| Dear Colleagues and Friends On behalf of the ESPEN Organising Committee it is our great pleasure to welcome you to the 23rd Congress of the European Society of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition. |  |
Munich enjoys a worldwide reputation as a congress city; it embodies the creativity of science and technology, a vigorous business sector and a special cultural appeal with unmistakable flair and charm. Munich is an ideal site with a central location in Europe, served by an excellent transport and infrastructure.
The high scientific standard is a feature of ESPEN Congresses. In Munich we have put much effort into creating a programme balanced between basic and clinical research, and clinical practice.
Sessions are devoted to nutritional support in cancer, obesity, cystic fibrosis, liver failure and elderly patients. Immunonutrition, pharmacological nutrition, new substrates like glutamine as well as fatty acids and antioxidants are highlighted topics.
Highly pertinent clinical themes like undernutrition in hospitalised patients, gastrointestinal motility disorders are included in the scientific programme.
Ethics, evidence-based medicine and quality management are further hot topics for ESPEN 2001. This year, ESPEN wants to focus more on practical issues surrounding the management of patients. There will be a number of sessions where the clinical management of different kinds of patients is addressed ranging from «Pitfalls in clinical nutrition» to «what can we learn from the patient»?
We expect the scientific debates to both to arouse passion and appeal to reason for those present.
The symposia «Nutrition and the liver, parts I and II» arranged jointly with the European Association for the Study of the Liver illustrates ESPEN’s ambition to reach out and build interdisciplinary new net-works with other societies and exchange knowledge and information and even embark on joint programmes.
The reputation of the ESPEN congress as the leading international congress will be underpinned by the ESPEN – ASPEN and the ESPEN – FELANPE symposia where friends and colleagues from USA and Latin America are invited to promote comMUNICH@tion and to share their knowledge and insight.
We intend to make setting of the abstract presentations special. They will take place during protected time, without interfering contemporaneous or competing events. There will be poster walks, guided by expert chairmen, in a friendly spacious environment with coffee, brezel and beer available to create optimum possibilities for scientific comMUNICH@tion between authors and attendants.
A comprehensive educational programme is dedicated to many facets of practical clinical nutrition: these include quality management in the European context, interactive case discussions, evidencebased medicine, pitfalls and opportunities in clinical nutrition to appeal to our young and established members.
We highly appreciate the excellent cooperation with our industry partners. They will display the latest therapeutical tools in the field of clinical nutrition. The ground level exhibition has ample place and is directly integrated to the congress.
Please visit the technical exhibition in order to receive first-hand information on the newest products.
The Welcome Reception will take place at the Royal Residence, beautiful complex built between 16th and 19th Century, centre of Art and Science, and enjoy an unforgettable evening in the Prater island, surrounded by the river Isar, former manufacture of spirit and liquor.
King Ludwig I wanted «to turn Munich into a town which does such a credit to Germany that no man can say, I know Germany unless he has seen Munich». Thank you for being here with us. We hope that many new contacts will be made here in Munich and new and old friends will communicate in a creative environment. We wish you all a memorable Congress.
Peter Fürst
President