ESPGHAN What’s New – November 2023

Dear ESPGHAN Members, friends and colleagues,
In this newsletter you will find:
–    Important information on JPGN 
–    An update on our work addressing the problems in the availability of both paediatric medicine and paediatric medical devices in Europe
–    Upcoming open positions (Deadline 07.01.2024)
–    Educational events and open awards/grants

Sincerely,
ESPGHAN Executive Committee
Ulrich Baumann, Mary Fewtrell, Lorenzo D’Antiga

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Important Information for Members

JPGN 2024 Updates 

As mentioned in previous editions, Wiley will be our new publisher from January 2024 onwards. Their vision for the growth of JPGN Reports was one of the main reasons they were selected. New strategic publishing plans have been drawn up to continue its growth and success both scientifically and financially. A new fee structure will be implemented, with ESPGHAN and NASPGHAN committed to a substantial discount (40%) to corresponding authors who are Society members for 2024. 

Reminder: Important Information for new JPGN contract
As part of JPGN’s forthcoming change in publisher from Wolters Kluwer to Wiley, beginning with the January 2024 issue, JPGN will be discontinuing print distribution of journal copies to ESPGHAN members.

• Members will continue to have online access to the journal, but will be issued an updated login and password to Wiley’s online platform
• Wiley will be reaching out to members via email with instructions on how to set up their access to the journal before the end of 2023
• Members who are interested in continuing to receive print copies of JPGN will have the option to purchase a print-on-demand subscription from Wiley at a discounted member rate. Instructions on how to place this order will be available in the coming weeks.

More information will be disseminated in the coming weeks, which will include more details on fees and procedures. 

EU Legislative progress

Progress has been made in addressing the problems in the availability of both paediatric medicine and paediatric medical devices in Europe.
EU Pharma Regulations
The EU plans to revise the current pharma legislation and has invited stakeholders to comment which ESPGHAN did. In case you missed it, you can find it here. 
After the period for comments closed, only Members of Parliament (MEPs) could submit further proposals, in this case known as amendments, which we took as another chance to act. On behalf of ESPGHAN our Liaison Officer, Sanja Kolacek, has been working closely with MEPs in Brussels, and with interested members of our Society, namely Lissy de Ridder and Nick Croft, to develop a proposal for amendments to the new legislation. This proposal was submitted by MEPs earlier this month, and published on the official EU site on 4th December.
Medical Device Availability 
The availability of Medical Devices (MD) has become a concern in most sub-specialties in paediatrics, already causing shortages within PGHN as shown by an ESPGHAN survey (Baumann U, et al. JPGN reports, submitted). ESPGHAN has worked on this problem twofold: 
•    We participated in the activity of the European Academy of Paediatrics together with 29 paediatric associations addressing the EU Commission by writing to Commissioner Stella Kyriakides. 
•    In parallel, our Liaison Officer worked on behalf of ESPGHAN and in joint action with interested MEPs to develop a proposal known by the EU parliament as a Motion for resolution, addressed to the President Ms. R. Metsola. It was directed to the respective EU Committee, where it was decided to address the problem not in the form of a resolution but as an amendment to the Non-communicable Diseases Report, which will be presented for voting in December in the plenary session.
Next steps
This is considerable progress in both areas, but there is more work to be done before both documents are presented to the EU Parliament for voting. We will keep you informed of progress and let you know when we will need your help to encourage your local MEPs to vote.

Upcoming Open Positions

ESPGHAN Open Positions

Upcoming open positions for 2024 include:
 – President Elect
 – General Secretary
 – Scientific Secretary
 – JPGN Editor
Deadline for application will be 07.01.2024

Open Committee Positions 2024
-2 open positions on the GI Committee
 – 3 open positions on the Hepatology Committee
 – 3 open positions on the Nutrition Committee 
 – 2 open positions on the Young ESPGHAN Committee 
More information on the roles can be found here.

ESPGHAN Educational Events and Awards

Our 2024 event schedule is now being added to the Knowledge Centre of the website, with all schools to be visible in the coming period. 

Young ESPGHAN Webinars (Times in CET)
Christmas Quiz: 13.12.2023 17:00-18:00 
Please contact the ESPGHAN Office to register. 

REMINDER: ESPGHAN Open Awards 
The following awards are open for application:
AHP Award 2024 – Deadline 31.03.2024
Distinguished Service Award – Deadline 31.12.2023
Charlotte Anderson Award – Deadline 31.12.2023

FISPGHAN Congress 2024
The 7th FISPGHAN Congress will take place on the 04-07.12.2024 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Abstract submission deadline will be 01.07.2024. Please check the dedicated congress website in the coming period for further updates. 

ESPGHAN Podcasts
The latest editions can be found at your preferred platform below: 
Apple, Spotify,  Amazon, Samsung