Members
Domenico Coviello (Chair, Milan, Italy)
Martina Cornel (Amsterdam, The Netherlands)
Celia DeLozier (USA/Switzerland)
Peter Farndon (Birmingham, UK)
Peter Goetz (Czech Republic)
Shirley Hodgson (London, U.K.)
Alastair Kent, (Patients Organizations, GIG and EAGS)
Gyorgy Kosztolanyi (Pécs, Hungary)
Jorge Sequeiros (Porto, Portugal)
Heather Skirton (Plymouth, UK)

Additional collaborating members:
Agnes Bloch-Zupan (Strasbourg, France)
Rodney Harris (Manchester, U.K.)
Vaidutis Kucinskas (Lithuania)
Tayfun Özcelik (Ankara, Turkey)
Fred Petrij (Rotterdam, The Netherlands)
Maria Soller (Lund, Sweden)

Dear all,

The last meeting of the education committee has been held in Amsterdam in conjunction with the ESHG annual meeting. Enclosed you will find the minutes of the meeting with the agreement reached.

I would like to inform you that Prof. Pignatti has organized the II Meeting of the Presidents of National Societies of Human Genetics (just following our meeting), where Peter Farndon, Heather Skirton and myself have reported on our activities.

In the same day some of us also attended the ESHG Workshop 8 on Genetic Education (Monday, May 8, 2006, 13.15-14.45 h) that was focused on genetic core competences with contribution from Europe and Australia.

I have been in contact with Sylvia Metcalfe (head of Education Committee of Human Genetic Society of Australasia). Sylvia is part of the organizing committee of the next ICHG in Brisbane, where a meeting of the heads of the Education Committee of all the Human Genetics Societies part of the International Federation will take place. We meet in Genoa (June 12-13) and we discussed the possible interactions and initiatives to propose at Brisbane meeting.

Most of you have been also invited to the next Eurogentest workshop in Porto (23-24/September/2006) where the background paper on genetic core competences for heath professionals will be discussed.

Hoping to see all of you in Porto, my best regards,

Domenico Coviello

ESHG Education Committee meeting
May 8, 2006
ESHG conference - RAI Amsterdam.

Present: Domenico Coviello (Chair), Martina Cornel, , Celia DeLozier, Peter Farndon, Peter Goetz, Shirley Hodgson (part of meeting), George Kosztolani, Taytum Ozecelik, Fred Petry, Jorge Sequerios, Heather Skirton,

Present at the ESHG meeting but not attending due to overlapping meetings: Vaidutis Kucinskas and Alastair Kent.

Apologies: Agnes Bloch-Zuban, Rodney Harris

1) Meeting opened at 10:40 by Domenico Coviello (DC)
Members introduced themselves and gave their backgrounds and involvement in genetics education.

2) Comments on report of the previous meeting: None from those present. DC will solicit e-mail comments from other members.

3) New members of Education Committee and rotation: Welcome to new members, Martina Cornel (The Netherlands) and Peter Goetz (Czech Republic). Prof. Rodney Harris has resigned from the Education Committee due to health problems.
Review of rotation rules in accordance with discussion at the ESHG Board meeting. Term of office is for three years, renewable for one further term of three years. It is proposed that the first terms officially begin from 2004, since the first two years of the committee were a pilot period for the newly proposed Education committee. The first term of office will therefore finish in 2007 and will effect members Domenico Coviello, Celia DeLozier, Shirley Hodgson and George Kosztolany.

4) Nomination of Chairman: Chairman can be nominated by the ESHG Board (DC was approved by Board in November 2004 to replace Celia DeLozier as chairman), or the Board can leave that decision to the committee. The Education Committee members present unanimously requested that Domenico Coviello continue as Chairman.

5) Reports on liaison activity with other societies (ASHG, ISONG, HGSA):

• ASHG Liaison (Celia DeLozier, CD) -- Celia has been in contact with Susanne Haga, chairman of the ASHG Education Committee. The ASHG is pleased for the opportunity to work together and it was suggested that CD attend the ASHG education committee meeting in October in New Orleans to further discuss collaboration.
  In the meantime, Susanne Haga proposed a specific activity that could be carried out in common : DNA Day, which commemorates the sequencing of the human genome (see website www.ashg.org, section on educational activities). The ASHG had a number of activities this year on April 25, targeting Kindergarden-12th grade, which included: essay contest, chat page, web-based presentations, mentoring. CD summarized the activities and agreed to make a proposal to the committee about what activities might be shared in 2007. Committee members noted that some European countries already have a DNA or similar genetics day, including Holland and perhaps Spain. Turkey is currently hosting an exhibit from the Cole Springs Harbor Symposium, targeting high school students (the six sections include advocacy and genetics and lessons for life). Perhaps this could be kept in Europe until next year? CD will contact education members by e-mail to present the ASHG project and obtain feedback about similar public education initiates in Europe.
  DC will mention the proposal for a joint DNA Day to the presidents of national societies who will meet during this congress, to obtain their feedback.
  DC suggests that we do an Education Committee report in next ESHG Newsletter, this would be a good opportunity to talk about a DNA-day initiative for spring 2007.

