Welcome!
The ECU Convention has always been special for me – showcasing, as it does, the best and the most challenging ideas from the European chapter of the chiropractic profession. Without fail, I have come away from these events enriched by hearing about developments in research, clinical practice and the wider world of healthcare. Not all of this has been comfortable, but I can honestly say that the Convention has helped me become a better practitioner, more aware of how much patient value we can create in collaboration with each other and with fellow healthcare professionals.
Returning to the Netherlands, following the 2020 cancellation, makes it even more special! Together with our colleagues at the Netherlands Chiropractors’ Association, we invite you to a stunning 21st-century venue in the charming city of Utrecht. Resembling a smaller Amsterdam, it has its canals and cosy outdoor living, and it is also well on the way to being an exemplary green city with a thriving science park and medical institutes.
In May, as you’ll see from the academic programme, delegates will be able, amongst other things, to enlarge their knowledge of the EPIC principles explored at our last physical Convention. Still, by far, and in my personal opinion the most important thing we will all be taught in this Convention, is included in its theme: Stronger Together. The pandemic brought with it immeasurable suffering and disruption. The least we must do is learn the lessons it brought, and none is more important than the importance of ‘togetherness’.
We will all, once more, engage with speakers, workshop leaders and our colleagues. Don’t miss it! I am looking forward to sharing every minute of it with you!
Vasileios Gkolfinopoulos, ECU President
Dear colleagues, geachte collegae,
Welcome to Utrecht – Welkom in Utrecht!
See, Dutch is not so difficult when you look for commonalities, right? Hopefully, we’ll find a lot of common ground over the days of the ECU Convention in Utrecht.
The Netherlands is a loud and proud big little country, with an entrepreneurial tradition for shaping the world and the land we live on to our advantage – just think of Shell, Phillips, the VOC and the 17th century canals! In the same tradition, there is a spirit and willpower to lead when it comes to musculoskeletal research and innovation.
The largest European meeting of evidence-based chiropractors, the theme of the 2022 ECU Convention is Stronger Together. We have put together an academic programme bursting with talent, whether it be local or imported – here’s your chance to see a lot of your heroes IRL, the names of whom are on every relevant article. A fair number of presenters come from outside the chiropractic profession. This is in line with the vision we have for chiropractic – that we are stronger together, that we naturally collaborate and share knowledge and insights with numerous other clinicians and researchers, as we take part in a global movement to improve the health of our patients.
Outside of the Convention, we have done away with the formal gala dinner and decided to simply throw you a phenomenal Dutch party with all kinds of fun, dancing and surprises! This includes live music and a scrumptious sampling of the Dutch cuisine, right in the heart of the old city.
Gitte Tønner
On behalf of the Netherlands’ Chiropractors’ Association and the local organising team