ISDE News

We are thrilled to share some exciting news with you – the destination for the highly anticipated 2026 ISDE World Congress has been officially selected! After careful consideration and evaluation, we are delighted to announce that the historic city of Kyoto, Japan, will play host to this prestigious event.

Conference Destination: Kyoto, Japan

Why Kyoto?

1. Rich Cultural Heritage: Immerse yourself in the centuries-old traditions of Kyoto. The city, with its historic temples, traditional tea houses, and picturesque gardens, provides a unique and culturally enriching experience.

2. Cutting-Edge Facilities: Our conference venue in Kyoto is equipped with state-of-the-art facilities, ensuring a seamless and productive environment for all sessions, workshops, and networking opportunities.

3. Networking Opportunities: Kyoto's serene ambiance provides the perfect backdrop for forging new connections and collaborations. Engage with professionals and experts from diverse backgrounds, all gathered in one place.

4. Leisure Activities: Extend your stay and explore Kyoto's scenic beauty, world-class cuisine, and vibrant local markets. The city offers a perfect blend of traditional and modern attractions for an unforgettable experience.

Save the Date!

Conference Dates: September 16-18, 2026

The Diseases of the Esophagus (DOTE) Journal is excited to announce a significant development in expanding its global outreach with the appointment of Dr. Xiaozheng (Keith) Kang as the Associate Editor for social media in China.

Dr. Kang, an esteemed surgical oncologist based at the Chinese National Cancer Center/Cancer Hospital, affiliated with the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College in Beijing, brings a wealth of expertise to his new role. His active involvement in professional organizations, such as the Chinese Society for Diseases of the Esophagus (CSDE) and the Chinese Society of Clinical Oncology (CSCO) Youth Committee, reflects his commitment to advancing the standards of diagnosing and treating esophageal cancer in China.

This strategic move aligns with DOTE's dedication to fostering a robust online presence, and Dr. Kang's appointment marks a pivotal step toward strengthening the journal's engagement with the dynamic social media landscape in China. As a seasoned professional, Dr. Kang is well-poised to navigate the unique channels and communication nuances prevalent in the Chinese digital sphere.

Under the visionary leadership of Dr. Jessie Elliott, DOTE's Associate Editor for social media, and the esteemed Editors in Chief, the journal's social media platforms have experienced remarkable growth. The decision to establish a dedicated Associate Editor position for social media in China underscores the journal's commitment to tailoring its communication strategies to diverse cultural contexts.

This initiative aims not only to expand the reach of DOTE's social media footprint but also to contribute to a broader understanding of issues related to diseases of the esophagus and the latest advancements in research. By leveraging Dr. Kang's expertise and insights, the journal endeavors to create a meaningful dialogue with medical professionals in China, fostering awareness and knowledge exchange that transcends geographical boundaries.

As the DOTE Journal continues to evolve and adapt to the changing landscape of scientific communication, this strategic appointment reinforces its position as a global leader in disseminating knowledge and promoting collaborative efforts in the field of esophageal diseases. We look forward to witnessing the positive impact of Dr. Kang's contributions to our expanding global network.

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The Editors of Diseases of the Esophagus (DOTE) Journal are pleased to invite submissions for the 2023 Best Junior Faculty/Trainee Manuscript Award. This award recognizes the top original research manuscript by a junior faculty or trainee author accepted for publication in the Journal between January 1 and December 31, 2023.

Nomination Deadline: April 12, 2024. DOTE Awards

The Journal also has an award for the most Outstanding Junior Faculty Peer Reviewer each year, and winners are determined by the Co-Editors-in-Chief based on the number of peer reviews completed, timeliness and quality of the peer review. Are you interested in becoming a Diseases of the Esophagus reviewer? If yes, register for the peer review process and create an account in the Scholar One manuscript managing system.

Visit DOTE Awards page for more information or contact membership@isde.net.

