25is Martiou Street & Paralia,
Thessaloniki 546 46,
Greece
The ERS conference was finally able to be held face to face, and it was a pleasant surprise that it took place in Thessaloniki, Greece, with lovely sunny days and a venue by the sea.
It was especially fitting for me, as I did the first part of my training in Athens and it was an opportunity to meet some of my old ENT friends who I haven’t seen for two years. I think face-to-face conferences help me to keep going and I felt like my old self afterwards. In comparison, I sometimes found the lack of human contact during online meetings very dry, tiring and a bit depressing.
How nice is to be back - ERS Thessaloniki.
Overall, biologics dominated the discussions and presentations, and are correctly being called the game-changers of CRS. Furthermore, there were some outstanding masterclasses on accessing the frontal sinus, injectables and fillers, which is something that is becoming a big part of ENT private practice. I personally enjoyed some skull base presentations, which I recommend watching.
(L-R): Valentine Tomazic (new ERS Treasurer); Pavol Surda (outgoing ERS Juniors President); Claire Hopkins (ERS Secretary General Elect); Wytske Fokkens (ERS Secretary General); and Puya Devyani-Mobraki.
Of course, all the ‘big’ names of the European Rhinology Society were there delivering their usual high-quality presentations, and they always had something useful to impart. As I have been to Thessaloniki before, I knew where to go for amazing fresh food, as well as an old patisserie that has been in the city since 1908 and had some traditional ‘panorama triangles’ and profiteroles.
Congress President Elect, Prof Constantinidis; CEORL-HNS President, Prof Meco, Prof Negm, Prof Papavassiliou and friends at the faculty dinner of ERS 2021. Photo courtesy of Hesham Negm.
The COVID era allowed us to access on-demand presentations and this resource is now available when we are unable to attend in person. However, I enjoyed the face-to-face ERS, which is one of the well-deserved benefits of our profession.
Report by Katerina Karamali, Post CCT Senior Rhinology Fellow, Guy’s and St Thomas NHS Trust, UK.
The 5th Naso Sano Grant awarded to researchers at the University of Montreal, Canada
Every year, the Association Naso Sano in collaboration with ERS Juniors, awards ‘The Naso Sano grant’ to showcase and encourage young researchers that demonstrate outstanding work in the field of research in ENT. Since its inception in 2015, four research grant prizes have been awarded, including allocation of funding for research projects.
During this year’s ERS Junior Session, the fifth annual Grant was awarded to Dr Maniakas Anastasios, University of Montreal, Canada, for his research paper, titled ‘Efficacy of azithromycin in refractory CRS following ESS and corticosteroid irrigations: a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial’. Congratulations to Dr Anastasios and his team!
(L-R): Profs Meco, Karpischenko, Negm, Papavassiliou and Rusesski at the ERS 2021 Congress in Thessaloniki. Photo courtesy of Hesham Negm.
Prof Antonio Papavassiliou receives Golden Medal and Honorary Lifetime Membership of the ERS from General Secretary, Prof Wytske Fokkens. Photo courtesy of Hesham Negm.
Thessaloniki, where ERS 2021 took place. Photo courtesy of Hesham Negm.
