Endo-Neuro Meeting history

HISTORY

Founding

The birth of the Endo-Neuro Meeting in 1997 had a delivery time of years in which NWO-MW Working Groups ('Deelwerkgemeenschappen') organized annual retreats to discuss the scientific progress of the program of its group members. The endocrinologists of the groups 'Regulation of hypophysial functions’ and ‘Hormones and reproduction’ did this in collaboration with the Netherlands Society of Endocrinology (NVE). These meetings were always a great success, and an guiding example for other Working Groups of NWO-MW.

NWO-MW however reorganized, one of the results being that the Working Groups played no key role in the grant evaluation of new research projects. A decrease in active participation at their usually single dicipline- or topic-related retreats was the result, and consequently the eager to organize these meetings faded away.
In 1997 however Fred van Leeuwen, at that time member of the board of the NVE, thought of organizing a retreat new style as a cluster of old style retreats in one 3-day meeting. As an neuroendocrinologist working at the Netherlands Institute for Brain Research, he wished to include the neuroscience as well.

Fred van Leeuwen contacted Fernando Lopes da Silva, chairman of the Dutch Neurofederation with his ideas as well as Gerard Boer, active as co-chairman of the NWO-MW Working Group 'Molecular and cellular neurosciences'.
Sometimes coincidence pushes new ideas into reality. The Neurofederation was at that time ready and eager to give the Neurofederation a 'face', and the NWO-MW Working Groups were just thinking about the idea of co-meetings. So the idea of a NVE/Neurofederation/NWO Working Group tandem meeting was born, and called the Endo-Neuro Meeting. NWO-MW greatly supported this idea both organizationally and financially, thanks to the stimulatory efforts of NWO commissioner Rob Heinsbroek.

The Neurofederation (Netherlands Federation of Neuroscience Organizations) was founded in 1995 as a network, at that time of 13 neuroscientific organizations and societies, that aimed to be a national forum of exchange on research and planning, to manifest itself as representative of the Dutch neuroscientists at the national, European and international level, and to function as national counselor and discussion partner as to stimulate neuroscience research in The Netherlands.
Presently the Neurofederation has 16 member organizations and knows an individual membership.
See www.neurofederatie.nl

The Netherlands Society of Endocrinology has its website on www.nve.nl

First meeting in 1997

The first Endo-Neuro Meeting of 2-4 June 1997 (EN1997) described its goal as to 'visualize the importance of medical scientific research in an attempt to point out the need for increased financial stimulation through the grant system of NWO' (from introductory text in program booklet). A series of tandem sessions was therefore organized that showed fundamental and clinical progress in subfields of endocrinology, neuroendocrinology and neurosciences. For this purpose also many internationally recognized scientists were invited as keynote speaker.
Poster sessions were initiated and ment to serve the exchange of information about the progress within the NWO-MW Working Groups as previously done during the retreats.
The EN1997 was finally organized as a combined meeting of the various NWO-MW Working Groups in endocrinology and neurosciences, the Neurofederation and the NVE and EKN (Society of Experimental and Clinical Neuroscience), the latter organizations both members of the Neurofederation. Parkhotel 'De Branding' in Doorwerth was the venue.

Parkhotel 'De Branding' in Doorwerth, the home of all Endo-Neuro Meetings since 1997.

The 3-day meeting in 1997 was well received and visited by 230 scientists. Eight sessions and two parallel sessions composed the program for which 9 foreign speakers and 10 national speakers were invited. The meeting program also included the presentation of the Organon Prize for Endocrinology Lecture by P.J. Lucassen (Amsterdam) and the first Dutch Brain Foundation Lecture by D. Lindhout (Rotterdam) on 'Neuroregeneration: from gene to pathogenesis'.
Endocrinology and neuroscience poster sessions accommodated respectively 30 and 58 presentations.

Increasing success

After the success of the first meeting NVE and Neurofederation decided to continue the organization annually. NWO-MW remained happy to financially garantee the organization. An ENmeeting website was introduced (www.enmeeting.nl, presently www.enpmeeting.nl).
The organizers decided to change the approach of scientific program. More parallel sessions were scheduled in which, upon the request of NWO-MW as a main sponsor, also PhD-students presented their data. For the introductory lectures 19 speakers from abroad were invited.
The second Meeting from 3-5 June 1998 was held again in lovely Parkhotel 'De Branding' in Doorwerth which became the home of all future meetings thereafter.

The new formula worked out even better in an attempt to create a national forum meeting for exchange about current and new scientific developments. Since then this approach was maintained and refined. Nowadays Dutch scientists can propose a session and act as moderator in the organization. The main organization committee is installed by the NVE and Neurofederation as a combination of two scientific program committees, the endo and the neuro committee.

