History of the Society

1973-10-23 – 1993-10-08

The Origins and First Two Decades of the LGD

Chair Prof. M. Krikštopaitis · deputy chairs Assoc. Prof. D. Tamulevičiūtė (1973–1975), Prof. A. Irnius (1976–1993) · executive secretary Assoc. Prof. D. Speičienė (1983–1993)

The LGD’s activities and achievements cannot be viewed separately from the overall development of gastroenterology in Lithuania and advances in medicine. These are two closely interconnected processes that have influenced and shaped one another.

The Pioneer — Prof. Mykolas Marcinkevičius

Prof. Mykolas Marcinkevičius is regarded as the pioneer of gastroenterology and the LGD in Lithuania. For 26 years (1944–1970), he headed the Department of Propedeutics of Internal Medicine at Vilnius University, founded in 1944 and based at Vilnius City Hospital No. 3 (now named Mykolas Marcinkevičius Hospital). He taught medical students and took a particular interest in diseases of the stomach and intestines. In 1959, he defended Lithuania’s first habilitation thesis in medicine on gastroenterology, and in 1961 he became a university professor. He cared deeply about gastroenterology and brought together doctors interested in the field. He was a warm, tolerant and collegial leader, respected and loved by his entire team, students and patients.

The Professor wrote numerous scientific articles and published a textbook on internal medicine as well as a booklet on the causes of ageing, “A Long and Creative Human Life”.

In 1969, on his initiative, a gastroenterology section was established within the Lithuanian Society of Physicians, headed by Prof. L. Laucevičius. Prof. M. Marcinkevičius chaired the section and Assoc. Prof. D. Tamulevičiūtė served as its secretary. The scientific conference for physicians entitled “Topics in Gastroenterology”, held in Druskininkai in October 1968, had already been devoted to the aetiology, pathogenesis, clinical presentation and treatment of digestive system diseases.

In 1970, postgraduate training for doctors began at the Department of Propedeutics of Internal Medicine at Clinical Hospital No. 3, with a course in gastroenterology taught by D. Tamulevičiūtė, K. Žeruolienė, J. Pučinskas, R. Garalevičius and J. Saukienė. Under the supervision of Prof. M. Marcinkevičius, Dalia Tamulevičiūtė and Kazimiera Noreikaitė-Žeruolienė soon defended doctoral theses in gastroenterology.

Establishment of an Independent Society in 1973

On 23 October 1973, four years after the section was established, the independent Lithuanian Society of Gastroenterology was founded. M. Krikštopaitis successfully led it for 20 years, assisted by D. Tamulevičiūtė from 1973 to 1975 and later by A. Irnius from 1976 to 1993; D. Speičienė served as Executive Secretary from 1983 to 1993.

In 1976, a Department of Gastroenterology was established within the Department of Propedeutics of Internal Medicine at Vilnius City Hospital No. 3.

On 5 March 1985, a similar department was established at the Red Cross Hospital.

During this period (1973–1986), the entire staff of the Department of Propedeutics of Internal Medicine worked in gastroenterology: Prof. M. Krikštopaitis himself; Assoc. Prof. D. Tamulevičiūtė, who later became a professor; Assoc. Prof. K. Noreikaitė-Žeruolienė; Assoc. Prof. J. Pučinskas and Assoc. Prof. A. Irnius, both of whom later became professors; Assoc. Prof. D. Speičienė; Assoc. Prof. R. Garalevičius; and others. Theses were defended and academic degrees awarded.

Scientific Work and Links beyond the Iron Curtain

During M. Krikštopaitis’s leadership of the Department of Propedeutics of Internal Medicine and the LGD, many national scientific conferences were organised. Gastroenterologists were encouraged to develop their expertise through advanced training courses, undertake research, prepare and deliver presentations, and publish them in conference proceedings. As opportunities to travel abroad were extremely limited, LGD members sought to attend conferences in Russia and other Soviet republics, give presentations or display posters. At the time, the Moscow Central Research Institute of Gastroenterology was the country’s highest body for setting and coordinating the direction of gastroenterology.

