ESH Administrative Newsletter No. 3:
Harry A.J. Struijker-Boudier, Krzysztof Narkiewicz, Renata Cifková, and Sverre E. Kjeldsen for the ESH Council

European Society of Hypertension (ESH) and national hypertension societies:
ESH is expanding in memberships and activities including organising congresses, endorsing congresses and other meetings, and organising a number of educational activities including summer schools and advanced courses. Many of these activities involve national hypertension societies in Europe or persons representing the national societies. The relationship between ESH and the national societies has thus, in duel interest, developed positively over many years and is expected to further develop in the interest of all societies. The activities may expand further and some of the relationships may become more formalized. This working document summarizes some of the possibilities that exist regarding further strengthening of the relationships.

Current activities:

1. The Annual ESH Meeting with the presidents of the national hypertension societies.
            This meeting is organised by the ESH officer at large, and it is chaired by the ESH president. One hour is allocated and the timeslot is 2-3 PM on a mid-day of the annual congress. Agenda is developed and circulated to contact persons of national societies four weeks in advance. The nature of this meeting is the exchange of information, but no formal decisions are made.
2. ESH Annual Summer Schools and Advanced Courses.
            The national societies have been invited to nominate participants (1-2 per country) and have covered travel costs and accommodations for these. Other costs related to organising these educational activities have been covered by ESH.
3. ESH Specialist Program.
            ESH specialists (>800) have been mainly approved following nominations by national societies.
4. ESH Traveling Faculty.
            Activities are coordinated by national societies.
5. ESH Research Fellowships: Two 2-year awards up to a maximum of 50,000 Euro per annum. Details are given on ESH website.

Strengthening the relationships:

1. Contact persons.
            National societies have been encouraged to select representatives who will be responsible for the contacts with the ESH Scientific Council during the next 4 years (2006-2009).

2. Formalizing the Forum for national societies.
            Re. item 1) above, the Annual ESH Meeting may be expanded and formalized. Existing national societies become members or partners, and the Annual Meeting during the ESH Congress is given the mandate (from the ESH Council) to discuss certain issues and make formal decisions. New national societies would need approval by this body or by the ESH Council to become new members of this ESH Forum.

3. Participation in ESH meetings.

   1. In the annual meeting one or two sessions could be organised by presidents of national societies on themes of special interest to national societies (e.g., organisation of hypertension Centers-of-Excellence, health processing systems in relation to diagnosis and treatment of hypertension, blood pressure control rates, etc.)

   2. Invite presidents of national societies officially to act as chairpersons; invite them to stay in the meeting headquarters and invite them to participate in the Presidential Dinner.

   3. Give the presidents or representatives of the national societies a special colored badge during the Annual Meeting; cover the costs of their stay during the meeting.

4. Participation in other ESH activities.
            Invite a number of presidents or representatives of national societies to participate in the yearly Advanced Course of ESH. Half of the presidents or representatives could be invited in even years; the other half in odd years.