Growth of number of participants of the Endo-Neuro Meetings since 1997

The participation number of the Dutch Endo-Neuro Meetings grew annually. The 5th Meeting in 2001 received 525 participants, had a total of 35 oral sessions with 138 speakers from which 32 were invited scientists from abroad, and a total number of 112 poster presentations. Some photographic impressions are published on the 5th Meeting website.

The 6th Endo-Neuro Meeting became the 1st Endo-Neuro-Psycho Meeting in 2002, called ENP2002. The Psycho stands for the additional fourth day with sessions on cognitive and behavioral neuroscience. This extension of the program was a long wish of the board of the Neurofederation since cognitive and behavioral neuroscience receives a large and growing interest in the Dutch neuroscience community.
As a collorary this step again did grow the attendance to the meeting to almost 600 participants.
The ENP2002 became a great success (see photograph page), and has set a standard for later meetings, the 2nd Endo-Neuro-Psycho Meeting (ENP2003), 3rd Endo-Neuro-Psycho Meeting (ENP2004) and 4th Endo-Neuro-Psycho Meeting (ENP2005).

EN1998

NWO-MW acted as the main sponsor for all Dutch Endo-Neuro Meetings. In 2000 NWO-MW fused with ZON as ZonMw.

ENP2002 ENP2003 ENP2004

	participants			sessions				posters
	total	speakers	foreign	keynote	plenary	parallel	satellite	endo	neuro	psycho
EN1997	230	22	9	2	8	2		30	58
EN1998	295	64	19	4	9	12		23	59
EN1999	407	111	29	4	5	21	2	17	57
EN2000	440	122	34	5	3	25	2	18	70
EN2001	525	138	32	5	3	27	2	22	90
ENP2002	596	198	31	6	4	40	3	29	82	26
ENP2003	604	185	42	8	3	37	2	24	103	36
ENP2004	699	200	48	8	2	41	2	14	129	47
ENP2005	732	217	50	8	3	44	3	28	124	65
ENP2006	699	208	47	8	2	42	1	17	136	37
Overview of the growth of the Dutch Endo-Neuro Meeting/Dutch Endo-Neuro-Psycho Meetting (EN/ENPmeeting)

People and previous meetings

The people that organized Dutch Endo-Neuro Meeting'/Endo-Neuro-Psycho Meeting since 1997:

1st Dutch Endo-Neuro Meeting
2-4 June 1997
Organizing committee
E. Bakker (Leiden)
O. Bakker(Amsterdam)
E. Fliers (Amsterdam)
E.M. van der Beek (Wageningen)
E.H. Lopes da Silva (Amsterdam)
steering group
B. Bohus (Groningen)
P.G.M. Luiten (Groningen)
P. Eikelenboom (Amsterdam)
E.P. Beem (Den Haag)
R.P.W. Heinsbroek (Den Haag)
treasurer and steering group
L.M. Schrama (Utrecht)
G.J. Boer (Amsterdam)
F.W. van Leeuwen (Amsterdam)
chairman and steering group
E.R. de Kloet (Leiden)

2nd Dutch Endo-Neuro Meeting
3-5 June 1998
Organizing committee
W. Baarends (Rotterdam)
G.J. Boer (Amsterdam)
treasurer and steering group
J.P.H. Burbach (Utrecht)
A.R. Cools (Nijmegen)
J.A. den Boer (Groningen)
B. Drukarch (Amsterdam)
E. Fliers (Amsterdam)
M. Joëls (Amsterdam)
K.J. Teerds (Utrecht)
G.J. ter Horst (Groningen)
A.-M. van Dam (Amsterdam)
E.M. van der Beek (Wageningen)
F.W. van Leeuwen Amsterdam) chairman and steering group
R.P.W. Heinsbroek (Den Haag)
steering group
H.P.H. Kremer (Nijmegen)
H.W.M. Steinbusch (Maastricht)

3rd Dutch Endo-Neuro Meeting
2-4 June 1999
Organizing committee
L. Blok (Rotterdam)
G.J. Boer (Amsterdam)
chairman and steering group
E. Fliers (Amsterdam)
treasurer
R.P.W. Heinsbroek (Den Haag)
steering group
W. de Herder (Rotterdam)
G.J. ter Horst (Groningen)
H.P.H. Kremer (Nijmegen)
H. van Leeuwen (Rotterdam)
A. Scheurink (Groningen)
L. Schrama (Utrecht)
K.J. Teerds (Utrecht)
vice-chairman and steering group

