Junior ESPR

Chairperson 2023-2026
Greg Chambers, Leeds/UK

Members
Julian Jürgens, Hamburg/DE
Carmelo Sofia, Messina/IT
Céline Habre, Geneva/CH
Aisling Fagan, London/UK
Irmhild Altmann-Schneider, Utrecht/NL
Pablo Caro, Seville/ES
Riwa Meshaka, London/UK

2017-2020 members
Seema Toso, Geneva/CH
Susan Shelmerdine, London/UK

If you would like to become a member of the jESPeR Committee, please send your CV to office@espr.org.

The ESPR is committed to supporting upcoming paediatric radiologists. For the last several years grants have been offered to support the attendance of presenting young European Radiologists to the ESPR conference.

30 grants of 800 Euro will cover not only the registration fees but also a relevant part of your travel costs.
Refunds will be processed after the congress.

Application requirements

– The grants are only available for radiologists in training, who are active members of ESPR. Training status needs to be confirmed by a written, dated and signed letter from the applicant’s training coordinator/supervisor/head of training.
– The applicant must be 40 years or younger.
– Application Deadline: yearly, February 28 (new!)

How to apply?

1. ESPR Junior Grant Application Form_updated Jan 2024.  Please fill out the form electronically, then proceed to print and sign it.
2. Please provide a signed dated letter from your training supervisor/director/head of training confirming your current training status and position.
3. Send both, the application form & the letter confirming your training status, to office@espr.org with the heading “Junior grant application for ESPR”.
4. The ESPR board will consider the applications after the closing date and will respond by email once all applications have been reviewed by the evaluation committee and final decisions have been taken. A pre-nomination of winners is done by the ESPR president, annual ESPR congress president and jESPeR representative. This nomination is to be discussed and approved by the ESPR board.

The ESPR Board has agreed to provide financial support to eligible radiologists in training (residents/fellows) or young radiologists active in the field of paediatric radiology who will attend the ECPR – Module II courses.

Application requirements

1. Target audience: The grants are only available for radiologists in training (residents/fellows) and young radiologists active in the field of paediatric radiology. This status needs to be confirmed by a written, dated and signed letter from the applicant’s training coordinator/supervisor/head of department.
2. Age: The applicant must be 40 years or younger on the first day of the course.
3. Reimbursement: The grant will include a fixed amount of money, to cover registration and test fee expenses, and to be announced following the application deadline. The grant will be paid to the grant receiver after attending the course. This will require the bank details of the grant recepient and confirmation of attendance to be forwarded to the ESPR Office (email: office@espr.org).

The grant applications need to be submitted before July 30, yearly, at the latest. Grant applications received after this date will not be considered.
Grant applications will be reviewed by the ESPR education committee and sent to the ESPR board for approval. The decision of the ESPR board is final.
Updates on the grants may be announced on the ESPR website.

How to apply?

1. ECPR Junior Grant Application – DOWNLOAD. Please fill out the form electronically, then proceed to print and sign it.
2. Please provide a signed dated letter from your training supervisor/director/head of department confirming your current training status or position.
3. Scan the application form and the letter confirming your training status/position and email both to office@espr.org with the heading “Educational grant application for ECPR”.
4. The ESPR education committee will consider the applications after the closing date.

Exchange Programme for Paediatric Radiology Fellowships (ESPR)

The need to attract, train and help qualify young radiologists to render confident practice of the diverse multimodality age focussed subspeciality imaging has never been more important. This has prompted the European Society of Radiology (ESR) and the European Society of Paediatric Radiology (ESPR) to take the initiative in establishing an exchange programme for fellowships or subspecialisation training in paediatric radiology.

AIM
Recent advances in radiology equipment and in particular more rapid acquisition of images within cross sectional imaging with more widespread availability of fast imaging techniques have opened the door to excellent multisystem imaging in children.

