The Association’s annual event was successfully held on 6 December 2008. This year’s event focused on the unique characteristics of Ulcerative Colitis and Crohn’s Disease during childhood. Our special guest speaker was British Paediatric Gastroenterologist Dr. Robert Heuschkel from Cambridge Hospital.

Dr. Heuschkel graduated from St Mary’s Medical School in London in 1990. He completed his training in Paediatric Gastroenterology at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, St Bartholomew’s Hospital, and the Royal Free Hospital in Hampstead.

He further completed a combined training programme in Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition at Boston Children’s Hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital, and Harvard Medical School in the United States. In 2000, he was appointed Consultant Paediatric Gastroenterologist at the Royal Free Hospital.

In 2008, Dr. Heuschkel moved to Addenbrooke’s Hospital to develop a regional gastroenterology service for children in East Anglia. He now works as part of a broader team that provides the full range of clinical services for children with bowel diseases.

He is also actively involved in promoting scientific research and clinical trials in this specialty at the University of Cambridge. Dr. Heuschkel continues to publish in medical journals and lecture at national and international conferences.

He serves as Chair of the IBD Working Group of the British Society of Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition (BSPGHAN) and is a member of the Gastrointestinal Committee of the European Society for Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition (ESPGHAN).

During the event, Dr. Heuschkel presented the specific characteristics of these diseases in children and emphasized the importance of early diagnosis and timely initiation of treatment, particularly for adolescents who are still in their developmental years.