The Young ISDE Dragon’s Den took place during the 19^thISDE Congress and was aimed to encourage and enable young researchers to execute their research ideas. After initial review of submitted research projects, the highest scoring projects were pitched to an international panel of experts during the Dragon’s Den live event. The dragons provided the projects with feedback that can be used to further improve the research projects. The winner(s) of the Dragon’s Den received a USD $500 incentive prize to aid starting up her/his project, and the winning project(s) will be supported by Young ISDE and the Research & Database Committee. How will Young ISDE support the winning project? They will be assisting with setting up contacts for multicenter studies &creating attention and awareness via international networks. The Young ISDE committee aims to promote education; the exchange of scientific and medical knowledge of the esophagus among a community of trainees and young investigators from medical, surgical, associate health groups, and to facilitate the establishment of scientific connections between trainees, early career clinicians, and young investigators in the field. 

At the announcement of the winning project, the dragons declared that all Research Projects were Phenomenal, and they would be extending the prize money to all the projects pitched. 

We want to congratulate our first Winners of the Dragon's Den 

Winning project:  

Dr. Xuefeng Leng -Development of a Predictive Model for Prognostic and Recurrent Risk Factors in Esophageal Cancer: Integrating Modern Treatment Approaches  

Runner up: 

Dr. Hidde Overtoom - Centralization of esophageal cancer surgery - an international Delphi consensus study 

Register for the 20th World Congress

Become a member

If you are a non-member and would like to receive updates, you can join the Young ISDE mailing list

Join the Young ISDE Committee for its first Dragons Den for young researchers at the 19th ISDE World Congress on Friday, September 8th starting at 1:45 PM. During this session early-career researchers will pitch their research projects to an international panel of experts “The Dragons” who will assess and provide feedback. The Dragons will select a winning research project to receive a small incentive prize, support with establishing a multicenter study and access to expertise and mentors throughout the project.  

The committee will also be sharing information and news about Young ISDE during the session. 

About the Research Projects Being Pitched 

Research projects were submitted in advance and the highest scoring proposals were selected to present during this session.This initiative is intended to provide support to early career researchers who may not otherwise have access to a network, mentors or expertise.  

About The Young ISDE Committee 

The Young ISDE Committee was officially launched in 2022 to help advance and support the needs of trainees, fellows and early career individuals. Co-Chaired by Sheraz Markar and Roos Pouw the committee aims to:  

• Contribute to the development of new knowledge and advance understanding in the field of esophageal diseases, through research and scholarship, and dissemination of findings in peer-reviewed journals and at scientific meetings. 
• Promote education; the exchange of scientific and medical knowledge of the esophagus among a community of trainees and young investigators from medical, surgical, associate health groups. 
• Facilitate the establishment of scientific connections between trainees, early career clinicians, and young investigators in the field. 
• Advertise training and fellowship opportunities in the field of esophagus diseases internationally and enhance interdisciplinary training. 

Become a member

If you are a non-member and would like to receive updates you can join the Young ISDE mailing list

Best Junior Faculty/Trainee Manuscript Award 

Dr. Sander Ubels   
Radboud University Medical Centre, PhD Student, Netherlands 

Sander is a PhD student, who will defend his thesis shortly. He has managed to publish every single manuscript in his thesis in leading surgical journals. For the last months he has combined his research with clinical work as a resident, his formal surgical training will start this July. During his six-year residency he will stay involved in the esophageal cancer research group in the Radboudumc as a PostDoc.The title of his awarded article is: Predicting mortality in patients with anastomotic leak after esophagectomy: development of a prediction model using data from the TENTACLE—Esophagus study | Diseases of the Esophagus | Oxford Academic (oup.com) 

Outstanding Junior Faculty Peer Reviewer Award 

Dr. Sivesh Kamarajah 
University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust   

NIHR ACF General Surgery Trainee at University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Trust Hospitals (UHB) and University of Birmingham. Steering committee member for the Student Audit and Research in Surgery (STARSurg) National Collaborative and the International, multicenter prospective cohort study, Esophagogastric Anastomosis Audit (OGAA) 

Fire up your research project in the Young ISDE Research Dragon's Den.

