UEMS - Cardiology Section

The cardiology section of the European Union of Medical Specialists (UEMS) is a subsection of this large organization which exists since 1958 and is devoted to training, quality control and other professional activities throughout the European Economic Community (EEC), which later on became the European Union (UE).

The European Society of Cardiology (ESC) has different aims and activities and is essentially devoted to all the scientific, research and epidemiological aspects of cardiology. But it is also partly concerned by education and training.

The cardiology mono specialty section of the UEMS is 25 years old.

It may indeed be said that the cardiology section of the UEMS is born in 1979 when cardiological representatives of the member countries of the UEMS (approximately those countries member at this time of the EEC) convened in Paris to discuss the results of a UEMS questionnaire (D-7614) related with various professional and training aspects in cardiology and to formulate a common point of view, which was than submitted to the UEMS mother organization. Already at this time the opinion of future members of the ESC as Greece, Portugal, Spain has been sought and has been taken into account for the finalization of the first Report of the UEMS cardiology section on Training in Cardiology.

The first chairman and secretary of this section were respectively Prof. H. Denolin and Dr. N. Boyadjian, both Belgian Cardiologists. Prof. H. Denolin has also been President of the ESC. The essence of this first report was the recommendation of a common trunk ("tronc commun") of general internal medicine, the same as for the other (sub) specialties of internal medicine (with an optimal duration of 3 years), which should be followed by a specific education and training in cardiology of 2 years. We have to be aware that at this time there existed large differences in training and education in cardiology throughout Europe.

In the late eighties Prof. P.G. Hugenholtz succeeded to Prof. H. Denolin and Prof. P. Block to Dr. N. Boyadjian. They convened in 1989 at the headquarter of the ESC, which at this time was in Nyon (Switzerland), a plenary assembly of all the representatives of the Cardiology Mono specialty Section of the UEMS.

It was decided to rewrite and to actualize the 1979 report. Representatives of many non ESC countries attended also this meeting and formulated propositions for participating in these activities.

As a result of the mailing of a new questionnaire to the responsible of the national scientific and professional organizations, the 1991 report was issued containing actualized information on the training facilities, not only for the 12 ESC countries, but moreover for 12 other countries. In the meantime a more structured organization found place with an International Steering Committee of which the first members were Prof. P. G. Hugenholtz (the Netherlands) (chairman), Prof. P. Block (Belgium) (secretary), Prof. L. Kappenberger (Switzerland), Dr. H.R. Michels (the Netherlands), Prof. M.M. Oliver (England).
 

Its first task was to issue a report providing the UEMS and other EC officials with information in terms of qualification requirements prior to exchange and licensing Cardiology specialists even if from a theoretical point of view, free settlement for all workers inside the EEC (later the EU) was possible since the Treaty of Rome. Moreover this report provided the authorities with minimum requirements which a training center must meet in order for its graduates to be properly recognized as an "European standard" cardiologist.

Among the same time a leaflet was issued reporting the similitudes and differences that characterized the practice of cardiology in the UEMS member countries with the aim to work to some harmonization of our specialty.

Also at this time the first formal contacts were taken with the Board of the ESC and from this time we have a very successful collaboration with their successive presidents Prof. P.Ph. Wilson, H. Bertrand and G. Breithardt.

In 1993 the European Board of the Specialty of Cardiology has been found by Prof. P. Block, who became the first chairman (1993-1994). This board was constituted by 3 delegates designated by the cardiology section of the UEMS and by 3 designated by the Board of the ESC. Dr. J.P. Letouzey, Prof. G. Breithardt, Dr. P. Kearney, Prof. H. Weber were some of the very active members of this organization.

One of the first and main activities was to define the criteria for being a "good" clinical European cardiologist who will be accepted as cardiologist in the European Union. Especially the non European cardiologists were interested to have such criteria established. Later on a Diploma of European Cardiologist was issued which has other aims than the Diploma of Fellow of the ESC. The first one recognizes the knowledge and skill in clinical cardiology, the second one is attributed by the ESC to researchers of high level.

At the mean time the cardiology section of the UEMS had a new president : Dr. J.P. Letouzey (Paris).

The EBSC issued these last years many recommendations and reports, namely on Manpower in Cardiology in the Eur Heart J 2000; 21:1135 and in the Eur Heart J 2003; 24:299. It presented also many communications at meetings organized by the national scientific societies of cardiology of Belgium, France, Greece, Italy, Portugal, Spain, …

Heinz Weber Contribution

The cardiology section of the European Union of Medical Specialists (UEMS) is a subsection of this large organization which exists since 1958 and is devoted to training, quality control and other professional activities throughout the European Economic Community (EEC), which later on became the European Union (UE).

