Meeting President's Welcome Address
Dear Colleagues & Friends,
it’s a great privilege and honour for us to host the 10th meeting of Hydrocephalus Society here in Bologna, a modern city with a historical center, rich in monuments, and the regional capital of Emilia Romagna. Bologna is traditionally defined as “the erudite, the fat, the red and the towered” city. It aqcuired the nickname “the erudite” from the fact that it is the site of the oldest university in the Western world. The Alma Mater Studiorum, which was founded in the year 1088.
Today its 90 thousand students make our university an undeniably influential presence in the city's and in the nation’s cultural and social life. Bologna is “the fat” because it is the birthplace of delicious (and very rich) food: tortellini, ragù and mortadella. Its red roofs make Bologna “the Red” since medieval times. Lastly, she is called “towered”, because during the Middle Ages the city had more than one hundred towers. Two of them, “Garisenda” and “Asinelli”, are the symbols of Bologna. If exquisite architecture, delicious food, and a rich history is not enough to visit Bologna, the lovers of speed could satisfy their appetite by visiting the nearby factories of Ferrari, Lamborghini, Maserati and Ducati.
Hydrocephalus Annual Meeting represents one of the most important meetings focused on hydrocephalus and presents a vital opportunity for clinicians and scientists who need to stay current on advances in the assessment, diagnosis and treatment of hydrocephalus. A great effort has been made to involve all the professionals who every day and in very different ways and fields deal with patients suffering from hydrocephalus: engineers, physicists, nurses, radiologists, neurologists, neurosurgeons, geriatrics, physiatrists, anaesthetists and neuropsychologists, are only some of them. The contribution of each one is fundamental to achieving the best possible result for patients and crucial for the Congress to be useful and productive. We invite you to use this unique opportunity to present original works and exchange your experiences in the field.
We would like to extend a particularly warm welcome to those who are relatively new to the world of hydrocephalus – particularly our trainees – and assure you that your participation in Hydrocephalus 2018 will greatly enhance your standing in the field, so that you can go on to make your own impact on the future of this pathology
We look forward to welcoming you in Bologna: prepare yourself to be challenged, excited and inspired.
Giorgio Palandri Hydrocephalus 2018 PresidentHydrocephalus Society President's Welcome Address
Dear Colleagues & Friends,
it is my honor and pleasure to welcome you to Bologna, to the 10th meeting of the International Society for Hydrocephalus and Cerebrospinal Fluid Disorders.
Over the years, we made a lot of progress in the field of hydrocephalus. It is our duty, nonetheless, to remain committed to improving because the journey to professional excellence never ends.
According to the Institute of Medicine, Quality of Care is characterized by six traits. Care needs to be Safe, Timely, Effective, Efficient, Equitable and Patient-centered. When care is lacking anyone of the above traits, the issues at play are usually multiple: low morale, inadequate staffing and lack of interdisciplinary collaboration.
Our own experience confirms the need of paying attention to patients and families, the need of avoiding unkind behaviors, and the importance of looking at things from the patient’s perspective. Our experience confirms, in fact, the crucial importance of the Golden Rule “Do unto others as you want them to do unto you”. We need to make this notion central to our culture. I am counting on all of you to make it happen.
I am confident that we will continue to contribute to the health and well-being of people and communities across the world.
Sincerely,
Dr. Daniele Rigamonti President of the International Society for Hydrocephalus & Cerebrospinal Fluid Disorders