The EICC has secured the 15th World Congress on Endometriosis (WCE2023), with the international healthcare conference set for the venue between 3-6 May 2023. 1,200 delegates are expected to attend, with an economic impact for Edinburgh estimated at £3 million.
The bid was led by the University of Edinburgh’s Professors Andrew Horne and Philippa Saunders, who will co-chair WCE2023. Endometriosis, which affects an estimated 190 million worldwide, is listed by the NHS as one of the 20 most painful diseases and carries a significant personal and socio-economic burden. Those with endometriosis experience an average diagnostic delay of eight years and are often, during the life course of the disease, subjected to multiple hit-and-miss treatments with a variety of efficacy and side-effects.
Andrew Horne, Professor of Gynaecology and Reproductive Sciences at the University of Edinburgh’s MRC Centre for Reproductive Health said: “Being chosen to host WCE2023 is a recognition of the progress in endometriosis discovery that has come out of our excellent team from the MRC Centre for Reproductive Health and Centre for Inflammation Research. We are hugely excited to be hosting WCE2023 in Edinburgh: a unique congress that will bring together clinicians, scientists, and patient advocates from across the world towards the common goal of positively impacting the health and wellbeing of all with endometriosis and adenomyosis.”
EICC CEO Marshall Dallas said: “Scotland has been at the forefront of global healthcare for centuries, and over the last twenty-five years the EICC has been a focal point for many of the world’s largest healthcare conferences. Our team has been working closely with Professors Horne and Saunders, and the World Endometriosis Society for several years, to bring the event to Edinburgh, so it’s with great pleasure that we’re able to announce the news today. It’s a positive boost for the city, as we look ahead to association and business events returning to Edinburgh.”