Prof. M. Krikštopaitis’s exceptional diplomacy earned him the respect and trust of the leading officials of the Soviet gastroenterology society. He was therefore invited to accompany them to international conferences abroad, returning with not only modern knowledge and new ideas but also large quantities of foreign literature. He generously shared this literature and the latest developments with his colleagues and disseminated the knowledge at gastroenterology conferences. This co-operation laid the groundwork for the LGD to organise the Soviet Union’s gastroenterology conference “Regulation of Digestion and Primary Prevention” in Vilnius in 1985. Influential and prominent Soviet gastroenterologists and pathologists attended. The conference was a success and received excellent feedback. Scientific links were established with gastroenterologists in Latvia, Estonia, Belarus, Turkmenistan and Ukraine.

The Laboratory for Research into Digestive Organs, established within the Department of Propedeutics of Internal Medicine in 1986 through the efforts of Prof. M. Krikštopaitis, provided a major impetus to the development of gastroenterology and the LGD’s activities in Lithuania.

A large and dynamic team was formed and joined by talented new members: J. Valantinas, H. Žalkauskas, J. Urbelienė, J. Kalibatas, P. Juodvalkis, Prof. G. Grybauskas, researchers Z. Kalpokaitė and I. Glemžienė, engineer I. Malukienė and others.

Comprehensive research began into the pathogenesis of hepatobiliary diseases and ways of optimising their treatment. The mechanisms underlying the lithogenicity of bile and options for non-surgical treatment of gallstone disease were investigated. An immunology research group was established to study humoral and cellular immunity.

Numerous scientific articles, inventions and proposals for improving practice were published, and many scientific papers were presented at LGD conferences.

This laid the foundations for the further development of gastroenterology and hepatology and for the LGD’s activities in Lithuania. By the time Lithuania regained independence, both the LGD and Lithuanian gastroenterology had become mature and self-reliant.

Prepared by Assoc. Prof. Dr D. Speičienė

1993-10-08 – 2001-10-26

The First Period in Independent Lithuania

President Prof. Dr Habil. Algimantas Irnius · secretary general Assoc. Prof. Dr Danutė Marija Speičienė

The beginning of our leadership of the LGD coincided with a momentous transformation in Lithuania’s history — we regained our independence. Everything in the country was changing: the Seimas, Lithuania’s parliament, was established; the office of President was given legal status; Soviet administrative regulations were dismantled; and dependence on “Moscow” and all of its institutions, including the All-Union Society of Gastroenterologists, came to an end. We became independent.

Fundamental reorganisation took place in every sector in Lithuania, including healthcare and higher education. Vilnius Republican Clinical Hospital in Santariškės was reorganised and Lithuania’s first Vilnius University Clinic of Gastroenterology and Dietetics was established. A Clinic of Gastroenterology was also founded at Kaunas Medical Institute, later to become the Lithuanian University of Health Sciences.

It was a difficult but fascinating time. It was difficult because the clinic brought together a highly diverse group of staff with somewhat different experience and views on the future development of gastroenterology and the LGD. A severe shortage of funds made matters worse. We all remember the harsh period of economic blockade. The first steps taken by gastroenterology and the LGD in independent Lithuania were therefore challenging, but also full of hope. We looked forward with optimism and actively sought new contacts with gastroenterology societies abroad and leading gastroenterologists in Europe and around the world.

We understood that this would open up new opportunities for the LGD to collaborate in research, raise the standard of gastroenterology in Lithuania and improve the professional expertise of gastroenterologists.

The Path to International Organisations

In 1992, the LGD joined the World Gastroenterology Organisation (WGO) and United European Gastroenterology (UEG).

