History:
The Working Group, called at that time, Belgian Gastro-intestinal Pathology Club (Club Belge de Pathologie Digestive), was founded in 1990 on the initiative of Prof. Karel Geboes (KULeuven), Prof. Anne Jouret (UCL) and Prof. Claude Cuvelier (UGent). They were joined early on by Prof. Jules Haot (UCL – ULB), and dr. Fabienne Rickaert (ULB). During many years Prof. Karel Geboes was president of the Club, with Prof. Anne Jouret as secretary and Prof. Claude Cuvelier as treasurer.
The Belgian Club started as a “Research Group” and was a member of the organising committee of the Belgian Week of Gastroenterology. The aim was to organise a special session devoted to “pathology” within the framework of the Belgian Week of Gastroenterology. The first session was organised in Brussels, on the 9th March 1990 with five oral presentations. In the first year the club had already 50 members, all Belgian pathologists, with special interest in Gastrointestinal Pathology. Later on, the Club organised symposia and yearly courses outside the framework of the Belgian Week of Gastroenterology. The courses focussed on a special topic (dysplasia, infections, Barrett’s oesophagus...) and were associated with slide seminars. The first course (1996), on inflammatory pathology of the colon, was held in Leuven. The lectures were published in “Acta Endoscopica”. In 1996 the club organised furthermore the first meeting of the European Gastrointestinal Pathology Club in Brussels (9th March 1996) with a symposium on quality reporting in gastrointestinal pathology. This was the start of what is now known as the “Working group of digestive pathology” of the European Society of Pathology. From 1990 on, the Belgian Club of Digestive Pathology contributed yearly to the Belgian Week of Gastroenterology with a special session, occasionally in combination with other working groups such as the BGDO. The Club organised also two sessions together with the French and British Clubs of Digestive Pathology (Brugge 1992, Gent 2006), and members of the club attended regularly the joint sessions of these two clubs. From the first edition on, the Belgian Club of Digestive Pathology each year also had its own session during the Belgian Week of Pathology.
With the foundation of the new Belgian Society of Pathology, the Belgian Club of Digestive Pathology became a Working Group of the Belgian Society of Pathology.
Our aims are:
- Preparing congress programs for the annual meeting of the Belgian Week of Gastroenterology and the Belgian Week of Pathology.
- Organising courses for trainees in pathology (also open to every interested pathologist).
- Organising courses for general pathologists, in case of new entities, guidelines, …. in the field of gastrointestinal pathology.
- Developing guidelines.
- In collaboration with the Belgian Cancer Registry improving correct coding of gastro-intestinal pathology.
- To represent the Working group in related scientific and professional associations.
Board Working Group of Gastrointestinal Pathology:
Every pathologist with a special interest in gastrointestinal pathology, including liver and pancreatic pathology, is welcome to join the board of the working group. During the board meetings we mainly focus on the organisation of congresses and courses, and we engage in making and updating guidelines. Members of the board are expected to actively participate.