Founded in 1992, United European Gastroenterology is a professional non-profit organisation combining European societies concerned with digestive health. Its mission is to improve the prevention and care ofdigestive diseases in Europe through providing education, supporting research and improving clinical standards.
Structure
UEG as an organisation encompasses Specialist Members and National Society Members. The 17 Specialist Members are organisations in the field of gastroenterology and related disciplines representing their specialty on a pan-European level. The scope of these societies ranges from gastroenterological medicine and surgery to focused organ-oriented and special interest associations. 48 National Gastroenterology Societies are direct members of UEG. The UEG Council is the governing body of UEG and assigns the Executive Committee, composed ofPresident, Vice President, Secretary General and Treasurer. The operating body is formed by committees. Each committee is assigned a set of responsibilities and tasks associated with the different activities of UEG. UEG is a Regional Affiliate Association of the World Gastroenterology Organisation. UEG is a member of the European Medicines Agency, the Alliance for Biomedical Research, the AC Forum, and Pancreatic Cancer Europe. The current president of UEG is Axel Dignaß. Previous presidents and chairmen of UEG:
The House of European Gastroenterology is UEG's home and offers a meeting point and communication hub to the European gastroenterological community. The HEG is situated in the heart of Vienna, near the Rathaus in a 19th-century building. To further increase the visibility and impact of digestive health among the public and politicians, UEG runs a separate Brussels Office in Belgium.
Activities
UEG Week
UEG Week is the largest congress of its kind in Europe and is held once a year. It has been running since 1992 and now attracts more than 13,000 people from around the world. It features the latest advances in clinical management and research in the field of digestive and liver disease. A two-day Postgraduate Teaching Programme is also held on occasion of UEG Week. The programme provides continuing medical education for gastroenterologists in training and practice.
Education
UEG provides educational online and classroom courses in the field of digestive and liver disease and an online library containing abstracts and recordings of UEG Week, guidelines and more.
UEG EU Affairs
UEG aims to act as a united voice of European gastroenterology in the Institutions of the European Union and the governments of the member states in order to promote digestive health in Europe.
Awards and grants
UEG offers awards and grants in the following fields and categories: grants for researchers under the age of 40, grants for researchers having achieved the highest level of international recognition, funds for innovative educational programmes and international scientific collaborations, a prize honouring outstanding contribution to gastroenterology and UEG, international scholarship awards, prizes for best abstracts and travel grants.
Notable publications
''UEG Journal''
Focuses on providing coverage of both translational as well as clinical studies from different fields of gastroenterology. The latest impact factor ranking indicates that the UEG Journal has already established itself as an authoritative, high quality and trusted journal in the field.
UEG White Book: Survey of digestive health in Europe
Summary of burden of digestive diseases in Europe and an assessment of the breadth and quality of current service provision.
