EUROPEAN SOCIETY OF PATHOLOGY ACADEMY (ESPA)

Introduction:
The European Society of Pathology (ESP) is actively supporting the education and career development of Pathologists. One of the prestigious activities offered for this scope, is the organisation of the ESP Academy (ESPA).

ESPA is an intensive and interactive workshop, devoted to the promotion of applied and translational scientific research in the field of human pathology. ESPA is aimed for the future leaders in pathology and is organised every other year.

During this 4-day workshop, ESPA Awardees attend sessions provided by world-renowned experts and additionally present their own proposals for future research projects. Interactive discussions are strongly encouraged and attendance of all ESPA sessions and social events is mandatory. This ensures that the maximum educational benefit is achieved.

Goals:
The educational goals of ESPA are:

  • Promotion of research excellence and innovation among young pathologists/scientists
  • Provision of solutions for building up a research strategy and academic career to become a leader in pathology
  • Receiving updates on the latest developments in the field of translational research in pathology
  • Participation in a forum where experiences from world leading senior researchers in pathology as well as junior pathologists/scientists are shared
  • Networking and early-career development support

Organising/Scientific Committee:
The Organising/Scientific Committee of ESPA consists of:

  • The ESP President
  • The ESP Director General
  • The ESP Secretary
  • The Chair of the ESP Education Subcommittee
  • The ESP Education Manager

Admission and registration fee:
Admission to ESPA is by highly competitive application. The Organising/Scientific Committee evaluate all eligible applications for the value of the curriculum vitae, the significance and originality of the submitted research proposal, the motivation and communication skills of the applicant as expressed both in the application and during the interview. Admission to ESPA is available to Pathologists (both in training and board certified) and Pathology-related professionals.

ESPA has no registration fee and additionally ESP is providing significant financial support to all awardees for attending this workshop, according to the ESP policy.

Past ESPA editions (click on the link to view each booklet/programme):

  1. ESPA 2018: Waterloo, Belgium. 23-26 June 2018
  2. ESPA 2022: Genval, Belgium. 18-21 June 2022

ESP is excited to announce the 3rd edition of ESPA, scheduled for 8-11 May 2024 in Malta.

The deadline for applying is on 25 January 2024, at 16:00 CET.

Potential applicants are strongly recommended to read carefully and follow closely the below instructions. Applications that do not meet the criteria or do not follow the instructions will not receive a full review.

A) Eligibility criteria:

  1. Be an active ESP member with updated membership at least for 2024
  2. Work at and/or be affiliated with a renown Pathology Institute and aim at an academic career in Pathology
  3. For applicants who are not MDs, to have a Master or Doctoral Degree.
  4. To be at the beginning of the career in the field of Pathology, preferably under 40 years old
  5. Not to be an awardee of past editions of ESPA

B) Required documents:

  1. Letter of motivation, describing why the applicants is interested to attend ESPA and what are the expected benefits from this experience
  2. Full curriculum vitae (1-2 pages), focusing on career milestones and research-related items. Already undertaken Leadership roles are appreciated
  3. Publication list: full papers published or accepted for publication in peer-reviewed journals; Published abstracts in Congresses and/or Journals should be omitted
  4. Recommendation letter from the Home Institute
  5. Outline of future/early-stage research project (not more than 4 A4 pages). The applicant must be a core member of the research team, preferably its main investigator. The project must be in the field of pathology. There are no restrictions for the methodology used. Successful applicants will be invited to present their submitted research project during ESPA
  6. Scanned copy of passport /ID

C) Application process:

  • Applicants are invited to send their application via email to the ESP Education Manager, Dr Christos Poulios at admin@esp-pathology.org using as subject “ESPA 2024”
  • Applications submitted after expiration of the deadline will not be accepted
  • Dr Poulios is available to answer questions related to ESPA and its application process
  • The Organising/Scientific Committee will evaluate the received eligible applications
  • The shortlisted applicants will be invited to an online interview
  • The final list of ESPA awardees will be announced within 2 months of the application deadline
  • ESPA awardees will be invited to attend the whole duration of ESPA and ESP Headquarters will contact them for travel and accommodation arrangements.
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