5 years of STEPS: the way forward

Wed, 21 Jan 2015

2015 marks the 5th anniversary of the successful “Sessions To Evaluate ProgresS in the management of urological cancers” (STEPS). The meetings are chaired by ESOU Chairman, Professor Maurizio Brausi. This innovative partnership between ESOU, IPSEN and the EAU provides a unique opportunity for young clinicians to engage in discussion with opinion leaders in prostate, bladder, kidney and, as of this year, testicular cancer.

According to Professor Axel Heidenreich, there is a growing trend towards personalised medicine in urological cancer treatment, and so “personalised medicine should be paired with more personalised educational programmes.” STEPS is an excellent example of innovation that brings together motivated researchers at the beginning of their academic careers in contact with experienced practitioners and like-minded peers. To date, the programme has welcomed 78 fellows from 22 different countries, and interest continues to grow.

STEPS fellows benefit from access to the world leaders in the speciality. As former fellow Jakub Dobruch explains: “The STEPS session that I attended presented a structured and concrete case analysis, under the leadership of a world-renowned expert. Being part of that allowed me to gain confidence about my approach when, back in my country, I encountered a similar case.”

To strengthen the networking opportunities, and in the framework of the 5th edition of the programme, all STEPS fellows are invited to a closed session during the EAU Congress 2015 that will take place in Madrid. During the session, multidisciplinary approaches in onco-urology will be discussed, to foster the knowledge networks that continue to be established during the intensive yearly session.

The STEPS programme is one of the ways in which IPSEN supports the goals of ESOU by providing educational opportunities to specialists in onco-urology. Applications for the STEPS 2016 CME-accredited session open in March, during the EAU 2015 congress in Madrid. All young urologists, recently specialised, and with an interest in onco-urological specialities are invited to apply. The session will take place during the ESOU2016 meeting in Warsaw, Poland.