4th Dutch Endo-Neuro Meeting
5-7 June 2000
Organizing committee
Onno Bakker (Amsterdam)
Leen Blok (Rotterdam)
treasurer
Gerard Boer (Amsterdam)
vice-chairman
Arjen Brussaard (Amsterdam)
Jan Buitelaar (Utrecht)
Rob Heinsbroek (Den Haag)
committee secretariat
Gert ter Horst (Groningen)
Berry Kremer (Nijmegen)
Anton Scheurink (Groningen)
Katja Teerds (Utrecht)
chairman
Fred Tilders (Amsterdam)
Hans van Leeuwen (Rotterdam)

5th Dutch Endo-Neuro Meeting
5-7 June 2001
Organizing committee
Onno Bakker (Amsterdam)
Leen Blok (Rotterdam)
treasurer
Gerard Boer (Amsterdam)
Jan Buitelaar (Utrecht)
Marjanne Everts (Utrecht)
Rob Heinsbroek (Den Haag)
committee secretariat
Gert ter Horst (Groningen)
chairman
Jelle Jolles (Maastricht)
Berry Kremer ( Nijmegen)
Hanno Pijl (Leiden)
Wim Scheenen (Nijmegen)
Anton Scheurink ( Groningen)
Guus Smit (Amsterdam)
Harry Steinbusch (Maastricht)

6th Dutch Endo-Neuro Meeting (1st Dutch Endo-Neuro-Psycho Meeting)
4-7 June 2002
Organizing committee
Gerard Boer (NIH, Amsterdam)
Marjanne Everts (UU, Utrecht)
Rob Heinsbroek (ZonMw, Den Haag)
Gert ter Horst (RUG, Groningen)
Jelle Jolles (UM, Maastricht)
Bert Joosten (UM, Maastricht)
Paul Lucassen (SILS, UvA, Amsterdam)
Hanno Pijl (LUMC, Leiden) committee secretariat
Wim Scheenen (KUN, Nijmegen) treasurer
Anton Scheurink (RUG, Groningen) president
Jenny Visser (EUR, Rotterdam)
Erno Vreugdenhil (LACR, Leiden)
Ineke van der Zee (KUN, Nijmegen) vice-president

2nd Dutch Endo-Neuro-Psycho Meeting (7th Dutch Endo-Neuro
Meeting)
2-5 June 2003
Organizing committee
Gerard Boer (Amsterdam) president
Sytze van Dam (Utrecht)
Michaela Diamant (Amsterdam)
Marjanne Everts ( Utrecht)
Bert Joosten (Maastricht)
Albert Postma (Utrecht)
Hanno Pijl (Leiden) committee secretariat
Wim Scheenen (Nijmegen) treasurer
Anton Scheurink (RUG, Groningen)
Jeroen Schmitt (Maastricht) vice-president
Miranda van Turennout (Nijmegen)
Jenny Visser (Rotterdam)
Erno Vreugdenhil (Leiden)
Ineke van der Zee (Nijmegen)

3rd Dutch Endo-Neuro_Psycho Meeting
1-4 june 2004
Gerard Boer (NIH, Amsterdam) vice-president
Sytze van Dam (OLVG, Amsterdam)
Michaela Diamant (VU, Amsterdam)
Ype Elgersma, ErasmusMC, Rotterdam)
Bart Ellenbroek (KUN, Nijmegen)
Pim French (ErasmusMC, Rotterdam) committee secretariat
Huub Middelkoop (LUMC & FSW, Leiden)
Freek van Muiswinkel (UMCU, Utrecht) treasurer
Albert Postma (UU, Utrecht)
Hanno Pijl (LUMC, Leiden)
Wim Scheenen (KUN, Nijmegen)
Anton Scheurink (RUG, Groningen)
Jeroen Schmitt (UM, Maastricht) president
Miranda van Turennout (KUN, Nijmegen)
Jenny Visser (ErasmusMC, Rotterdam)
Ineke van der Zee (KUN, Nijmegen)

The Dutch Brain Foundation (Hersenstichting Nederland HsN)
is sponsor of the Endo-Neuro Meetings and yearly a keynote speaker presents the 'Hersenstichting' Lecture.
www.hsn.nl

5th Endo-Neuro-Psycho Meeting 2006

The ENP2006 will again be a 4-day meeting. On day 1 and 2 the endocrinologist meet, on day 2 and 3 the molecular and cellular neuroscientists, and on day 3 and 4 the cognitive and behavioral neuroscientists. Day 2 and 3 are days with overlapping themes. Meeting venue is the Golden Tulip Parkhotel 'Doorwerth' in Doorwerth, dates are 6-9 June 2006.
Available information on the ENP2006 and its program can be found on the webpages of www.enpmeeting.nl/enp/ENP2006 on which most details will appear in February 2006.

At a poster session at the ENP2002