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International Society for the Study and Prevention of Perinatal and Infant Death
A Short History of ESPID
compiled by Karl Bentele, Hamburg, Germany
The European Society for the Study and Prevention of Infant Death (ESPID) was founded in Rouen, France, in 1991. Under the auspices of WHO Europe and the European Economic Community (EEC), the founding conference gathered scientists from all over Europe, including central and eastern European countries, as well as from Non-European countries such as the USA, the USSR, Greenland, Australia and New Zealand. More than 350 scientists from 27 countries, speaking 19 different languages, were present to establish this new European society.
In order to prepare this founding congress, an informal meeting of paediatricians and scientists of different fields of research concerned with infant development, morbidity and mortality had already been organised by André Kahn in 1990. André was perceived by all of us as the spiritus rector and driving force of this new scientific society at that time. The members of the steering committee entrusted with the preparation of the new society were (in alphabetic order) Karl Bentele (Germany), John Emery, chairman (United Kingdom), Karin Hellweg-Larsen (Denmark), Johannes Huber (Netherlands), Lorentz M. Irgens (Norway), Paul Johnson (United Kingdom), André Kahn, secretary (Belgium), and Maria Michaleli (Greece).
This steering committee strongly felt that a joint European research effort could best be coordinated within and by a newly structured multidisciplinary and multinational society named the European Society for the Study and Prevention of Infant Death (ESPID). The aims of this new society were to focus on the study and prevention of all kinds of infant deaths, not only sudden infant death, as well as on normal and abnormal infant development. In order to accomplish these tasks effectively, 5 permanent working groups were formed and each one entrusted to three officers:
(R. G. Carpenter, UK; L. M. Irgens, Norway, E. Taylor, UK)
(K. Bentele, FRG; E. Mallet, France; A. de Broca, France)
(J. Berry, UK; K. Hellweg-Larsen, DK; J. Huber, NL)
(R. Haidmayer, Austria; P. Johnson, UK; D. Southall, UK)
Psycho-Social Problems
(K. Blueglass, UK; D. Dorival, France; J. Powell, UK).
These elected heads of the 5 working groups, assisted by the Executive Board, formed the Scientific Board of the ESPID. Elected Members of the Executive Board were:
President: A. Kahn (Belgium)
Vice President: K. Hellweg-Larsen (Denmark)
Secretary General: K. Bentele (Germany)
Treasurer: R. Haidmayer (Austria)
Member at large: J. Emery (United Kingdom)
Member at large: E. Mallet (France)
Beside the Executive Board, a Coordinating Board had been established in order to connect the ESPID with representatives from the European parent organisation, formerly SIDS Family Europe.
During the ESPID Conference in Graz in 1995, elections were held as stated in the bylaws. Members of the new Executive Board were:
President: K. Bentele (Germany)
Vice-President: T. O. Rognum (Norway)
Secretary General: G. Jorch (Germany)
Member at large: J. Berry (United Kingdom)
Co-opted Member: S. Chantler (United Kingdom)
Past President: A. Kahn (Belgium).
The newly elected heads of the permanent working groups were:
Clinical Problems: A. Kahn (Belgium), A. de Broca (France), C. Poets (Germany)
Physiology: R. Haidmayer (Austria), H. Lagercrantz (Sweden), P. Johnson (United Kingdom)
Pathology: T. O. Rognum (Norway), J. Huber (Netherlands), C. Rambaud (France)
Epidemiology and Public Health: R. G. Carpenter (United Kingdom), L. M. Irgens (Norway), Ch. Einspieler (Austria)
Psychosocial Aspekts: K. Blueglass (United Kingdom), M. L´Hoir (Netherlands), H. Brooks (Scotland)
Molecular Biology: A. Coquerel (France)
Since the Founding Congress in 1991, ESPID conferences had been organized annually, and from 1999 on biannually, by one of her members with support of the ESPID:
1992 Lübeck (Germany)
1993 Oxford (United Kingdom)
1994 Stavanger (Norway; joint meeting with SIDS International)
1995 Graz (Austria)
1996 Košice (Slowak Republic)
1997 Barcelona (Spain)
1999 Jerusalem (Israel)
2001 Istanbul (Turkey)
2003 Oslo (Norway)
During the Istanbul Conference in 2001, members had been informed about the results of the 2nd elections of the ESPID. The new Executive Board consisted of:
President: Torleiv O. Rognum (Norway)
Vice President: Joseph Milerad
Secretary General: Christian F. Poets (Germany)
Treasurer: Martin Schlaud (Germany)
Member at large: Jem P Berry
Member at large: Jens Grogaard
Past President: Karl Bentele (Germany)
From then on, the ESPID co-operated more closely with SIDS International and helped to organise the scientific parts of the SIDS International conferences, which took place in:
2000 Auckland (New Zealand)
2002 Florence (Italy)
2004 Edmonton (Canada).
Between these conferences, Annual General Meetings were held on the occasion of an annual Soria Moria workshop on SIDS organized by Torleiv Rognum in Oslo. In 2003, ESPID's board agreed to merge with the SIDS Global Strategy Task Force (GSTF) of . The board of had also unanimously approved to go ahead with the merger. This was prepared to become effective in 2004. The name of the new society was to become ISPID, the International Society of the Study and Prevention of Infant Death.
Bentele KHP. The European Society for the Study and Prevention of Infant Death (ESPID). J SIDS Inf Mort 1996; 1: 141-144. Article
Kahn A. The European Society for the Study and Prevention of Infant Death (ESPID). Biol Neonate 1992; 61: 259-270. Article
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