April 2006

Dear BACTS member,

This short newsletter keeps you updated concerning ongoing activities in the society.

Abstract prize and travel grants.

The positive balance of the last Congresses allowed the BACTS to organise additional initiatives to promote education in cardiac surgery:
1.  Prize for the best abstract presented at the BACTS meeting (1000 Euro).
Abstracts are anonymously scored by the members of the scientific committee. The prize is given to the abstract with the highest score (allocated before the meeting).
The prize (prior the support for attending the Bergamo school) is changed in a 1000 Euro prize.
2.  Travel grant (5000 Euro)
For Belgian cardiothoracic residents or young surgeons
To spend 2 months in prestigious centres for cardiothoracic surgery
(proposal by the candidate)
Application for such a travel grant should be addressed to the scientific committee (before September of each year). The application should consist of
 - curriculum vitae
 - a short letter explaining the goal of the training by the chairman of the department
 - a short proposal concerning the intended centres to visit.
3. Funding of a fellow to attend the Bergamo school (appr. 900 Euro).
Application for this support should be addressed to the scientific committee. The application should consist of
 - curriculum vitae of the candidate
 - a short letter of the chairman of the department to support the application.  
In case several application are made the scientific committee will give priority to the candidate with the better curriculum.

11th Congress on Cardio-Thoracic Surgery
November 18 2006, Brussels

The 11th annually congress of the BACTS will take place at the Sodehotel-Woluwe on Saturday November 18.
Abstracts for this year’s Congress are already welcome.
The deadline for receipt of abstracts is fixed on August 1, 2006.
Abstract submission should be done through the website: http://www.bacts.org
We will welcome Dr. G. Dreyfus, Harefield, UK as invited speaker.

Membership Directory and New members

The Membership Directory is available on the web and linked to CTSnet: http://www.bacts.org/sections/members/index.html.
This Directory is continuously updated. Please check your personal data and inform us in case they need correction.
New candidate members are invited to send their application form to
Y. Van Belleghem,
Chairman Membership Committee BACTS,
Dienst Cardiochirurgie, UZ Gent,
De Pintelaan 185, B-9000 Gent.
Applicants should use the official BACTS form included in this mailing. The form is as well available online.
The deadline for receipt of new applications is fixed on September 1, 2006.

Good news on Accreditation: Both Chambers for Recognition approved.

I. Rodrigus:
The last proposal concerning the Specific Competence in Cardiac Surgery, as discussed in the General Assembly in November, was finally approved by the Dutch and French Chambers for recognition in General Surgery. The text is included and as well available on the website.
The text is now send to the High Council.
We hope it does not take too long to obtain their approval. Thereafter it will take some time to get it officially organised, before every cardiac surgeon, practising cardiac surgery at this moment in Belgium, can obtain an official document. We hope to announce the modalities for further steps to be taken by cardiac surgeons and fellows in training during our next General Assembly.

You can find attached as well an updated list of accreditation numbers of scientific meetings.

On behalf of the Board of Directors 2004-2007