This raised the profile of the LGD and Lithuanian gastroenterologists in Europe and worldwide, opening the way for participation in international conferences, the presentation of research, and collaboration and scientific links with gastroenterologists in many countries. It also brought Lithuania to the attention of international pharmaceutical companies, which not only introduced and promoted new medicines in Lithuania but also organised and supported gastroenterology conferences in the country and enabled Lithuanian gastroenterologists to attend international conferences. The LGD worked particularly closely with the German companies FALK and Berlin-Chemie, and with the biotechnology institute Fermentas.

On 8 October 1993, the LGD organised the Congress of Lithuanian Gastroenterologists, “Current Topics in Gastroenterology”, at Santariškės Clinics in Vilnius, with the participation of gastroenterologists from abroad. Guests attended from Latvia, Poland, Ukraine and other countries. The congress was supported by Berlin-Chemie and the biotechnology institute Fermentas.

The LGD attracted the attention of the Norwegian Society of Gastroenterology. In 1993, a group of its members led by the prominent Norwegian gastroenterologist Prof. E. Gjone visited Santaros Clinics in Vilnius. They learnt about the work of the LGD and the Clinic of Gastroenterology and Dietetics and proposed co-operation. At Prof. E. Gjone’s initiative, several Lithuanian gastroenterologists were invited to attend the UEGW congress in Oslo in 1994 and were offered a free placement at the University of Oslo’s Clinic of Gastroenterology.

We also received considerable support from Polish colleagues. In 1993, Prof. K. Zwierz, Vice-Rector of the Białystok Medical Academy, and Prof. A. Boron-Kaczmarska, Head of the Department of Infectious Diseases, invited a whole group of gastroenterologists and infectious disease specialists to a hepatology conference in Białystok, with all costs covered by the organisers. These professional and scientific links continued, and Lithuanian gastroenterologists were invited to conferences on hepatology and gastroenterology in cities across Poland.

Reimbursement of Medicines and Scientific Conferences

An important area of the LGD’s work during this period was co-operation with the National Health Insurance Fund on the reimbursement of gastroenterological medicines. These efforts succeeded in securing full reimbursement for patients with primary biliary cirrhosis, autoimmune hepatitis, and hepatitis and cirrhosis caused by HCV and HBV infections. An expert group was established to prepare and periodically update treatment protocols for patients with HCV- and HBV-related liver diseases, inflammatory bowel diseases, genetic disorders of the gastrointestinal tract and other conditions.

This ensured high-quality treatment free of charge for these patients, as reflected in the procedures governing diagnosis and reimbursed outpatient treatment for chronic viral hepatitis C and viral hepatitis B.

Alongside the work outlined above, the LGD regularly organised scientific and clinical conferences during my presidency. Presentations were delivered not only by experienced specialists but also by representatives of the younger generation. Relevant scientific and clinical research was encouraged, with results presented as posters at conferences.

Scientific conferences held:

• 8 October 1993: congress in Vilnius, “Current Topics in Gastroenterology”, with the participation of gastroenterologists from abroad.
• 9–10 October 1997: congress in Klaipėda, “Gastroenterology and Hepatology”, with the participation of gastroenterologists from abroad.
• 1998: scientific conference in Panevėžys, “Peptic Ulcer Disease 1998: Aetiopathogenesis, Treatment Strategy and Tactical Options”.
• 1999: scientific conference in Klaipėda, “Cirrhosis of the Liver: Current Issues in Diagnosis and Treatment”.
• 2000: scientific conference in Kaunas, “Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders”.
• 2001: scientific conference in Vilnius, “Modern Hepatology: Current Issues in Diagnosis and Treatment”.

Proceedings from all of these conferences and congresses were published.

This first period of the LGD’s activity in independent Lithuania was difficult and marked by exceptional challenges, yet it was also highly engaging and creative.

2001-10-26 – 2009-12-04

Growth of the Society and a Western Model

President Prof. Dr. Habil. Jonas Valantinas · executive secretary Jolita Jakutienė, MD

LGD President Prof. Jonas Valantinas presented his report on the Society’s activities in 2001–2005 at the LGD’s 8th Congress, held in Druskininkai in 2005.

