A Retrospective Summary with big Hopes for the Future
From October 24 – 26, 2003, Vienna once more was in the international focus concerning men’s health and gender medicine: for the third time, the World Congress on Men’s Health brought together in Vienna, Austria, several hundred delegates from all over the world and of diverse medical fields, representatives
from governmental and non-governmental bodies as well as interest groups. In short: Again, it proved to be a meeting of the highest scientific but also practical value concerning men’s health and gender medicine.
As Congress President Michael Marberger (A) put it at the opening ceremony of this congress: “We are very proud to see that Vienna continues to be the center of attention on men’s health around the globe, and we are happy to note that the agenda on men’s health is given much more importance than it had been three years ago when the first World Congress on Men’s Health took place.”
Siegfried Meryn (A), President of the International Society for Men’s Health and Gender and General Secre-tary of this meeting, added: “In 2000, it was only a dream shared by a few to establish an annual scientific and integrative meeting on men’s health and gender. Today, I am more than glad to say that not only this “baby” has grown healthily, but also, that the public attention to issues on men’s health has been given priority in the European Union, and in many other countries, e.g. USA be it on a medical or political agenda”.
On occasion of this congress, experts of all fields (urology, internal medicine, general practitioners, public health, men's health organizations, etc.) had the unique opportunity to closely work together and discuss matters of mutual interest. Besides, the congress offered an outstanding opportunity to liaise with other medical professionals like psychiatrists and oncologists from all over the world and rub shoulders with the world’s “tops of the tops” as far as the lectures and sessions were concerned.
This congress was organized by the International Society for Men’s Health & Gender (ISMH) in cooperation with a number of international medical societies, e.g. WONCA, EAU, UUA, ESO, WPA and PAUSA, the European Men's Health Forum (EMHF) and the Men's Health Network USA (MHN).
Leading sponsors of this meeting were prominent pharmaceutical companies as well as the City of Vienna, who has set men’s health and gender medicine very high on their agenda already years ago and can thus be considered a worldwide pioneer in this field.
Generally, the lectures focused on the categories Prevention and Lifestyle, New Developments in the Treatment and Prevention of Cancer, Sexual Health and Erectile Dysfunction, Osteoporosis, and offered also much insight in topics like Male Hormone Replacement Therapy, LUTS, Male Ageing, Male Depression or Sleep Apnea.