Celia also reported that the ASHG now has a full-time Education Committee staff person. ESHG Education Committee will definitely need some financial and logistic support from the European Society.

• Nurses in Genetics Liaison (ISONG). Heather Skirton is current President of the International Society of Nurses in Genetics.ISONG is keen to involve more nurses from European countries in its activities and would be willing to work closely with the Education Committee. ISONG is holding the annual Educational and Scientific conference in Europe for the first time in Bristol (UK)from 18-21 May 2007 and wishes to liase with ESHG to ensure that ESHG members have the opportunity to be involved.
   
• HGSA liaison – Domenico Coviello has been in contact with Sylvia Metcalfe, head of Education Committee of Human Genetic Society of Australasia. Sylvia is also part of the organizing committee of the next ICHG in Brisbane, where a meeting of the heads of the Education Committee of all the Human Genetics Societies part of the International Federation will take place. Sylvia and Domenico will meet in Genoa in June to further discuss the possible interaction initiatives
   
• International Bioethics Committee (UNESCO): George Kosztolanyi is on committee and working on Informed Consent and Public Health Initiatives section. ESHG Education would like him to be our formal liaison person with the IBC.

6) Evaluation of the progress of work on core competencies in genetics in Europe. The following are individuals working on this development for various specialties.

a. Agnes Bloch-Zupan: Dentists
b. Heather Skirton: Midwives, nurses, counseling
c. George Kosztolanyi and Jorge Sequeiros Clinical Geneticists
d. Peter Goetz and Vaidutis Kucinskas: Biologists
e. Domenico Coviello: Health Care Professionals (general medicine)
f. Shirley Hodgson: Cancer Geneticists
g. Peter Farndon: Specialist Health Care Professionals (non geneticists)
h. Martina Cornel: GenEd work

The Education Committee is trying to create a network to collect the work that has already been done on core competencies in Europe. DC would like to see each of the above individuals develop a summary and “position paper” for the workshop in Porto in September (need a working draft of document for that meeting). Peter Goetz and Vaidutis Kucinskas havealready sent a first draft of the specific part of the document.

Some discussion of our goal:
- The general aim is to harmonize education and training in Europe.
- It is unrealistic to set up a common curricula to be adopted by all member states (MS). This is because the different legislations and different education systems still present in Europe.
- It is more realistic to have an ESHG paper suggesting core competencies per profession. In this way each MS can modify their curricula to be able to reach the competence described by the European document.
- This is a major undertaking and may be politically sensitive. Perhaps we should document those who have genetics core curricula in medicine, and concentrate as a society on those professions which may not have a defined curriculum, e.g. counselors and biologists.

7) Future activities:

• Eurogentest Unit 6 annual meeting will be in Porto, September 23-24. Will start Saturday noon and run through Sunday afternoon (as in Leuven). The general scheme will be:
  - Saturday afternoon professional and patients groups will work separately
  - Sunday morning join session (presentation of the work done and discussion)
  - Sunday afternoon (13-15) separate work (conclusions and planning).

The steering committee of Unit 6 Meeting will attend the Unit 3 of Eurogenetest (genetic counseling) meeting (21-22 September) to get input on the background document that will be sent also to Unit 3 members.

• Website for courses (Eurogenetest) : time did not allow discussion of this topic.
  A web window is in development, where it will be possible to enter information on genetic courses organized in every MS. The course will be removed automatically when expired.

• ESHG Website and education: time did not allow discussion of this topic.
  - Helena Kääriäinen has an assistant to update the ESHG website, and it was decided that the Education Committee we should provide input to improve the information related to educational issues on the site.

Meeting had to be cut short to allow for members to join reunion of Presidents of national genetics societies: was adjourned at 11:30.

UPDATED ESHG-EDUCATION COMMITTEE
(10 members)

Domenico Coviello (Chair, Milan, Italy)
Martina Cornel (Amsterdam, The Netherlands)
Celia DeLozier (USA/Switzerland)
Peter Farndon (Birmingham, UK)
Peter Goetz (Czech Republic)
Shirley Hodgson (London, U.K.)
Alastair Kent (Patients Organizations, GIG and EAGS)
Gyorgy Kosztolanyi (Pécs, Hungary),
Jorge Sequeiros (Porto, Portugal)
Heather Skirton (Plymouth, UK)

Additional collaborating members:
Agnes Bloch-Zupan (Strasbourg, France)
Rodney Harris (Manchester, U.K.)
Vaidutis Kucinskas (Lithuania)
Tayfun Özcelik (Ankara, Turkey)
Fred Petrij (Rotterdam, The Netherlands)
Maria Soller (Lund, Sweden)

Archives:
Letter 13 - March 21 2008
Letter 12 - August 17, 2007
Letter 11 - May 10, 2007
Letter 10 - October 3, 2006
Letter 9 - July 3, 2006
Letter 8 - April 21, 2006