“It was a Paradise for professionals” – this is how endocrinologist Natia Vashakmadze recalls the Salzburg Medical Seminars, in which she participated not once with the support of the Civil Society Foundation. The Salzburg Medical Seminars is a platform that brings together colleagues from different fields of healthcare to exchange experience with each other. The experience gained here is directly connected to improving the competence of physicians and methods of treating patients.
The Salzburg Medical Seminars are part of the activities pursued in Georgia by the Open Medical Institute (OMI) with the support of the Civil Society Foundation. Since 1994, 536 medical and healthcare professionals have taken part in the Salzburg Medical Seminars; 179 physicians have completed internships in various hospitals in Austria and 22 satellite symposia have been organized in Georgia.
„This is a truly magical environment where you can gain the knowledge and information (delivered to you in an incessant flow) that every clinician needs in his/her daily activities. They give an opportunity to learn how colleagues from other countries approach and manage certain medical cases. All professors are open to share their opinions with you, teach you what makes this experience even more impressive and practical. And bottom line is that the knowledge the Salzburg Medical Seminars provide is directly transformed into higher quality treatment – the acquired competence immediately reflects on the patient’s health”, notes Natia Vashakmadze.
After returning from the first Salzburg Seminar, Natia Vashakmadze hosted a satellite symposium in Georgia. With the support of the newly acquainted colleagues, OMI management and sponsors, visiting professors and Georgian physicians convened to share their experience in the field of diabetology.
„It was a springboard and a strong motivation for me to establish an organization that would organize many other academic events in the field I am engaged in”, says Natia. Over the past five years, the Georgian Association of Endocrinology and Metabolism (GAEM) has organized 10 international events with the participation of world-class professors, including, a satellite symposium in lipidology. The number of those who express interest to participate in such meetings increases from event to event, for instance, more than 250 Georgian physicians participated in the latest international conference. Globally recognized experts in lipidology, thyroidology, reproductology and other fields shared their knowledge and experience with them.
The Georgian Association of Endocrinology and Metabolism (GAEM) supports Georgian physicians not only by organizing high-quality international conferences, but the Association has also translated and published international guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of endocrine diseases (ETA, ATA, The Endocrine Society), which are available on its website for free. In addition, the Association is also focused on patient education and has published patient information brochures in various fields.
At the onset of her career, Natia also attended the Salzburg Seminars on Medical Leadership, the knowledge and experience she gained there played a big role in the planning and organization of all these events.
You can find Salzburg Seminars schedule for 2024 on this link.
Natia Vashakmadze, Endocrinologist, Founder and President of the Georgian Association of Endocrinology and Metabolism