It’s been a great year for ICS Observerships (previously known as Fellowships) and with the successful completion of the latest Neurourology Observership, we’re celebrating the ICS award opportunities of 2023. ICS is proud to be able offer a variety of awards for a range of activities to encourage scientific creativity and the ICS observerships are designed for early career professionals to gain specialist bladder/bowel skills in research, clinical practice or education at expert centres.
2023 Observerships - new learning opportunities
2023 saw ten observerships awarded in total – to ICS members from nine different countries including Taiwan, Colombia, Brazil and Nigeria – and across Clinical, Neurourology, Research and Urology, presenting our fellows with an abundance of new learning prospects. These placements are made possible by industry funding, with this year’s observerships being sponsored by Laborie and Pfizer.
Urologist Yu Chen Chen recently completed a Neurourology Observership at Balgrist University Hospital in Zurich, Switzerland to which she attributes clinical learning opportunities not possible back home in Taiwan to her Observership. The placement also opened up research avenues and allowed her to absorb knowledge from many medical professionals within the department.
“In addition to the clinical experience, I would like to express my gratitude to Professor Thomas Kessler for providing me with the opportunity to engage in research discussions. I would also like to extend my thanks to Dr. Lorenz Leitner for taking the time to discuss research with me. The hospital has a wealth of ongoing clinical trials, and I am eagerly looking forward to the possibility of participating in them in the future”.
“The Neurourology Department at Balgrist University Hospital is an exceptionally conducive learning environment, and I highly recommend it to every functional urologist. Professor Kessler consistently provides insightful responses to every question and willingly invests time in guiding each physician. The medical staff and nurses here are incredibly amiable, and I consider myself exceedingly fortunate to have had the opportunity to be here." – Yu-Chen Chen, Urologist
Read the full report from Yu Chen Chen or browse the full list of observership reports here.
For further information on ICS Awards & Observerships please visit ICS | Awards & Observership. Vacancies for next year will be announced in March 2024.
Become a Host Centre
If you are interested in hosting an ICS Observership (Clinical, Neurourology, Research or Urology) at your institution please contact Mairead mairead@ics.org in the ICS Office.