In 2001, the Society had 215 members; over four years, this number rose to 230 in 2005. The LGD’s membership included nearly every practising gastroenterologist in the country, as well as some general practitioners, abdominal surgeons, dietitians and other specialists. The Society had sections for gastrointestinal endoscopy and ultrasonography. More than 90 members of the Society also belonged to the World Gastroenterology Organisation.

The LGD supports the professional development of its members by providing opportunities to enhance their expertise and organising conferences, symposia and trips to international forums abroad.

33 Conferences during the Term of Office

During this term of office, the LGD organised 33 conferences:

• 2 conferences in Vilnius in 2001;
• 5 conferences in Vilnius, Druskininkai and Kaunas in 2002;
• 10 conferences in Vilnius, Kaunas and Trakai in 2003;
• 7 conferences in Vilnius, Kaunas, Panevėžys and Nida in 2004;
• 9 conferences in Vilnius, Kaunas, Panevėžys, Druskininkai, Alytus, Raseiniai and Klaipėda in 2005.

International Events and Guests

The LGD maintained active links with colleagues abroad, exchanging experience, speakers and training placements. In addition to conferences in Lithuania, the LGD organised the following events:

• the 1st Baltic Congress of Hepatology in Riga in 2002;
• the 30th anniversary of the Lithuanian Society of Gastroenterology in 2003;
• the 2nd Baltic Congress of Hepatology in 2004;
• the 1st Taiwan–Baltic Gastroenterology Meeting in Riga in 2004;
• the 8th Congress of the Lithuanian Society of Gastroenterology in 2005.

At the LGD’s initiative and invitation, eminent international scientists visited Lithuania and shared their knowledge with Lithuanian gastroenterologists: Prof. P. K. Meier, Prof. H. E. Blum, Prof. U. Leuschner, Prof. L. Greiner, Prof. H. Friess and Prof. Ch. Michalski (Germany); Prof. P. Meier-Abt (Switzerland); Prof. J. Wirght and Prof. T. Emory (USA); Prof. R. Esteban Mur and Prof. M. Buti Ferret (Spain); Prof. K. Geboes and Prof. V. J. Desmet (Belgium); Prof. D. Path (United Kingdom); and Prof. A. Boron-Kaczmarska (Poland).

Links were developed with other societies and joint conferences were organised with the Lithuanian Society of Infectious Diseases, the Lithuanian Association of Surgeons, the Lithuanian Society of Endoscopists, the Society of Pathologists and the National Centre of Pathology, the Lithuanian Society of Minimally Invasive Surgery, the Society of Enteral and Parenteral Nutrition, the Lithuanian Society of Internal Medicine, the Lithuanian Society of Coloproctology, the Lithuanian Association of Ultrasound Diagnostics, the Lithuanian Cancer Society and the Vilnius Society of Radiologists.

Gastroenterology Care in Lithuania

Gastroenterology care in Lithuania was being developed according to an advanced Western model. Although these specialists were scarce in smaller regional centres, gastroenterology services had reached a high standard. Virtually all digestive diseases could be treated in Lithuania to a standard comparable with that in the West: the best medicines were available, the most modern treatment methods were used, and patients had access to up-to-date diagnostics.

Working with public authorities, the Society addressed important issues including payment arrangements for specialised inpatient services, the specification of secondary and tertiary inpatient services, reimbursement of medicines and the establishment of a Chamber of Physicians.

LGD members, including many professors, associate professors, researchers with doctoral degrees and highly qualified clinicians, were also active in research and participated in national and multinational clinical trials.

