
The European Society for Paediatric Nephrology (ESPN) was founded in 1967 and this represented a true milestone for paediatric nephrology in Europe. Presently about 2,000 doctors are estimated to be involved at different levels in the care of children with renal disease all over Europe, working in collaboration through personal contacts and special-interest groups. This process is highly facilitated by the annual ESPN Congress, which has more than 500 attendees, and through the recently-expanded ESPN network. One third of all European paediatric nephrologists work in one of 200 specialised centres in tertiary care hospitals, while about two thirds work in secondary paediatric care and have developed a particular interest and skill in the most common renal diseases. Paediatric nephrology has experts in each European country.
Paediatric Nephrology in Europe – Fifty Years of Hope
In 1967, 36 paediatric nephrologists from 22 countries gathered in Glasgow, Scotland to share outcomes, innovations and to collaborate to fight kidney disease in children. Today, there are over 1500 paediatric nephrologists in Europe.
2017 was the 50th anniversary of that first meeting of the ESPN. Paediatric nephrology friends and colleagues came together again in Glasgow. Our community celebrated its tremendous scientific advances and human journey by creating an oral video archive from our early pioneers. Thank you to everyone who contributed.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EImdARgSxRQ&feature=youtu.be
The full archive is available to view on: www.youtube.com/c/ESPNhistory
A report of its creation has been published: http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/archdischild-2018-315308
The oral history archive is not closed and we are keen to add further videos of our early pioneers. Contact yincent1@gmail.com to contribute.
Recent ESPN meetings
ESPN 2018, Antalya, Turkey
3-6 October 2018
Congress President: Oğuz Söylemezoğlu (Turkey)
Chair of Scientific Committee: Dr Kjell Tullus (United Kingdom)
Scientific Program
ESPN 2017 Glasgow, Scotland
6-9 September 2017
President of Congress: Dr Heather Maxwell (United Kingdom)
Chair of Scientific Committee: Prof Richard Coward (United Kingdom)
Scientific Program
ESPN 2015 Brussels , Belgium
3-5 September 2015
President of Congress: Dr Johan Vande Walle (Belgium)
Chair of Scientific Committee: Prof Elena Levtchenko (Belgium)
Scientific Program
ESPN 2014 Porto , Portugal
18-20 September 2014
President of Congress: Dr Alberto Afonso Caldas (Portugal)
Chair of Scientific Committee: Dr Ryszard Grenda (Poland)
Scientific Program
ESPN 2012 Krakow , Poland
6-8 September 2012
President of Congress: Dr Jacek A. Pietrzyk (Poland)
Chair of Scientific Committee: Prof Francesco Emma (Italy)
Scientific Program
ESPN 2011 Dubrovnik, Croatia
14-17 September 2011
President of Congress: Dr Danica Batinid (Croatia)
Chair of Scientific Committee: Dr Yaacov Frishberg (Israel)
Scientific Program
Term | Secretary General | Term | Assistant Secretary |
1967-1971 | Gavin Arneil | 1967-1971 | Harmen Tiddens |
1971-1974 | Harmen Tiddens | 1971-1976 | Andreas Fanconi |
1974-1979 | Oskar Oetliker | 1976-1979 | Karel van Acker |
1979-1984 | Karel van Acker | 1979-1984 | Ernst Leumann |
1984-1989 | Ernst Leumann | 1984-1985 | Karel van Acker |
1985-1989 | Michael Winterborn | ||
1989-1992 | Michael Winterborn | 1989-1992 | Patrick Niaudet |
1992-1997 | Patrick Niaudet | 1992-1997 | Kate Verrier Jones |
1997-2000 | Kate Verrier Jones | 1997-2000 | Jochen Ehrich |
2000-2003 | Jochen Ehrich | 2000-2003 | Christer Holmberg |
2003-2008 | Christer Holmberg | 2003-2008 | Pierre Cochat |
2008-2012 | Pierre Cochat | 2008-2010 | Rosanna Coppo |
2012-2015 | Rosanna Coppo | 2010-2015 | Elena Levtchenko |
2015-2019 | Elena Levtchenko | 2015-2019 | Rezan Topaloglu |
2019-2022 | Rezan Topaloglu | 2019-2022 | Dieter Haffner |
2022 – | Dieter Haffner | 2022- | Francesco Emma |
1967-1970 | Ferdinand Demant | CSSR |
Renēe Habib | France | |
1968-1971 | Nils Svenningsen | Sweden |
Marian Wojnarowski | Poland | |
1969-1972 | Wolgand Hagge | FGR |
Richard White | UK | |
