Dear guests!
Welcome address to the
3rd Central European Diabetes Congress
23rd International Danube Symposium on Diabetes Mellitus
in Plovdiv, Bulgaria
19 – 21 June 2008
Dear guests!
It is a great honour and pleasure for me to
welcome you to this prestigious international event in diabetology! Diabetes
and its complications are a leading cause of death in Europe. Its prevalence
is increasing, younger people are being affected. It is time to combat the diabetic
pandemic and we diabetologists from different countries should unite to prevent
diabetes and its complications. I am very delighted that so many outstanding
experts – opinion leaders in diabetes in Germany, Austria and other Central
European countries accepted the invitation to present a lecture and share with
us their knowledge on the most important issues of diabetes. I would like to
express my gratitude to all participants and supporters of the Congress.
I am especially happy that the meeting takes place in Plovdiv, one of the oldest
cities in Europe. Plovdiv is a place of extraordinary beauty, friendly people,
and is unique for its numerous historical and cultural monuments. I dare hope
that the combination of exciting scientific sessions and a fascinating social
programme would make your stay in Plovdiv unforgettable.
Assoc.prof. Theodora Temelkova-Kurktschiev
Congress President
Dear
members and friends of the Central European Diabetes Association (FID),
Ladies and gentlemen!
After foundation of our association, the FID, in Vienna in 1969, the 5th “Donau-Symposium” took place in Russe, Bulgaria in 1977, with Professor Andreev as congress president. We are very pleased that we will meet again for our 23rd symposium in Bulgaria as a new member of the European Union. The very attractive town of Plovdiv will host the symposium.
Assoc. prof. Theodora Temelkova-Kurktschiev has been elected
as congress president. She is working now at the Medical Center “Robert Koch”
and National Sports University in Sofia. In the years before she was involved
very successfully in research on the Metabolic Syndrome in Germany after having
finished her studies. She has established a very interesting programme for our
congress in Plovdiv, with lectures on actual topics in many fields of diabetology.
The speakers are coming from all countries of the Central European Diabetes
Association. They reach from Baltic countries like Latvia in the North down
to Greece in the South, and from Switzerland and Germany in the West to Romania
and Bulgaria in the East of Europe. You can see them on the map on the homepage
of our association ( www.fid.at/home), and also the Danube –as a blue band -,
the only European stream flowing from West to East. So the Danube may act as
a symbol for the good relations between the countries of Central Europe for
centuries.In addition to the lectures of established speakers, the younger diabetologists
from Central Europe will have the opportunity to demonstrate the results of
their current research work and discuss them with international experts.
Again, the FID is very happy that the 23rd FID-Symposium will take place in
Bulgaria. Many thanks are due to our local congress president and her coworkers
for the tremendous work in the organizing and preparing the meeting. I may wish
all the best to the participants of the 3rd Central European Diabetes Congress
/ 23rd International Danube Symposium.
Good scientific success, and also nice days in Plovdiv!
Univ.-Prof. Dr. Helmut Schatz Bochum, Spring 2008
President of the FID