Summer Schools

ECTRIMS has initiated an annual programme of FOCUSED WORKSHOPS and SUMMER SCHOOLS to organize and support timely international scientific/clinical meetings on topics of interest and importance in MS. Programmes are limited in numbers of participants and held in European locations designed to facilitate discussion and interaction. It is anticipated that outcomes from each such programme will be published in an internationally recognized journal with wide dissemination.

Please note that due to the current COVID-19 pandemic the ECTRIMS Summer School 2020 has been postponed until 2022. Further details will be communicated to all participants in due time.

The ECTRIMS Summer School 2020 is dedicated to “Cognition and behavior in multiple sclerosis”, in collaboration with the International MS Cognition Society (IMSCOGS).

Despite all that is known about cognitive impairment in multiple sclerosis (MS) and its impact on individuals with MS and their families, cognitive function is still not openly discussed, routinely assessed, or optimally treated. Ample evidence supports early and ongoing cognitive assessment and personalized treatment. Cognitive impairment is one of the most common and debilitating symptoms in MS, affecting approximately 50% of the patients. Cognitive deficits have a significant impact on patients’ quality of lives, particularly at the professional and social levels. They also have an important prognostic value that justifies their early detection. Historically neglected, they have been the subject of growing interest over the past twenty years. Particularly in recent years, significant progress has been made with the development of appropriate and validated neuropsychological tools and improved understanding of underlying pathology, especially through imaging studies. The management of cognitive impairment  is also evolving rapidly with the development of different approaches to cognitive rehabilitation.

The summer school will gather international experts in the field to provide an updated and comprehensive review of the field. It will address physiopathology, assessment by neuropsychological tests and ecological evaluation, risk factors, structural and functional imaging correlates of cognitive deficits , neuroplasticity, behavioral problems, pharmacological and behavioral treatments, cognition in pediatric MS, and impact on daily life.

Beyond a theory-led course, participants will be given opportunities to apply the concepts via practical and interactive activities integrated throughout the course and specifically during practical sessions on the second day of the course, dedicated to interactive sessions through 4 working groups.

The target audience is represented by young neurologists, neuropsychologists, psychiatrists, speech/language pathologists, occupational therapists, neuroradiologists with interest in this area and a basic knowledge of neuropsychology, who want to deepen and implement their expertise in the field.

Application is now closed.

Results about acceptance will be sent out by the end of February 2020 latest. Successful applicants are invited by ECTRIMS to attend the 8th ECTRIMS Summer School 2020 in Gdansk, Poland and the following costs will be covered:

• Registration
• 3 nights accommodation (22 – 25 June 2020) at the Summer School Hotel (single occupancy)
• Flight expenses (flight needs to be booked via the official ECTRIMS travel agent)

The ECTRIMS Summer School 2019 is dedicated to the fundamental aspects of research methods and statistics, with a specific focus on recent Multiple Sclerosis (MS) research.

MS is a chronic neuro-inflammatory and neuro-degenerative disease of the central nervous system and the most common cause of non-traumatic disability in young adults. It is a heterogeneous disease associated with long-term disability, negatively influencing quality of life. Over the past decades, the number of clinical trials on disease-modifying pharmacological therapies has dramatically increased, which has gone in parallel with renewed interest in epidemiological research looking at causal/ risk factors for the disease and observational, prognostic studies.

Due to the increasing complexity of research in diverse fields, expertise in methodology and statistics forms the cornerstone of MS research, and we envision that high quality studies will provide a better understanding of disease etiology, treatment effects and prognosis.

The school will gather international experts in the field to provide an updated and comprehensive review of research methodology, selection and formulation of research problems, research design and plan in the field of etiology, prognosis and treatment of MS. Experimental designs in different phases of clinical trials and innovative trial designs as well as methodological aspects pertaining to post-marketing, observational studies will be discussed together with the methodology to develop and implement clinical guidelines. Frontal lectures will be integrated with relevant examples and guided discussions of papers from the recent MS literature throughout the sessions of the course. In parallel, the fundamentals of statistical methodology and analysis will be addressed in the course: testing of hypotheses, traditional statistical approaches together with innovative statistical techniques for processing and  analysis of data, interpretation and drawing inferences.

