The German-speaking Association of Microsurgery (DAM) has set itself the statutory goal of establishing a network of young scientists who are actively involved in research and of strengthening their networking among themselves in the long term. On the one hand, this is intended to make scientific methods of the various research groups accessible to each other, and on the other hand, to exchange personal experiences in scientific experimental work and to stimulate active cooperation between microsurgeons beyond their own institutions.
The desire to strengthen young scientifically active microsurgeons and to devote themselves to the current scientific issues in microsurgery in an intensive and collegial workshop atmosphere, away from the hustle and bustle of the congress, led to the first DAM Science Academy in 2017, which was held in Erlangen. It was perceived and evaluated as very positive by the participants and the DAM. The participation of highly motivated young researchers from all three member countries led to intensive discussions about the entire range of microsurgical research, and concrete exchange projects have since been established between the various working groups.
The academy takes place every year in spring on a Saturday (after a get-together on the previous Friday).
Participation and registration is based on exclusive award criteria: the clinic director receives the invitation to register a selected employee, who is allowed to attend the academy free of charge. The order in which registrations are received, with a waiting list, counts when awarding places.
Invitations with a preliminary program are sent to the clinic directors of microsurgical clinics in Germany, Austria and Switzerland in the spring of the current year. Their superiors will exclusively propose the respective participants from a clinic with a microsurgical subspecialty.
In the German-speaking area, the DAM Science Academy has quickly established itself as a platform for communication and networking with young and advanced microsurgeons and is in great demand. As a rule, it is also fully booked within a few days of invitations being sent out.
Previous Academies
In the years 2017-2020, a workshop was held annually as the DAM Science Academy on the topic of research in microsurgery at the Department of Plastic and Hand Surgery with the Laboratory for Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine at the University Hospital Erlangen, Friedrich Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg.
Each year, approximately twelve to fifteen assistant and specialist doctors with different scientific specializations and projects took part in the event. On the evening before the event, there was a get-together in a relaxed atmosphere, followed by the one-day workshop, which began with the individual project presentations of the working groups. The individual working groups were then put together thematically and, after intensive discussion of scientific questions and problems, were able to develop new approaches to networking and possible joint projects in the various groups.
The two science prizes donated by the DAM for the Science Academy (currently 500 euros each) were awarded in 2018 to 4 young researchers at the DAM’s annual conference, where their work was also presented to the members, due to the extremely high-quality contributions.
The academies of the years 2017-2020 received financial support from the German-speaking Association of Microsurgery and the Department of Plastic and Hand Surgery at the University Hospital Erlangen.