Christophe Mariette
ESA Educational Grant
" This grant is dedicated to the younger generation of surgeons and aims to sustain Christophe Mariette’s quest for excellence through collaboration."
Christophe Mariette, head of the Department of general and digestive surgery at the University Hospital of Lille, France and a very active member of the ESA, died in July 2017 at the age of 47.
His death was a shock for the surgical community that lost a prominent surgeon and scientist in the field of cancer and upper GI surgery, a charismatic teacher and mentor for the young generation of surgeons, an enthusiastic leader, an empathic human being, a model pupil and a caring friend.
This grant was unanimously approved by the ESA General Assembly in May 2018. It is dedicated to the younger generation of surgeons and aims to continue Christophe Mariette’s pursuit of excellence through collaboration and the exchange of knowledge.
PURPOSE:
The Christophe Mariette ESA Grant aims to promote scientific and educational exchange between hospitals of ESA members across Europe.
The grant supports a clinical visit of 1 to 3 weeks for a young surgeon at a host institution of another ESA member.
The grant is offered annually. Depending on the quality and number of applications, 1 to 3 visits may be supported each year.
APPLICANTS:
The grant is open to young surgeons aged 35 to 45 years who work at an institution of an ESA member.
The host surgeon responsible for the visit must also be an ESA member.
The recipients will be selected by the ESA Educational Grant Committee. The committee consists of three ESA members and a committee chair, all nominated by the ESA Council for a three-year term.
GRANT APPLICATION PROCESS:
To apply, applicants must submit the following documents to the ESA Secretariat (esa@beyond-associations.be). All documents should be combined into one PDF file and submitted in the following order:
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Cover letter
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Applicant’s curriculum vitae
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Mentor’s curriculum vitae from the host institution
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Letter of support from the host institution (see list) confirming its willingness to host the applicant for a clinical visit
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Proposed exchange period, including start and end dates, with a minimum of 1 week and a maximum of 3 weeks
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Letter of reference from the mentor at the host institution
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Letter of reference from the applicant’s home institution
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Summary of the applicant’s clinical activities over the past 5 years
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Brief description of the objectives of the clinical visit (maximum one A4/letter-size page)
The proposed visit may focus on areas such as:
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Technical aspects of minimally invasive and robotic surgery, including upper GI, lower GI, HPB, and endocrine surgery
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Technical aspects of transplantation surgery
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Surgical oncology, including esophageal, gastric, hepatocellular, cholangiocellular, pancreatic, colorectal, and thyroid cancer, as well as soft-tissue tumors, neuroendocrine tumors, and rare oncological diseases
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Standard operating procedures (SOPs) in high-volume surgery, including general surgery, metabolic surgery, organ transplantation, endocrine surgery, and cancer surgery
GRANT OBLIGATION:
At the end of the visit, the grant recipient is expected to:
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Submit a short report summarizing the content and experience of the clinical visit to the ESA Educational Grant Committee
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Attend the upcoming ESA Annual Congress
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Prepare and give a 10-minute oral presentation about the clinical visit at the Annual Congress
APPLICATION DEADLINE:
Applications are to be submitted before October 21 (23:59 CET).
The ESA Educational Grant Committee will review the applications and present their selection to the ESA Council on November 28. Successful applicants will be notified before the end of December.
The visit must take place within 8 months of the date of acceptance.
GRANT COVERAGE:
A grant of up to 4.000 EUR is available for a 1- to 3-week clinical visit.
The grant is intended to cover:
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Travel expenses
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Accommodation
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F&B during the stay
Applicants must keep all original invoices and receipts and submit them to the ESA office for reimbursement.
To reduce the need for the recipient to cover the full cost in advance, 50% of the grant can be paid before the clinical visit, upon request.
Maciej Krasnodebski
From Warsow, Poland - Exchange done in March 2023 in Germany
(Medizinische Hochschule Hannover)
« This experience has provided me with invaluable insights into the hepatopancreatobiliary surgery and has significantly enhanced my skills and knowledge with regard to patient care, surgical technique and liver transplant procedures. »
Jin-On Jung
From Cologne, Germany - Exchange done in August 2023 in Korea
(Seoul National University Hospital, South Korea)
« All in all, I have learned a lot about how gastric cancer surgery is being performed in South Korea with a
different tumour aetiology and different patient profiles. I have also learned how a surgical staff can
operate and communicate with each other in a culture that is far away from Europe yet so technically
modernized and advanced. There were aspects of medicine and interaction that were somewhat
unfamiliar when compared to the clinical routine that I am used to, however, at the same time there were
also very similar issues and perceptions that I could share with the many people I encountered.
I am enormously thankful about this unique chance to attend such a hospitation and would like to thank
my host Prof. Yang from Seoul, my supporter Prof. Bruns from Cologne, and of course the European
Surgical Association for making this precious experience possible.. »
Markus Albertsneier
From Munich, Germany - Exchange done in July 2023 in Italy
(Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori, Milan, Italy)
« my two-week visit to the sarcoma unit at INT Milan, supported by the European Surgical Association's 2023 Christophe Mariette Grant, proved to be a profoundly enriching experience. Under the guidance of Prof. Alessandro Gronchi and his team, I gained extensive exposure to advanced surgical techniques for retroperitoneal sarcomas and gastrointestinal stromal tumours (GIST). The visit not only strengthened our ongoing collaborations but also sparked new initiatives, including research on immune cell infiltrates in retroperitoneal sarcomas and a post-hoc analysis of EORTC 62961 trial data. This experience has expanded my clinical expertise and laid the groundwork for future scientific endeavours and international partnerships in the field of sarcoma research. I am very grateful to the European Surgical Association for making this exchange possible... »
Marcel André Schneider
From Zurich, Switzerland - Exchange done in September 2023 in Korea
(Seoul National University Hospital, South Korea)
« my 4-week clinical observership in gastric cancer surgery at SNUH was an invaluable, transformative and highly enriching experience. I gained a comprehensive understanding of the surgical management of gastric, absorbing knowledge from world-renowned experts and witnessing the latest surgical techniques firsthand. The experience has undoubtedly enriched my surgical expertise and instilled in me a deeper appreciation for the intricacies of gastric cancer management. I am immensely grateful for the opportunity to have participated in this observership and extend my sincere thanks to the European Surgical Association (ESA) for sponsoring this enriching exchange. I wholeheartedly recommend that surgeons interested in gastric cancer surgery consider pursuing a similar clinical observership at SNUH or another leading institution in Korea or Japan. The opportunity to learn from the best in the field and experience the highest standards of care in gastric cancer surgery is an invaluable asset for any aspiring upper gastrointestinal surgeon.»