1970-1973 | Peter Grossmann | GDR |
Pierre Royer | France | |
1971-1974 | Gavin Arneil | GB |
Niilo Hallman | Finland | |
1972-1975 | Karel Van Acker | Belgium |
Mikhail Matveyev | USSR | |
1974-1977 | Ian Houston | UK |
Juan Rodriguez-Soriano | Spain | |
1975-1978 | Stewart Cameron | UK |
Rene Kuijten | The Netherlands | |
1976-1979 | Micheline Lēvy | France |
Johannes Brodehl | FRG | |
1977-1980 | Claude Godard | Switzerland |
Eva Matheova | CSSR | |
1978-1981 | Cyril Chantler | UK |
Juhani Rapola | Finland | |
1979-1982 | Claire Kleinknecht | France |
Karl Schärer | FRG | |
1980-1983 | Milana Popovic-Rolovic | Yugoslavia |
Antonio Torrado | Portugal | |
1981-1984 | Willem Proesmans | Belgium |
Ulf Jodal | Sweden | |
1982-1985 | Gianfranco Rizzoni | Italy |
Michael Winterborn | UK | |
1983-1986 | Matthias Brandis | FRG |
Jiri Svorc | CSSR | |
1984-1987 | Chantal Loirat | France |
Leo Monnens | The Netherlands | |
1985-1988 | George Haycock | UK |
Alberto Martini | Italy | |
1986-1989 | Anita Aperia | Sweden |
Otto Mehls | FRG | |
1987-1990 | Patrick Niaudet | France |
Sandor Turi | Hungary | |
1988-1991 | Martin Barratt | UK |
Rosanna Gurmano | Italy | |
1989-1992 | Olli Koskimies | Finland |
Wolfgang Rascher | Germany | |
1990-1993 | Raymond Donckerwolcke | The Netherlands |
Maria Sieniawska | Poland | |
1991-1994 | Alberto Edefonti | Italy |
Mercedes Vasquez-Martul | Spain | |
1992-1995 | Tommy Linne | Sweden |
Peter Hoyer | Germany | |
1993-1996 | Laszlo Kovacs | Czech Republic |
Jean Pierre Guignard | Switzerland | |
1994-1997 | Helena Jardim | Portugal |
Francesco Perfumo | Italy | |
1995-1998 | Christer Holmberg | Finland |
Jochen Ehrich | Germany | |
1996-1999 | Jan Janda | Czech Republic |
Mario Bianchetti | Switzerland | |
1997-2000 | Fernando Santos | Spain |
Rosanna Coppo | Italy | |
Pierre Cochat | France | |
1998-2001 | Bert van der Heijden | The Netherlands |
1999-2002 | Eric Girardin | Switzerland |
Constantinor Stefanidis | Greece | |
Aleksandra Zurowska | Poland | |
2000-2003 | Michael Fischbach | France |
Sue Rigden | UK | |
Hilal Mocan | Turkey | |
2001-2004 | Giuliana Lama | Italy |
2002-2005 | Mercedes Navarro Torres | Spain |
Jean-Claude Davin | The Netherlands | |
György Reusz | Hungary | |
2003-2006 | Franz Schaefer | Germany |
Necla Buyen | Turkey | |
Alan Watson | UK | |
2004-2007 | Francesco Emma | Italy |
2005-2008 | Thomas Neuhaus | Switzerland |
Alfonso Caldas | Portugal | |
Svetlana Paunova | Russia | |
Ryszard Grenda | Poland | |
2006-2009 | Nicholas Webb | UK |
A Gur Guven | Turkey | |
Dieter Haffner | Germany | |
2007-2010 | Elena Levtchenko | The Netherlands |
2008-2011 | Tatjana Nastausheva | Russia |
Tim Ulinski | France | |
Tomas Seeman | Czech Republic | |
Sverker Hansson | Sweden | |
Empar Lurbe | Spain | |
2009-2012 | Velibor Tasic | Macedonia |
Rezan Topaloglu | Turkey | |
2011-2014 | Johan Vande Walle | Belgium |
Detlef Böckenhauer | UK | |
Giovanni Montini | Italy | |
Marijan Saraga | Croatia | |
Anna Bjerre | Norway | |
Eric Girardin | Switzerland | |
2012–2015 | Stefanie Weber | Germany |
Fatoş Yalçınkaya | Turkey | |
2014–2017 | Soren Rittig | Denmark |
Rukshana Shroff | UK | |
Justine Bacchetta | France | |
Carmine Pecoraro | Italy | |
Ali Düzova | Turkey | |
Helena Pinto | Portugal | |
2015–2018 | Larisa Prikhodina | Russia |
Gema Ariceta | Spain | |
2017–2020 | Ana Teixeira | Portugal |
Jun Oh | Germany | |
Kjell Tullus | UK | |
Marina Vivarelli | Italy | |
Olivia Boyer | France | |
Sevcan Bakkaloğlu Ezgü | Turkey | |
2018-2021 | Augustina Jankauskiene | Lithuania |
Max Liebau | Germany | |
Martin Christian | UK | |
2020 – 2023 | Aysun Karabay Bayazıt | Turkey |
Michiel Schreuder | The Netherlands | |
Dorota Drozdz | Poland | |
George Reusz | Hungary | |
Evgenia Preka | UK | |
2021-2024 | Stella Stabouli | Greece |
Fabio Paglialonga | Italy | |
Jerome Harambat | France |
1998-2008 | Peter Hoyer | Germany |
2008-2018 | Dieter Haffner | Germany |
2018- | Jun Oh | Germany |

Stewart Cameron
1934-2023

Aysin Bakkaloglu
1943-2023

Kate Verrier-Jones
1946-2022

Lesley Rees
1951-2022

Gavin Arneill
1923-2018

Lluis Callis
1933-2020

Michel Broyer
1933-2020