2009-12-04 – 2014-01-31

Integration of Endoscopy and Rotation of the Presidency

President Academician Prof. Dr Habil. Limas Kupčinskas · executive secretary Assoc. Prof. Dr Vitalija Petrenkienė

During this four-year period, care for people with digestive diseases in Lithuania continued to improve, as did gastroenterology services. In all five of Lithuania’s largest cities, endoscopy units in both university and municipal hospitals were integrated into gastroenterology clinics or departments. Gastroenterology residents trained at university hospitals in accordance with UEMS requirements were fully prepared upon completing their residency to perform diagnostic and therapeutic endoscopic procedures independently. They gradually replaced retiring endoscopists; doctors in this narrow specialty were no longer trained in Lithuania, in line with European Commission recommendations. The LGD’s organisational structure continued to be improved and made more democratic. Members supported the proposal for mandatory rotation of the Society’s President after a four-year term, and it was decided that the Vice-President elected at the same time would become President-elect for the following four-year term.

National and international gastroenterology conferences were organised. Lithuanian gastroenterologists, including Laimas Jonaitis, Gediminas Kiudelis, Juozas Kupčinskas, Jūratė Kondrackienė and Limas Kupčinskas, gave oral and poster presentations at numerous scientific meetings of United European Gastroenterology (UEG), the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL), Digestive Disease Week in the United States (DDW), the European Crohn’s and Colitis Organisation (ECCO), and the European Helicobacter and Microbiota Study Group (EHMSG). Limas Kupčinskas, one of ECCO’s founders in 2002, and Darius Kriukas represented Lithuania in that organisation. Board members actively advised the Ministry of Health and developed guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of hepatitis C, hepatitis B, ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease. The LGD continued its active co-operation with the Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis Patients’ Society, led by Gediminas Smailys, participating in meetings between patients and doctors, events marking World Inflammatory Bowel Disease Day, and providing reports and information to the media. Society members prepared textbooks for students and practising doctors, including Clinical Gastroenterology (2012) and Clinical Hepatology (2014).

LGD members continued their active and successful international work. Prof. Limas Kupčinskas contributed to ECCO guidelines on the diagnosis and treatment of inflammatory bowel disease and was elected to the UEG General Assembly for 2014–2018. In 2010, LGD member Prof. Limas Kupčinskas received the Lithuanian Science Prize for his research on digestive diseases.

The four-year period culminated in the 1st Baltic Congress of Gastroenterology, held in Kaunas in 2014, together with international EAGEN postgraduate courses in gastroenterology featuring lectures by renowned specialists from abroad, including P. Malfertheiner, S. Schreiber, A. Franke and F. Lammert. The event was combined with the regular Congress of Lithuanian Gastroenterologists, at which Prof. Jonas Valantinas was elected the new LGD President and Prof. Gediminas Kiudelis was elected Vice-President and President-elect.

2014-01-31 – 2018-11-23

Prof. J. Valantinas’s Second Term

President Prof. J. Valantinas · vice-president Prof. G. Kiudelis · executive secretary J. Jakutienė, MD

At the Congress of Lithuanian Gastroenterologists held in Kaunas in 2014, Prof. Jonas Valantinas was elected LGD President for a second term, while Prof. Gediminas Kiudelis was elected Vice-President and President-elect. The Society continued its traditions of organising conferences, developing members’ expertise and fostering international co-operation.

2018-11-23 – 2022-11-12

Pandemic Challenges and the Elimination of Hepatitis C

President Prof. Dr Gediminas Kiudelis · executive secretary Prof. Dr Juozas Kupčinskas

This four-year period was highly unusual and particularly challenging for the Society because of the global COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020–2021, in-person events were effectively prohibited, while travel and public gatherings were restricted.

Gastroenterologists in Lithuania faced unprecedented challenges in managing the pandemic and organising gastroenterology services under lockdown conditions. Board members actively advised the Ministry of Health while recommendations were prepared for organising medical services during the pandemic, and developed COVID-19 vaccination guidelines for people with chronic digestive diseases. They also worked on revisions to the professional standard for gastroenterologists, treatment guidelines for inflammatory bowel disease and procedures for the provision of inpatient gastroenterology services.

