ESU-Weill Cornell Masterclass in General Urology: "Bridging the knowledge gap"

From 7-13 July, The European School of Urology, together with Weill Cornell Medical College (New York, USA) is organising its annual Masterclass in General Urology in Salzburg. The meeting is uniquely international. Travel, accommodation and registration is free, and certified urologists under forty from across Europe are actively encouraged to register. Dr. Sharokh Shariat (USA), one of the faculty members spoke to us on the nature of the programme.“The objective of the Salzburg Masterclass is to help physicians achieve their goals by providing free, state-of-the-art information and education in a pleasant and interactive environment. The wider goal of the masterclass is to transfer knowledge and expertise with the aim of building capacity worldwide.”

The course combines the best of European and US faculty mostly physicians from Weill Medical College of Cornell University in a combined effort to raise the quality of urology across Europe.

The 3-year curriculum is put together by the course directors of the seminars in order to attract the right physicians to their courses. The academic curriculum of the masterclass is divided into three modules which rotate yearly. The rotating subjects that are covered every three years do not build on each other and participants can attend any year of the curriculum without having participated in one of the other years.

The programme is extremely broad, and topics this year include urethral surgery, infertility, urological cancers and sexually transmitted diseases. The programme begins with a pre-seminar test and ends with a post-seminar test, allowing participants to track their development.

Spreading knowledge

An important, and indeed unique part of the Masterclass is the international element to the faculty and the participants. Dr. Shariat: “Physicians worldwide, regardless of their nationality, strive to do what is best for their patients. With this masterclass, we hope to bridge the knowledge gap between urologists in different countries through intensive small group teaching.”

“Fellows return home eager to share their newly acquired knowledge with colleagues, and the multiplier effect has significantly improved health care delivery in many of the targeted countries. Furthermore, fellows continue to have access to their faculty members and colleagues, and consult with them on difficult cases.”

“Key to the programme’s success is the opportunity for fellows to provide them with a network of faculty members and colleagues, whom they can consult with whenever the need arises. This allows them to access information, without leaving their countries, thus promoting a “brain gain” and preventing “brain drain”.”

Find out more about the registration procedure and register before 31 March >