Welcome to SPED 2021

Dear colleagues and friends:

Uruguay is honored to host the Pan-American Gastroenterological Association-OPGE (according to its acronym in Spanish) for the period 2018-2021.

Among our commitments for this period, we are in charge of organizing the Pan-American Digestive Disease Week, which will take place on October 25-28, 2021, at the Punta del Este Convention Center. It is expected to be the most relevant scientific event in this area within the whole continent, since it will include multiple disciplines.

It is a great challenge and commitment for us, since it will be a scientific event with a large number of participants but also an opportunity to make our country and its institutions known around the globe.

The SPED Scientific Committee, made up of professionals with national, regional and world renowned experience, is attempting to develop a Scientific Program of excellence, in line with the relevance and significance of the event.

The following are some of the activities planned:

• XXXVII Pan-American Congress of Gastroenterology;
• Symposium of the United European Gastroenterology;
• Symposium of the Rome Foundation;
• Meeting of the Latin-American Society of Neurogastroenterology;
• PANCCO Symposium;
• Live Digestive Endoscopy Workshop from Virginia Mason Clinic, Seattle, USA;
• OPGE Course/Mayo Clinic: "Essential knowledge for the development of clinical research";
• OPGE course for young gastroenterologists;
• Latin American Meeting of Assistants in Digestive Endoscopy.

This event will be the perfect opportunity for our professionals to carry out the XX Uruguayan Congress of Gastroenterology and the X Uruguayan Congress of Digestive Endoscopy organized by the SGU - Uruguayan Society of Gastroenterology and the SUED - Uruguayan Society of Digestive Endoscopy.

The Scientific Program is supported by the WGO - World Gastroenterology Organization, the UEG - United European Gastroenterology, the AGA - American Gastroenterological Association, the ACG - American College of Gastroenterology, Mayo Clinic, PANCCO - Pan-American Crohn's and Colitis Organization, SEPD - Spanish Society of Digestive Pathology and the ALAEH - Latin American Association of Liver Diseases.

KEY THEMES

• Functional disorders of the digestive system;
• Integrative management of Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease;
• Microbiome, Disease and Therapeutics;
• Gluten, the new villain;
• Pancreatobiliary pathology. Multidisciplinary approach from diagnosis to treatment;
• Inflammatory Bowel Diseases, current and future challenges;
• Genetics and Digestive Diseases;
• Colorectal Cancer, everyone's concern;
• Helicobacter Pylori in Latin America. Is every country a different world?
• Hepatic Diseases, from the general to the particular.

Punta del Este, listed as one of the most prominent destinations in South America, will give a warm welcome to the international community of professionals, offering them a wide variety of options for all tastes and possibilities.

Welcome to the SPED 2021 experience.

We are counting on you!