During the pandemic, the LGD had to adapt quickly to new circumstances and organise many conferences remotely in 2020–2021. Of the four summer conferences that had become a valued tradition, two had to be held virtually. The 2019 and 2022 conferences took place in person at the M. K. Čiurlionis National Museum of Art and the LUHS Emmanuel Levinas Centre. Alongside engaging medical programmes, they featured cultural afternoons. Pianist Dr Motiejus Bazaras performed works by M. K. Čiurlionis, while Dr Arūnas Gelūnas spoke about visions for the future of Lithuanian culture.

Two conferences on gastro-neurology were held in co-operation with the Lithuanian Neurological Association. Collaboration with surgeons continued in preparing guidelines for the colorectal cancer screening programme and presenting them to the medical community. A virtual conference addressed current topics in gastrointestinal endoscopy. In 2021, the international conference “Innovations in Gastroenterology” was successfully held in person and welcomed Prof. S. Schreiber, one of the world’s leading experts in inflammatory bowel disease.

EHMSG Conference in Kaunas

In 2018, the LGD was actively involved in organising the 31st conference of the European Helicobacter and Microbiota Study Group (EHMSG) in Kaunas, chaired by Academician Prof. Limas Kupčinskas. More than 400 researchers and doctors from 54 countries attended, and the international postgraduate course “Human Gut Microbiota and Diseases” was held. Speakers included LGD honorary member Prof. P. Malfertheiner of Germany and other internationally renowned scientists.

International Work and the Lithuanian Science Prize

The LGD continued its active co-operation with the Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis Patients’ Society, participating in meetings between patients and doctors, events marking World Inflammatory Bowel Disease Day, and providing reports and information to the media.

As an associate member of United European Gastroenterology (UEG), the LGD continued to take an active role in this international organisation. Eglė Dieninytė Misiūnė and Edita Kreivėnaitė joined UEG’s Young Talent Group and Young GI Network. When Russia began its war against Ukraine, the LGD organised an appeal to the UEG leadership to suspend Russia’s participation in the organisation, and succeeded in this aim.

LGD members continued their active and successful international work. Prof. Juozas Kupčinskas served on groups preparing treatment guidelines for microscopic colitis and Helicobacter pylori and was elected to UEG’s Scientific Committee. Academician Prof. Limas Kupčinskas served on the European group developing guidance on the diagnosis and treatment of liver disease in pregnancy and, together with Prof. Gediminas Kiudelis, continued to represent Lithuania in the European Crohn’s and Colitis Organisation.

In 2022, three LGD members — Laimas Jonaitis, Juozas Kupčinskas and Gediminas Kiudelis — received the Lithuanian Science Prize. The recipients donated half of the award to support Ukraine’s defence against the Russian invasion.

The Movement to Eliminate Hepatitis C

In 2021, Academician Prof. Limas Kupčinskas and the LGD launched a movement to establish a national hepatitis C diagnosis and elimination programme in Lithuania. Societies representing infectious disease specialists and general practitioners, together with Member of the European Parliament Liudas Mažylis, also took part. Following a successful initiative that led the European Parliament to appeal to the Government of the Republic of Lithuania, funding was allocated for a hepatitis C screening programme. In the first year alone, more than 800,000 Lithuanian residents born between 1945 and 1994 were tested. Almost 9,000 people were found to be HCV-seropositive and were subsequently referred to gastroenterologists and infectious disease specialists for confirmation of the diagnosis and treatment.

The four-year period culminated in the European Bridging Meeting in Gastroenterology and the LGD Congress, held in Kaunas in November 2022. More than 50 leading European gastroenterology researchers and clinicians attended.

At the LGD Congress, Assoc. Prof. Dr Goda Sadauskaitė was elected President of the Lithuanian Society of Gastroenterology.

Since 2022-11-12

The New Board and the 50th-Anniversary Year

President Assoc. Prof. Dr Goda Sadauskaitė · executive secretary Assoc. Prof. Dr Edita Kazėnaitė

We began our work less than a year ago. We continue, nurture and develop the valued traditions established by our predecessors.

To organise the LGD’s work more efficiently and communicate with members more promptly, in 2023 we introduced the Intermedicum mobile app. It greatly simplified electronic communication, event registration, voting, and payment of membership fees and donations. To optimise the LGD’s activities, we asked legal advisers to review and update the Society’s statutes.

