General Information

A congenital disease is for life. Even though most congenital diseases are not life threatening, the patient is born with it and dies with it. Posterior hypospadias is a male-exclusive congenital disease in which the tube to pass urine from the bladder to outside (urethra) is insufficiently developed in the penis. Therefore, the opening or meatus, which is normally at the end of the penis, now lies at a the base of the penis or even in or underneath the scrotum. Posterior hypospadias can have a large impact on life. Consequences include dissatisfaction about appearance, spraying of the urinary stream, inability to urinate in standing position, and a bent penis in erection.

Surgery for hypospadias remains challenging an no single technique is applicable to all patients. Although transition care from children into adulthood is recommended, follow up of hypospadias patients is lost due to decentralised paediatric and adult health care.

Aim

Our network meeting is aimed to identify what is currently missing in the lifelong treatment of posterior hypospadias, to improve care, quality of life and awareness for these patients. By bringing together clinicians, basic scientists and other specialists in a think tank we expect innovative solutions that will not only help posterior hypospadias but also other urethral diseases.

Participants

The network meeting is set up to be inclusive and easily accessible. We target for ERN and eUROGEN members, including patient representatives, clinicians and basic scientists. No level of seniority will be necessary. If there are enough spots available, interested patients, counsellors, scientists and clinicians are invited. The maximum number of participants is 40, the network meeting is free for ERN members and costs 160Euro for non-ERN members. Travel and hotel expenses will be only reimbursed for ERN participants.

Teaching Method

We will have a combination of interactive sessions and lectures. In the interactive sessions the different backgrounds of the participants will be mixed to get the most out of the box discussions that are normally not achieved with our own communities. 

Registration

To register please fill the application form here, until 25 August 2023.

Fees

The training network meeting is free of charge for ERN members and costs 160 Euro per non-ERN member. Travel and hotel expenses will be reimbursed for selected (max30) ERN participants. Lunch and dinner will be provided on site for all participants.

Selection Procedure

The organisers will select the most appropriate network meeting participants. Priority will be given to early career researchers and patients/patient representatives. Registration for the network meeting is on a first-come, first-served basis. All registered participants will be informed if they are selected to attend this training course within a week after registration.

Certificates of Attendance

At the end of the network meeting a Certificate of Attendance will be sent to the participants who attended the entire network meeting and completed the survey. Credits of Continuing Education in Medicine might be issued-to be informed as soon as possible if there is such a possibility.

Official Language

Network meeting will run in English.

Venue

Friday 8 September: Sonnenborgh Museum & Sterrenwacht, Zonnenburg 2, 3512NL Utrecht, Netherlands.

Saturday 9 September: Centraal Museum, Nicolaasdwarsstraat 14, 3512XH Utrecht, Netherlands.

Contact

If you have specific questions please write to the network meeting organiser: Petra de Graaf, email: pgraaf4@umcutrecht.nl

Questions related to organisation of traveling, hotel, dinner should be addressed to Gina Karali, email: hypospadiasern@gmail.com. 

For general inquiries about the network meeting in the ERN Program write to Networking Support Scheme Secretariat, email: NSSS@zonmw.nl 

Program

See separate link.

For accreditation purposes:

Educational Outcome

By the end of the network meeting, participants will form a sustainable network/Posterior Hypospadias Hub that will maintain collaborating. As a spin off we expect position papers and joined grant applications. Follow up is published on the eUREGEN network site and in relevant journals, the HUB can have satellite meetings on relevant congresses like ESPU an EAU.

Methods to promote active learning 

In our proposed Hackathlon set up, we will mix the group and break up in different compositions (several rounds), all voices can be heard and knowledge can be shared among the participants. We will hire experts or train on beforehand on this form of workshops to ensure maximum result.