The target audience is represented by high-potential young researchers (PhD students, young post-doctoral students) with an interest in Multiple Sclerosis and a basic knowledge of epidemiology and statistics, who want to deepen and implement their expertise in the field.

Beyond a theory-led course, participants will be given opportunities to apply the concepts via practical and interactive activities integrated throughout the course and specifically during practical sessions on the second day of the course.

Application is closed. The notification letters have been sent out. All applicants have been informed about the results.

The 2018 ECTRIMS Summer School, which will take place in Budapest, Hungary from 25 – 27 June 2018, will focus on „Optical coherence tomography in multiple sclerosis”.

The human retina is the only part of the central nervous system tissue directly accessible to visual imaging. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging allows a highly sensitive and accurate assessment of different retinal structures. Over the past two decades OCT has been developed from a research tool to be part of a routine examination in a state of the art multidisciplinary multiple sclerosis (MS) clinical service. Retinal OCT permits for evaluation of retinal pathology caused by MS, MS associated optic neuritis or treatment side effects. In addition, OCT is a validated outcome measure for treatment trials in MS.

The 2018 ECTRIMS Summer School will give a detailed overview on the use of the OCT in clinical neuroimmunology. Lectures will address different aspects of OCT in optic neuritis, MS and related diseases. The participants will undergo an intensive practical hands-on training on performing retinal OCT examinations, performing OCT quality control and conducting supervised retinal segmentation. The participants will also be trained in case scenarios how to implement the OCT technique into daily clinical practice.

Application is closed. The notification letters have been sent out. All applicants have been informed about the results.

The ECTRIMS Summer School will take place from 13 – 15 June 2017 at the Gran Hotel Los Abetos in Santiago de Compostela, Spain and is directed to young researches and clinical experts from different backgrounds (neurologists, rehabilitation physicians and multi-disciplinary therapy team) who want to generate and implement best evidence-based treatment and rehabilitation care.

The immediate objective is to understand the indications and concepts of symptomatic treatment and rehabilitation, and its effects according to the different levels of the international classification of functioning including taking account personal and environmental factors, and documenting ecological impact. Also, to be capable to integrate evidence from multiple disciplines into clinical case management and to propose important research questions and challenges for clinical implementation of holistic symptomatic treatment and rehabilitation.

Application is closed. The notification letters have been sent out. All applicants have been informed about the results.

The ECTRIMS Summer School 2016 is directed to young MS clinicians and investigators with an interest in the diagnosis and management of multiple sclerosis (MS). The immediate objective is to equip them with the knowledge and expertise they need to (i) accurately diagnose MS, (ii) evaluate the effectiveness of drugs in MS, (iii) understand the value of non-conventional and quantitative MR for assessing the structural, metabolic and functional damage, and (iv) become familiar with the different techniques used for imaging analysis.

Application is closed. The notification letters have been sent out. All applicants have been informed about the results.

The course will focus on ‘Genetics in MS’ and will offer an attractive programme of workshops and mentor groups, include the participation of well-known experts, and ensure in-depth coverage of the field. Participants with no previous knowledge in the field of genetics or who are at an early stage of their training will be invited to attend an introductory workshop on genetics research which will take place before the official start of the Summer School. The workshop will also cover the topics ‘How to read a genetics paper’ and ‘How to write a genetics paper’. Young scientists will also actively work in mentor groups and get concrete guidance on reading/producing genetics papers.

The intention of this event was to equip young physicians with the knowledge and expertise to conduct phase IV studies aimed at evaluating the effectiveness and safety of treatments for MS in clinical practice.