Newsletter Highlights
- Message from the President
- EVDI Congress 2025
- Dates for the Diary
Message from the President
Dear All,
Winter is finally coming to Copenhagen as I write this November newsletter; my first summary of activities since taking office as your College President in Athens at our annual general meeting.
As ever the College and its committees have been busy with various activities in the period since Athens.
The joint ACVR / ECVDI Artificial Intelligence (AI) Education and Development Committee has done an excellent job in distilling thoughts from the many interested parties to produce a joint position statement for both Colleges. The role that AI will have in our work is uncertain but as a guiding principle, the statement advocates an ethical and transparent framework for its development and use. The document gives a background to this complex area and provides a list of clear recommendations with respect to AI in our specialization. It is a fast moving field and the position statement gives a good up to date view. The position statement had been studied and approved by the boards of both Colleges. It will be available on the ECVDI website in the near future.
The Rounds in Veterinary Diagnostic Imaging (RIVDI) committee has just completed another successful annual “Mock boards”, this time in Madrid. I was invited to speak there to the group of upcoming radiologists, to introduce the College, its committees and activities and to give an historical context to the College they are about to join as fellow Diplomates. The meeting was a great success, thanks to the hard work of the RIVDI committee, of the radiologists who brought cases and discussed interpretation and to the other contributors. Having recently served on the examination committee I could feel the same atmosphere among the group assembled in Madrid. It was certainly exam like and a great chance for the residents present to prepare. We all know taking the College examination is stressful. Activities such as the Mock Boards and the regular online rounds play an important role in reducing destructive stress, in giving the residents tools to perform in ways that reflect their knowledge and training and allow residents to put forward their arguments in a small group of their peers. Important in this is the “safe / low stress“ space that RIVID provide both in the Mock Boards and in regular online rounds. It is a great credit to the College that Diplomats come forward to contribute to these sessions allowing residents to benefit from a wide range of experienced radiologists. In this way they learn how to deal with different emphasis, different opinions and to see the important of evidence based decision making.
The RIVDI committee encourages Diplomates to come forward to offer sessions in both Large and Small Animal rounds.
The Credentials Committee is working at the moment on many fronts as usual, and this includes implementation of the changes to the Diplomat Evaluation form agreed for at the AGM in Athens. As outlined then the aims of the agreed modifications is to have an evaluation that allows active Diplomates to comfortable reach the required threshold activity no matter how they are located in the increasingly wide spectrum of working profiles that we see in the College. These include of course clinical radiological practice, academic radiology, tele-radiology to name but three. A point that was made to me in Athens and has been put elsewhere to board members and officers is the question of how the Credential Committee looks deals with accreditation for Diplomates during periods of maternity / paternity leave. The College in line with normal work practice across Europe aims to support such leave and to ensure that its procedures allow for the normal demands of starting and raising a family. The credentials committee currently see to it that special circumstances such as maternity/paternity leave or sickness will be thoroughly taken into account during the evaluation process by the Credentials Committee, in order not to penalize the Diplomate under evaluation in their application to reach the minimum amount of points required for a successful accrediting. This is a question that is relevant to all EBVS colleges and indeed is under consideration by EBVS. We will wait to see how EBVS wishes to frame its guidance, but the policy stated above for our College is in place and in use.
And finally the Job Task Analysis (JTA) is in progress. At the moment we are sorting and filtering the data so that we can make maximum use of the insights provided by Diplomates and Residents. I will be reporting on that in later Newsletters as we proceed with the JTA process.
With that I will take this opportunity to wish you and those around you all the best for the coming Christmas and New Year.
Fintan McEvoy
President, ECVDI
EVDI Congress 2025
The 2025 Congress is shaping up to be a phenomenal event and we are looking forward to seeing you all in Sitges in September 2025. Registration will open soon, so stay tuned for more information.
The date for the Congress is 17-20 September 2025.
We are working hard on the arrangements to have an intriguing scientific program with attractive as well as some more relaxing social activities to enjoy and share with friends and colleagues.
For further information please keep an eye on the website: https://www.evdi-congress.eu/venue/congress_venue
Dates for the Diary
2025
- 28-29 January 2025: ECVDI Practical Exam, Zurich
- 30 January 2025: ECVDI Theoretical Exam - remote
- 17-20 September 2025: EVDI Congress - Stiges, Barcelona
- 8-9 November 2025: RIVDI Mock Board - Paris