The European Society of Cardiology (ESC) has different aims and activities and is essentially devoted to all the scientific, research and epidemiological aspects of cardiology. But it is also partly concerned by education and training.
The cardiology monospecialty section of the UEMS is 25 years old.

It may indeed be said that the cardiology section of the UEMS is born in 1979 when cardiological representatives of the member countries of the UEMS (approximatively those countries member at this time of the EEC) convened in Paris to discuss the results of a UEMS questionnaire (D-7614) related with various professional and training aspects in cardiology and to formulate a common point of view, which was than submitted to the UEMS mother organization. Already at this time the opinion of future members of the ESC as Greece, Portugal, Spain has been sought and has been taken into account for the finalization of the first Report of the UEMS cardiology section on Training in Cardiology.

The first chairman and secretary of this section were respectively Prof. H. Denolin and Dr. N. Boyadjian, both Belgian Cardiologists. Prof. H. Denolin has also been President of the ESC. The essence of this first report was the recommendation of a common trunc ("tronc commun") of general internal medicine, the same as for the other (sub)specialities of internal medicine (with an optimal duration of 3 years), which should be followed by a specific education and training in cardiology of 2 years. We have to be aware that at this time there existed large differences in training and education in cardiology throughout Europe.

In the late eighties Prof. P.G. Hugenholtz succeeded to Prof. H. Denolin and Prof. P. Block to Dr. N. Boyadjian. They convened in 1989 at the headquarter of the ESC, which at this time was in Nyon (Switzerland), a plenary assembly of all the representatives of the Cardiology Monospecialty Section of the UEMS.
It was decided to rewrite and to actualize the 1979 report. Representatives of many non ESC countries attended also this meeting and formulated propositions for participating in these activities.

As a result of the mailing of a new questionnaire to the responsibles of the national scientific and professional organizations, the 1991 report was issued containing actualized information on the training facilities, not only for the 12 ESC countries, but moreover for 12 other countries. In the meantime a more structured organization found place with an International Steering Committee of which the first members were Prof. P. G. Hugenholtz (the Netherlands) (chairman), Prof. P. Block (Belgium) (secretary), Prof. L. Kappenberger (Switzerland), Dr. H.R. Michels (the Netherlands), Prof. M.M. Oliver (England).

Its first task was to issue a report providing the UEMS and other EC officials with information in terms of qualification requirements prior to exchange and licensing Cardiology specialists even if from a theoretical point of view, free settlement for all workers inside the EEC (later the EU) was possible since the Treaty of Rome. Moreover this report provided the authorities with minimum requirements which a training center must meet in order for its graduates to be properly recognized as an "European standard" cardiologist.

Among the same time a leaflet was issued reporting the similitudes and differences that characterized the practice of cardiology in the UEMS member countries with the aim to work to some harmonization of our specialty.
Also at this time the first formal contacts were taken with the Board of the ESC and from this time we have a very successful collaboration with their successive presidents Prof. P.Ph. Wilson, H. Bertrand and G. Breithardt.

In 1993 the European Board of the Speciality of Cardiology has been found by Prof. P. Block, who became the first chairman (1993-1994). This board was constituted by 3 delegates designated by the cardiology section of the UEMS and by 3 designated by the Board of the ESC. Dr. J.P. Letouzey, Prof. G. Breithardt, Dr. P. Kearney, Prof. H. Weber were some of the very active members of this organization.

One of the first and main activities was to define the criteria for being a "good" clinical European cardiologist who will be accepted as cardiologist in the European Union. Especially the non European cardiologists were interested to have such criteria established. Later on a Diploma of European Cardiologist was issued which has other aims than the Diploma of Fellow of the ESC. The first one recognizes the knowledge and skill in clinical cardiology, the second one is attributed by the ESC to researchers of high level.

At the mean time the cardiology section of the UEMS had a new president : Dr. J.P. Letouzey (Paris).
The EBSC issued these last years many recommendations and reports, namely on Manpower in Cardiology in the Eur Heart J 2000; 21:1135 and in the Eur Heart J 2003; 24:299. It presented also many communications at meetings organized by the national scientific societies of cardiology of Belgium, France, Greece, Italy, Portugal, Spain, …
For what happened later I should recommend asking it to Prof. Weber (Vienna).
(cf. EBAC)
Very recently Prof. Block has created a Task Force on Economics and Regulatory Affaires. Although it already has organized 3 meetings around this topic, it appears very difficult to get practical propositions.

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