Journal of Rare Disorders: Diagnosis & Therapy

The fourth ASPED-ESPE school was held between 14-17/12/ 2017 in Abu Dhabi, UAE. The school was run by a combined ASPED- ESPE faculty and sponsored by an educational grant from Novo Nordisk, UAE. It was advertised in ASPED and ESPE websites and candidates were selected through open competitive applications based on strict enrollment criteria by the steering committee. Of the 89 applicants, 61 candidates from 15 Arab countries were selected. The curriculum covered major paediatric endocrine topics and was delivered in a mixture of didictic/case based plenary lectures, debate, and interactive group discussion. In addition, small group discussions were run in 4 parallel groups, in which over 50 cases and research projects were presented. The social program included Gala dinner and visiting the impressive Louvre Abu Dhabi museum. The feedback evaluation by candidates showed a satisfactory response to organization, scientific value and opportunity for networking and future collaboration.