The Young ISDE Research Dragon’s Den will take place during the ISDE congress and is aimed to encourage and enable young researchers to execute their research idea. After an initial review of submitted research projects, the highest-scoring projects will be pitched to an international panel of experts during the Dragon’s Den at the 19th World Congress in Toronto, Canada. The experts will provide the projects with feedback that can be used to further improve the research projects.

The winner of the Dragon’s Den will receive a USD $500 award, incentive prize to aid in starting up her/his project, and the winning project will be supported by Young ISDE and the Research & Database Committee.

• Deadline for applications: June 30, 2023 
• August 01: confirmation of acceptance 
• September 9, 2023: Dragon’s Den during the Young ISDE session

Full details for the application:

• Research projects should be multicenter, international & multidisciplinary
• Applications should adhere to the provided template
• Applicants should be an ISDE member
• Early to mid-career researchers* are encouraged to apply
• Selected research projects must be presented live during the Dragon’s Den
• The results of the winning research idea will be published in Diseases of the Esophagus
• Winners may be invited to present their research at the next congress.

*Any physician or surgeon with less than 5 years in consultancy

Download Application Template (word)

The Co-Editors in Chief are pleased to introduce the Frontiers in Esophageal Disease series, comprised of premium-invited review articles that will be published over the course of the year. The series is intended to give readers a comprehensive review of the current most important areas of development or controversy in the esophageal world, written by the most important international opinion leaders. The goal of the articles is to guide and inform readers of the diverse and rapidly evolving field of esophagology.

Read full article from the Editors 

Check out the first invited review: Lymph note metastatic patterns and the development of multidisciplinary treatment for esophageal cancer 

Several excellent ideas were discussed at the January 10th, 2023 ISDE Guidelines Committee meeting. It’s full steam ahead for the following current projects:

• Failed Fundoplication
• Bariatric Treatment (surgery and endoscopy)
• SCC Post-Surgery Endoscopic Surveillance

New proposed projects include:

• Anastomotic Leaks diagnosis and management
• T1b Tumours
• Management of T2NO
• Achalasia Guidelines

If you would like to become more involved with ISDE and/or this committee, please send an email to info@isde.net.  A big thank you is extended to the current Co-chairs and all committee members:

• Ewen Griffiths, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham, UK (Co-chair)
• Bas Wijnhoven, Erasmus MC - University Medical Center Rotterdam, Netherlands (Co-chair)
• Shahin Ayazi, Allegheny Health Network-Esophageal Institute, Pennsylvania, USA
• Philip Chiu, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, China
• Lorenzo Ferri, Montreal General Hospital, Canada
• Cesare Hassan, Humanitas University, Rome, Italy
• Ryu Ishihara, Osaka International Cancer Institute, Osaka, Japan
• Geoffrey Kohn, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
• Virginia Litle, SMG Thoracic Surgery, St. Elizabeth's Hospital, Brighton, USA
• Sergey Morozov, Federal Research Center of Nutrition and Biotechnology, Moscow, Russia
• Sarbajit Mukherjee, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, USA
• Dan Patel, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, USA
• Edoardo Savarino, University of Padua, Italy
• Sarah Thompson, Flinders University, Rose Park, Australia
• Ian Wong, Queen Mary Hospital, The University of Hong Kong, China

See full list of ISDE Committees here

The Editors of Diseases of the Esophagus (DOTE) Journal are pleased to invite submissions for the 2022 Best Junior Faculty/Trainee Manuscript Award. This award recognizes the top original research manuscript by a junior faculty or trainee author accepted for publication in the Journal between January 1 and December 31, 2022.

Nomination Deadline: April 7, 2023

The Journal also has an award for the most Outstanding Junior Faculty Peer Reviewer each year, and winners are determined by the Co-Editors-in-Chief based on the number of peer reviews completed, timeliness and quality of the peer review. Are you interested in becoming a Diseases of the Esophagus reviewer? If yes, register for the peer review process and create an account in the Scholar One manuscript managing system.

Visit DOTE Awards page for more information or contact membership@isde.net.