Practitioners, specialists and students had a chance to exchange opinions and discuss methods for treating various diseases. Russian scientists presented their own research in the field to colleagues.
“First and foremost, all this is aimed at enriching our knowledge and, of course, increasing the efficiency of our treatment of various diseases children suffer from, including endocrinology,” she added.
Her foreign colleagues agreed, saying that this work helps improve doctors’ professional skills.
"There are different schools, different approaches to diagnosis and treatment. This is why we are here. We share our experience, medical knowledge and treatment strategies that can be offered for the benefit of our patients," endocrinologist Vyosa Mulliki Kotori from the University Clinical Center of Kosovo, said.
Melanie Henderson, professor from the University of Montreal’s Department of Endocrinology and Diabetes, also noted that the Athens summit was an opportunity for physicians to share their experience with colleagues.
She said that with different diagnostic and technical methods available these days, such conferences are an excellent opportunity for professionals to see how these methods are implemented in various parts of the world.
Olga Laurentia, a Cambridge University post-graduate student, noted that her participation in the Athens conference had been an opportunity for her to expand her knowledge in the field of infant growth by studying other approaches to this issue.
"I study infant growth and I am very interested in the issues of metabolism and body structure. I learned many new things about this from different sources as well as various approaches to studying this topic, which will contribute to my current research," Laurentia explained.
Ken McElreavey from the Department of Genetics of Human Development at the Pasteur Institute in Paris pointed out that the conference allows practitioners from developing countries, to acquire advanced international experience and see the direction the industry is going in.
"There is a huge difference in training and funding, as well as in the number of disciplines. In Europe everything is comparatively homogeneous, but everything changes the moment you leave Europe," McElreavey said.
Maria Vorontsova also noted that even though treatment methods may differ from country to country, specialists are finding common ways of treating not only children, but adults as well.
“There are international ethical standards, methodological norms, standards for conducting scientific research and, of course, consensus on clinical norms for the treatment of a child. It is very important for modern science to understand this," she said.
Research
During the conference Russian scientists presented their own research in the field of pediatric endocrinology and treatment of diseases to colleagues.
Irina Yeremina, children's endocrinologist and a researcher at the children's Department of Diabetes of the Institute of Pediatric Endocrinology spoke about her research of Type 2 diabetes in children.
“This is a fairly new disease, it was previously found only in adult patients. However, with the prevalence of obesity among children, it also happens at an early age. I am happy to share our experience, the results of our study of this condition and to know the European Endocrinology Association’s opinion on this issue, learn the opinion of the experts from the European Endocrinology Association on this issue," Yermina said.
Children's endocrinologist, Leila Sozaeva, from the Russian Health Ministry’s Endocrinology Center, spoke about the methods of treating a rare disease called "autoimmune polyanglundular syndrome of the 1st type."
"This is a very rare disease, but Russia has the largest number of people affected by it. We also cooperate with foreign specialists, conduct some joint work, share experiences, and I present the results of my own study of this condition at the conference,” she said.
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Melanie Henderson, who presented a national program on cardiovascular diseases at the conference, is very interested in studying the issue of the habits of children and their influence on the development of diseases in the future.
"And I also study the intestines, intestinal bacteria, how they affect metabolism, that is, how they affect obesity in adolescence," she added.
A Los Angeles Children's Hospital pediatrician heaped praise on the conference and the eye-opening things he had learned from his colleagues about the treatment of children with brain tumors.
According to Leila Sozaeva, conferences organized by the European Society of Pediatric Endocrinology and other similar events are extremely important as they set the stage for mutually-rewarding cooperation between specialists from different countries.
"It is very important not only for gaining new knowledge, because we can receive new knowledge freely on the Internet, but also for communication between specialists, for discussing some problems, in order to know who is doing what and with whom to work with,” she explained.