As the newly constituted LGD Board, we took part in a forum on Lithuania’s hepatitis C elimination programme on 5 December 2022. It was organised by the Division of Biological, Medical and Geosciences of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences together with the Lithuanian Society of Gastroenterology, the Lithuanian Society of Infectious Diseases, the Lithuanian Society of General Practitioners and the Lithuanian College of General Practitioners. Participants included members of the Academy’s Division of Biological, Medical and Geosciences with an interest in virology, and Lithuanian doctors implementing the programme as hepatitis C elimination ambassadors.

Conferences and Anniversaries

We organised the national interdisciplinary conference “Dialogues on Optimising the Diagnosis and Treatment of Inflammatory Bowel Disease” for gastroenterologists, radiologists, surgeons, pathologists and dietitians on 28 March 2023. At the conference, we also honoured distinguished LGD members Prof. J. Valantinas and Academician L. Kupčinskas on their 70th birthdays.

On 30 March 2023, the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences, the Lithuanian University of Health Sciences and the Lithuanian Society of Gastroenterology held the international conference “New Advances in Hepatology and Gastroenterology” in Kaunas. Gastroenterologists from Norway, Switzerland, Estonia and Lithuania presented the latest scientific developments.

On 27 April 2023, the conference “Diseases of the Oesophagus” was held in Ukmergė. It was organised by the Vilnius Society of Surgeons, the Lithuanian Society of Gastroenterology, the Panevėžys region, the Clinic of Gastroenterology, Nephrology and Surgery at the Institute of Clinical Medicine of Vilnius University’s Faculty of Medicine, and Vilnius University Hospital Santaros Klinikos.

Public Education and the Summer Conference in Kernavė

Together with the Lithuanian Association of Patients with Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis, the LGD took an active part in events marking World Inflammatory Bowel Disease Day in Vilnius on 19 May 2023. LGD members Assoc. Prof. G. Sadauskaitė, Assoc. Prof. E. Kazėnaitė, Prof. J. Kupčinskas and Prof. G. Kiudelis gave presentations on topics of interest to the Association’s members. Strengthening links with patient organisations is one of the Society’s plans for the future.

The LGD makes considerable efforts to educate the public. At the Board’s initiative, to mark World Digestive Health Day on 29 May, an information release was distributed to the media through the Communications Office of Vilnius University Hospital Santaros Klinikos, and the LGD took part in a current affairs programme on Lietuvos rytas television. This helped inform the public about the importance of a healthy diet and ways to improve digestive health.

We organised the traditional summer conference “Gastroenterology and Hepatology 2023: Interesting Clinical Cases in Digestive Diseases”, held in the conference hall of Kernavė Museum on 16 June 2023. Recognising the growing importance of emotional and psychological health for both patients and medical professionals, we invited Dr Ramunė Mazaliauskienė, President of the Lithuanian Psychiatric Association, and Lina Šopienė, an organisational psychologist at Vilnius University Hospital Santaros Klinikos, to speak on the subject. After the conference, LGD members enjoyed a concert by the Kūlgrinda ensemble and marked the approaching Midsummer festival by singing sutartinės, traditional Lithuanian multipart songs.

We are currently organising the international conference “Lithuanian Gastroenterology: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow” to mark the LGD’s 50th anniversary. To celebrate the anniversary, we initiated the preparation of a publication about the LGD’s activities.

We continue the tradition of co-operating with other societies and institutions. We advocate and liaise with the relevant Lithuanian authorities on the reimbursement of medicines.

LGD members take an active role in Lithuanian and European working groups on inflammatory bowel disease, microscopic colitis, H. pylori and chronic liver diseases, all seeking to improve diagnosis and treatment.

In the future, we plan to unite LGD members from across Lithuania even more closely and disseminate the Society’s work more widely, advancing gastroenterology both in Lithuania and beyond.