirkhan@hotmail.com

WDHD was celebrated in Pakistan with a big symposium which included lectures and a public awareness campaign. It was held in the large teaching tertiary care hospital of Hayatabad Medical complex. Speakers were invited from all the three major teaching Hospitals, ie. Khyber Teaching Hospital, Lady Reading Hospital and Khyber Girls Medical College.

Junior and senior doctors and especially fellows took part in training in medicine and related specialties and in raising awareness about IBS among general physicians and fellows undergoing training.

The Dean of the Postgraduate Medical Institute was invited to give his opening speech. Gastroenterologist, A/Prof Aamir Ghafoor Khan, Prof. Najum, Prof. Noor, Prof. Iman and Pediatrics Prof. Dr. Talat gave lectures on various IBS related issues. Head of GI, Prof. Ijaz, and Head of Medicine, Prof. Rehman, conducted an expert panel which was opened up for questions from doctors and the general public. This session generated a lively discussion and lot of information about IBS was clarified.

The CEO of Hayatabad Medical Complex, Dr. Aftab Durrani, gave the closing speech of the workshop. To conclude, Host President of Pakistan society of Gastroenterology A/Prof. Aamir Ghafoor Khan thanked the WGO for their cooperation and collaboration.

Throughout hospitals large posters and banners were displayed in order to raise awareness among patients and the general public. The national and local newspapers also published the news about World Digestive Health Day.

Images of the IBS Symposium in Peshawar

When: May 23, 2009
Location: Regent Plaza, Karachi, Pakistan
Contact: Pakistan Society of Gastroenterology (PSG), Kehkashan Mall, Tariq Road, Karachi, Pakistan

Continuing medical education material about IBS was given to physicians and general practitioners.

Date: May 25, 2009
Location: Ghurki Trust Teaching Hospital Lahore, Pakistan

When: May 29, 2009
Location: Pakistan
Contact: Dr.Sualeh Uddin Khan: sualehuddin.khan@getzpharma.com

Lectures and seminars took place in various hospitals in Pakistan.

Sponsor: Getz Pharm.

When: May 29, 2009
Location: Kauh, Saudi Arabia

Scientific lectures and visits to high schools were organized to educate students about gastrointestinal health. The local media reported these events to the public.

When: May 29, 2009
Location: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

A public education event consisting of 3 lectures about IBS was organized. In addition, an IBS educational brochure as well as the WGO IBS guideline was distributed. Additionally, a local TV station broadcasted a program about IBS.

When: May 2009
Location: Slovak Republic
Contact: Baedeker of Health, Cukrova 14, 813 39 Bratislava Slovakia

The Baedeker of Health is an educational bimonthly magazine that is published in the Slovak Republic and distributed to over 100,000 patients. In the May issue of the magazine, the following educational material about World Digestive Health Day 2009 was included:

- article about World Digestive Health Day
- nutritional recommendations and daily tips how to improve digestive health.

Location: Slovakia

1. On May 29th, general practitioners across Slovakia held an “Open Door” day for patients with IBS. Patients were offered in-depth consultations and Danone Slovakia supplied the clinics with a variety of IBS tools, including IBS posters for the waiting rooms, informational brochures and DVDs for patients about nutrition.

2. In addition, a public education campaign was launched across print, television and radio outlets and the President of the Slovakian Society of Gastroenterology held a radio interview to help educate the public about IBS. Several advertorials were published in medical journals.

» IBS educational material in Slovak
» IBS educational material in Slovak
» IBS educational material in Slovak
» WGO Edu-Lessons in Slovak
» 10 recommendations for IBS in Slovak

Sponsor: Danone

When: May 13, 14, 15 2009
Location: Johannesburg, Durban, Cape Town, South Africa

In celebration of World Digestive Health day, Danone Clover SA, supported by the South African Gastroenterological Society, hosted a series of dinner-lectures in May in Cape Town, Durban and Johannesburg. WGO President Dr. Eamonn Quigley and Dr. Herbie Schneider discussed Probiotics, a source of new therapeutic options and IBS.

Images of the World Digestive Health Day Dinner Lectures in Cape Town:

When: May 29, 2009
Location: Seoul, South Korea
Contact: Park Jung Ho: pjho3@hotmail.com

A public awareness campaign was held in four large tertiary hospitals. Information about IBS was published in national newspapers and on television.

When: May 29, 2009
Location: Parque de las Ciencias. Granada, Spain

WDHD was celebrated in Spain with a one day IBS symposium for members of the public in the Sciences Park of Granada. The event was organized by the Spanish Foundation of Gastroenterology (FEAD).

» Program

When: May 28 - 29, 2009
Location: Khartoum, Sudan
Contact: Abdelmounem E. Abdo, munem2002@hotmail.com

Lectures on IBS for medical students and physicians were given on May 28 and lectures for gastroenterologists on May 29. Prestigious Sudanese gastroenterologists and a guest lecturer, Peter Cartwright from England, gave new perspectives on IBS in war regions such as Sudan. During this event, probiotics were introduced in Sudan for the first time.