This is in addition to more conventional plain film, fluoroscopy and ultrasound/nuclear imaging which has long been the mainstay of paediatric radiology. Clinical research has rapidly expanded the range of applications of the newer imaging modalities, particularly in imaging of the brain and heart. This is particularly important in neurodevelopmental disorders and complex congenital heart disease.

The programme offers an opportunity to complement subspecialisation training in paediatric radiology or an existing fellowship programme in this field of radiology. Through three months of training the trainee will be provided with intense modular training in paediatric radiology and will be supervised by a specialised tutor in a pre-selected, highly esteemed, academic training centre in Europe.

NUMBER OF AVAILABLE PLACES
Four places will be offered and organised through ESOR. The successful applicants will receive a grant jointly provided by ESR/ESOR and ESPR.

ELIGIBILITY
These exchange programmes are applicable to radiologists within the first three-four years after certification, who desire to become subspecialist radiologists. Previous basic paediatric radiology training is essential prior to taking this opportunity.
Basic knowledge of current clinical practice in paediatric radiology with regard to plain films, fluoroscopy, ultrasound, CT and MRI. Competence in producing a radiological report, in communication with clinicians and patients, and knowledge of the principles of administration and management applied to a clinical department with multi-disciplinary staff and high-cost equipment is essential. Understanding the medicolegal implications of uncertainty and errors in diagnostic radiology is necessary. A good clinical background in other disciplines, which has been achieved through clinical experience and training prior to entering the fellowship. Clinical experience in paediatrics is advantageous.
Applicants must be proficient in English.
An active ESR and ESPR membership is required.
Applicants who were selected for this programme in the past cannot be considered for a second time.

DURATION OF FELLOWSHIP AND FUNDING
The training starts in the second half of the year and lasts for three months. The fellow receives a grant (€3.500,-) upon the completion of the training, the delivery of a final report and the submission of original flight tickets and accommodation receipts. The grant is intended to contribute in part to travel and accommodation expenses during the training period. ESOR cannot guarantee that the grant will cover these costs in full. During the period of the training the fellow is responsible for covering his/her expenses and his/her own health insurance. The training itself is offered for free. Please note that in particular cases administrative charges may arise, which are to be covered by the grant.

PROGRAMME STRUCTURE
Based on weekly training programme modules, the trainee will familiarise him/herself with the institution’s imaging equipment. He/She will then learn to handle children in all modalities in radiological practice, followed by case-by-case hands-on teaching on routine clinical cases with different modalities from experienced staff. With supervision of a wide range of pathology at the end of the training programme the trainee should be proficient in discussing the appropriate imaging modalities and imaging technique with referring clinicians and be able to interpret different paediatric examinations on his/her own.

In non-native English speaking training centres teaching would be in English, while major radiological conferences and reporting may be in the local language. Some knowledge of the local language may be an advantage.

The trainee will be able to observe clinical activities, but will not have direct patient care responsibilities.

It is the trainee’s responsibility to communicate with the centre regarding the details of the training and whether more responsibilities than observer status can be obtained. ESOR solely acts as facilitator and coordinator between the training centre and the trainee.

CERTIFICATION
After successful completion of the three-month training the trainees receive a certificate from ESR/ESOR and ESPR. In order to receive this, the fellow must present a written report about his/her work and activities during the programme.

Visit the ESOR Website for further information and application

– JESPER dinner. It is organized every year at the annual meeting for the younger attendants to the meeting (less than 40 years old) to meet each other and do some networking. It is a great opportunity to meet young colleagues from all over the world.

– JESPER lecture. Every year the JESPER committee with the congress president select an interesting topic and speaker to give a one hour talk at the annual meeting interesting for the younger members of the society.

– JESPER Run for Fun. A 5-kilometre run is organized every year at the annual meeting in a beautiful place of the congress city for those who want to do an early exercise before the lectures.

We are working to offer ESPR resident members a list of European hospitals where they can continue their paediatric radiology subspecialty training.

If you know an appropraite training center, please fill in the form here.