An International Paediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes Education course took place last week at the Paediatric Department. We bring brief interviews with trainees from Lithuania and Armenia.
Ingrida Stankute, MD
(Lithuania)
Hospital of the Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Kaunas, Lithuania
Department of Paediatric Endocrinology
How did you find out about this program? Why did you choose to participate?
My professor in Lithuania knows Professor Lebl very well. It was her suggestion that I applied to join this course. I filled in an application form and feel very lucky to have got a place here on this course.
What is your main area of interest in medicine?
It's paediatric endocrinology. I am a Ph.D. student and still learning so this course really improved my knowledge in this area.
Did you find any big differences between your hospital or department and the Department of Paediatrics here at Motol University Hospital?
I found the biggest differences in the increased use of genetic testing, since Motol can provide its patients with a very wide gene panel. We are just starting in Lithuania because of the high cost of providing these tests. Maybe we will improve and have more gene panels for tests – but for now we are just starting.
What's your ‘take home message’, both from the course and Prague?
From the hospital it's definitely the genetic testing and the fact, that it should be available to all patients that might benefit from it. As for Prague, it's very hospitable, and all the colleagues here in the department were very nice and they willingly shared all their information with us.
Will you continue with any kind of cooperation after your visit?
I think we already cooperate with genetic testing. We had one project for short stature in Lithuania where we tested for one gene, we brought samples and the genetic testing has been done here in Prague in Motol. I think we will continue with this cooperation.
Sona Samvelyan, MD
(Armenia and Russia)
Paediatric outpatient department No. 122, Moscow, Russian Federation
How did you find out about this program? Why did you choose to participate?
I met professor Lebl for the first time this October while he was teaching at an ESPE Central Asia & Caucasus School. Later in November, I received a letter from him suggesting that if I would like to take part in this course I should fill out an application form. So here I am! I have worked as a paediatric endocrinologist at an outpatient department in Moscow for only one year so particularly for me it's been a really great experience to see how the doctors work here. What I like here is that there are many young doctors here and the professors openly discuss progress with them and answer questions. Your genetic testing is more advanced than what is available in Moscow. As for the Prague, it's my first time here and I can only say it's a nice city. I am very pleased to be here.
What is your main area of interest in medicine?
It is also paediatric endocrinology. I don't work in a hospital, it's only a department. My job is to discuss and consult with our patients about the problems they have. It's quite different from the job the doctors do here, but I gained some useful information for me, too, from this course.
What's your ‘take home message’?
Each day we read charts and the professors shared their experience, knowledge and skills with us. They demonstrated how to make a diagnosis and how to prescribe the most suitable treatment for particular patients so overall it's been very useful to me.