Images of the IBS Symposium lectures in Khartoum:

When: May 29, 2009
Location: Kyiv, Ukraine

Under the patronage of the Ukrainian Ministry of Health and the Ukrainian Gastroenterology Society, Danone Ukraine was proud to host a conference for Ukrainian health professionals on May 29, 2009. Throughout the day, speakers gave lectures about gastrointestinal health and attendees received information about WGO nutritional recommendations and had the opportunity to visit the exhibition area, showcasing healthy digestion products.

Images of the World Digestive Health Day Conference in Kyiv:

When: May 28, 2009
Location: Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Contact: Makki H. Fayad, GDC Hospital, Abu Dhabi, makkihf@yahoo.com

A four-hour symposium was held on different aspects of IBS, such as clinical prevalence and presentation, diagnosis, differential diagnosis and post infective IBS. The five speakers came from the prestigious hospitals in Abu Dhabi and from various other hospitals in the United Arab Emirates. A representative of the Abu Dhabi Health Authority, Mohammed Abu Elkhair, also gave a speech. The WGO IBS Guideline was distributed to the attendees. There were over 200 attendees and the main topics presented were:

• Prevalence in the area and the lack of data
• Problems of differentiation from microscopic colitis, especially in the diarrhea type
• Problems of the differential diagnosis
• The use of ROME criteria to minimize investigations and to have positive attitude of diagnosis
• Psychological aspects
• Effects on the quality of life
• The management of IBS and the lack of treatment, other than symptomatic treatment
• New advances in drug therapy

Images of the IBS Symposium in Abu Dhabi:

Placeholder for images

When: May 29, 2009
Location: Montevideo, Uruguay

Hospital de Clínicas
The chair of the Clínicas Hospital presented an eduational project to the public.

Theatre plays about gastrointestinal health were staged on the public city buses of Montevideo, as a unique outreach endeavour to the local citizens.

View Theatre Plays Below:

» An article published on IBS in El País

When: May 25-29, 2009
Location: Online: www.ibsgroup.org

For the week of May 29, 2009 the website www.ibsgroup.org highlighted quality of life issues related to living with IBS, along with essays and dialogue on their community forums. An emailing was sent to all registered 32 600 members to recognize World Digestive Health Day on May 29.

» Special E-Newsletter on IBS

When: May 29, 2009
Location: Cincinnati, Ohio, USA

The IBS Summit will take place throughout 2009 with the first meeting occurring on WDHD, May 29th, in Cincinnati, USA. This Summit brought together leading IBS experts from around the world to assess the status of IBS prevalence, impact and management in different societies and cultures. In keeping with the mission of the World Gastroenterology Organisation, the Summit aimed to draw attention to the global prevalence of IBS, areas of need and the less resource privileged.

Images of the IBS Summit in Cincinnati:

Further virtual meetings will take place over subsequent months leading to the completion of an enduring document and the presentation of the Task Force findings at a special satellite symposium at Gastro 2009 in London. The Summit Task Force is commissioned with completing a consensus statement and educational tool for distribution to all 109 WGO national GI societies and for general dissemination.

Sponsor: Procter & Gamble

When: May 29, 2009
Location: USA, internet

On May 29, 2009 the ACG hosted a webcast on the subject of IBS. Dr. Eamonn Quigley and Dr. Larry Schiller discussed the American College of Gastroenterology's new "Evidence-Based Review on the Management of IBS" and introduced new patient tools.

http://ibsrelief.streamlogics.com/

In addition, ACG is developing materials to help patients identify symptoms of IBS and to enable them to start a conversation with a health care specialist about treatment options. These materials will be available on the ACG website www.acg.gi.org and through a special microsite www.ibsrelief.org The IBS Treatment Matrix for patients offers graded recommendations on the full range of options for testing and treatment of IBS based on ACG's evidence-based revew.

Sponsor: Takeda

When April 24, 2009
Location: Maracaibo Estado Zulia, Venezuela
Contact: Gisela Romero: dragiselaromero@cantv.net

Different themes, such as the concept and frequency of IBS, nutrition and IBS, diagnosis and treatment of IBS were included in this symposium on IBS. Two gastroenterologists and two clinical nutritionists were consulted as specialists during the symposium.

» Results of the symposium

When: May 23, 2009
Location: National Universities in 10 regions of Venezuela
Contact: WWW.SOVEGASTRO.COM Gisela Romero: dragiselaromero@cantv.net

On May 29, 2009 events were held across Venezuelan cities recognizing World Digestive Health Day. There were speeches, round table discussions for gastroenterologists, infomercials broadcasted on radio and television stations and street events for the local community. Organized by the Venezuelan Gastroenterology Society, May 29 was an important day across Venezuela for patients and doctors.

When: May 29, 2009
Location: Caracas, Maracaibo, Barquisimeto - Venezuela

A videoconference by expert gastroenterologists, nutritionists and psychologists was broadcasted to the general public at 10 different universities all around the country on May 23, 2009 at 08:00 - 12:00.

When: May 12-14, 2009
Location: Military Hospital in Sana'a - Yemen
Contact: Dr. Omer Salem Balfaqih, 00967-733770084

1) Double balloon endoscopy (Diagnostic & therapeutic)
2) Endoscopy Ultra-sonography (Diagnostic & therapeutic)
3) ERCP (Diagnostic & therapeutic)
4) Endosurgical Techniques
5) Endotherapy Advanced Procedures
6) Basic endoscopic technique for the junior physician
7) Research work and papers.