ISSUE 3 /// FRIDAY, 3 OCTOBER 2014 /// EUROSPINE2014.EU
INTERVIEW WITH MARK STEVENSON What initially attracted you to speak at the 2014 EUROSPINE Congress? I speak at lots of different places, and one of the reasons I like doing that is because I get to spend a day experiencing an industry that I might not know much about. Just seeing how a surgeon views something as opposed to someone who works for an advertising agency or an NGO dealing with poverty: they all have different perspectives and I find those differences fascinating. I also think it’s a great honour to speak to extraordinary people doing extraordinary things.
culture. I think we’ve got some big challenges in the world, and my feeling is you can’t make a better future until you can imagine it. How might the study of future systems be able to contribute to the fulfilment EUROSPINE’s aims? I almost find it odd that we have a spinal conference as the spine is connected to so many other things. Our entire society is based on the industrial revolution which was about splitting the world into industrial processes. That has a lot of advantages but it also comes with a lot of costs. People are separated into boxes and then can’t think across those boxes; outside of their comfort zone where innovation usually occurs. I’d love to see a EUROSPINE conference that’s not EUROSPINE but EURO‘something’, bringing together a mashup of different people to foster innovation. On a lighter note, and as someone who’s dabbled in comedy, do you have a favourite comedian?
What was it about the study of future systems that interested you in pursuing the notion further? I think everybody’s interested in the future aren’t they. There’s a great quote from Charles Kettering who was an inventor: “My interest is in the future because I’m going to spend the rest of my life there”. I think being interested in the future is not unique, it’s something we all have, but most of us are told not to think about the future, only the right here, the right now, the “where’s your next pay cheque?”. My real interest is in changing
I have kind of a philosophical aversion to favourites as I think it’s quite reductionist. Saying something is your favourite suggests everything else is somehow second. However, the comedians I like best are the ones that work hard to tell the truth. Someone like Richard Prior as he’d be incredibly earnest about his own foibles, and he would always make himself the butt of any joke, and that released an emotion in the audience and allowed them to look at themselves. I often prefer comedians that allow you to reflect on yourself and tell you the truth about a situation whilst making you laugh. Mark Stevenson Author & Public Speaker
RISING TO THE CHALLENGE Haluk Berk reflects on his experience as EUROSPINE Vice President and shares his plans for his new role as President of EUROSPINE in 2015. WHAT WERE YOUR TOP PRIORITIES IN 2014? Education is and will remain one of EUROSPINE’S core activities
In order to achieve our ultimate goal of offering an accredited European Spine Certification, we must combine the strengths of our experienced faculty with the latest trends in education and learning – an ongoing challenge that must be proactively managed. In addition, it is my strong belief that education must be offered and delivered on a national level in close cooperation with national societies across Europe. We will continue to improve lines of communication with these national societies. Members of our ExCom and Education Committee represent diverse nationalities and are committed to fostering these relationships. I am also working closely with the UEMS and other European legislative bodies to ensure that their interests are addressed.
Stakeholder management is paramount to positioning EUROSPINE as a valued partner In order to improve our stakeholder management, we have established a new Stakeholder Council, whose primary mandate is to support, coordinate and prioritise all stakeholder-related matters. EUROSPINE currently has about 8 different core stakeholder groups, including the Medtech Industry, government and political institutions, other spine societies, universities, health insurance companies, and a few others. EUROSPINE must ensure that it remains attractive to its various stakeholders and the industry. One important way to achieve this is to offer high-quality content at our Annual Meeting, other meetings and educational activities. Furthermore, it is our goal to increase our political influence by positioning EUROSPINE as a strong partner at the EU Level and with other political institutions. WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR BIGGEST CHALLENGE? Coordinating stakeholderrelated activities and setting the right priorities is a complex task The internal organisation of EUROSPINE is intricate, made up of many different councils and committees. Coordinating all of these efforts requires a great deal of time and energy, as many different individuals are involved in these processes. Our new organisational set-up, however, ensures that all councils and committees are represented in the ExCom, streamlining the decision-making process. The need for efficiency and faster coordination has prompted the
ExCom to establish a stakeholder management relationship appraoch. This move would also provide stakeholders and sponsors with one point of contact at EUROSPINE. WHAT ARE YOUR PERSONAL PRIORITIES AS INCOMING PRESIDENT FOR 2015? As incoming president I am fully committed to EUROSPINE’s vision to be the driving force and the primary and preferred partner in Europe for all spinal care issues. Our main focus will be to continue the implementation of our strategy, ensuring our activities add value to members and stakeholders while keeping patient care at the forefront. We plan to restructure our internal organisation, providing support to ensure a smooth transition of EUROSPINE education activities from the Foundation back to the Society for the benefit of course participants, members and stakeholders. Continuing the work of the former Presidents Philip Sell and Ferran Pellisé, my guiding principles for 2015 will be to: t Grow our membership base t Strengthen our stakeholder approach t Continuously improve our education and meeting activities I’m looking forward to a productive and successful year, working together with the EUROSPINE team and all our members, stakeholders and course and meeting participants. Interview with Haluk Berk, incoming President of EUROSPINE