Winter Meeting of the European Academy of Paediatrics: Belgium, December 6–7, 2024

The Winter Meeting of the European Academy of Paediatrics (EAP) was held on December 6–7, 2024, in Brussels, Belgium. This annual gathering brings together representatives from paediatric associations across Europe to discuss training programs for physicians and projects aimed at improving paediatric care on the continent.

Traditionally, Ukraine is represented by the Ukrainian Academy of Paediatric Specialties (UAPS), as it is a full member of the EAP. This year, Ukraine’s official delegate was Oleksii Rykov, Chief Paediatrician of the Dobrobut Medical Network and a UAPS board member.

The EAP also has an active youth branch, Young EAP, which focuses on international collaboration, advocacy for young doctors and interns, as well as the creation of training programs and projects. Ukraine is proudly represented in this youth division by UAPS Youth Committee members Dr. Veronika Letychevska and Dr. Anna Zelinska.

The Ukrainian Academy of Paediatric Specialties has been a full member of the EAP since 2019, following amendments to the EAP’s statutes that granted equal membership rights to all European countries, regardless of their EU status.

Since then, UAPS representatives have had the right to vote and be elected to EAP’s governing bodies and have actively participated in numerous working groups. Notably, Dr. Maryna Mamenko and Dr. Ivanna Romankevych are members of the Choosing Wisely team, which focuses on developing recommendations for paediatricians to minimize overdiagnosis and overtreatment. Over the years, UAPS representatives, including Dr. Fedir Lapiy, Dr. Ivanna Romankevych, Dr. Yevhen Grechuha, and Dr. Maryna Mamenko, have been national coordinators for pan-European research projects under EAPRSNET, involving thousands of Ukrainian physicians.
In 2024, the EAP also launched the Immigration Health project, which aims to collect and analyze data on challenges related to providing medical care to migrant children. Ukrainian physician and UAPS member Dr. Mariya Teslenko has become an active participant in this newly formed EAP strategic working group and presented the project’s initial findings at the Winter Meeting in Brussels.

Since the onset of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the EAP has provided crucial support to UAPS. This assistance enabled the successful organization of the PRIME Pediatrics 2022 annual congress online during the war’s most challenging year. Additionally, the EAP supported Ukrainian physicians with travel grants and reduced fees for European congress participation, while also providing grants to Ukrainian hospitals. Establishing direct contacts and fostering collaboration with national paediatric associations across Europe has also been of great importance.

The EAP’s annual Winter and Spring Meetings are not educational or scientific events. Instead, they serve as vital forums for colleagues to connect and address shared challenges. Online discussions and communication within the EAP continue year-round. We are proud to be part of the larger European paediatric family!