Season’s greetings from the Chairman and Vice-Chairman of PCR

 
Dear Colleagues, dear Friends, dear Companions,
 
Putting ‘pen to paper’ to draft the season’s greetings and looking back on 2020, we must share with you that this year our good wishes are rather more solemn than usual.

Indeed, as we entered the decade back in January, we could not have imagined the complex challenges that were shortly going to impact our everyday lives – on both a personal and professional level. It is especially hard not to reflect at length on the immense strain endured by healthcare professionals over the past year; to recall how you stood up in the face of an unknown enemy, working long hours under intense pressure, and overcoming fear in order to protect the lives of your seriously ill patients. Never before has a situation demanded such selflessness from the medical profession: those on the front lines, and also those affected more remotely.

Here at PCR we are proud to have remained in close contact with the interventional cardiovascular community throughout 2020, albeit virtually, thanks to the relentless help and support of the Europa teams. We stayed connected through PCRonline and EuroIntervention, our digital ombilical cords. We were warmed by the resilience and solidarity of our colleagues, and we gladly continued our educational mission by providing digital initiatives with global outreach:  Facing COVID with PCR, PCR Webinars, the 3-day PCR e-Course and PCR Valves e-Course, and the more recent GulfPCR-GIM on Air and AICT-AsiaPCR on Air.

Despite these recognised achievements, one cannot but regret a real lack of ‘being together’ over the past months. It is face to face and through collective resonance that common projects are best imagined, harmonised and diffused; this is a momentum that online events do not facilitate. Gathering together in person encourages us to push our limits further than when we sit alone behind our screens. We are multisensory beings, and digital communication also falls short of the mark when it comes to satisfying many of our emotional needs.
 
So, what are our wishes for you for the New Year? First and foremost, they are for your safety and well-being, and that of your loved ones, colleagues and patients. Furthermore, they are that we may meet up in real life during 2021; it is difficult to predict how the coming year will pan out, but positive signals encourage us to be quietly optimistic. In the meantime, we are working hard to reinvent education, with lots of great new ideas to ensure effective learning and maximum interactivity for each of you on the path forward!
 
Stay safe, and all the very best for 2021.