European Board of Ophthalmology

EBOD 2005: Eighteen New Fellows and 109 Fellows-to-Be

The 12th European Board of Ophthalmology Diploma Examination (EBOD) was held in Paris on May 5 to 6, 2006.

The EBOD is a test of excellence in ophthalmology. It is designed to assess the knowledge and clinical skills requisite to the delivery of a high standard of ophthalmologic care both in hospitals and in independent clinical practices. It is now accepted as a replacement of the national specialist examination in Belgium, France and Switzerland.

More candidates than ever, 159, registered to the examination and 144 candidates eventually sat the written and oral part of the examination in Le Palais des Congrès de Paris. For the first time, candidates were present from Czech Republic, Estonia, Lithuania, and Luxembourg. Reflecting the decision of France to adopt the diploma examination, 52 candidates were from France, Belgium with 26 and Switzerland with 25 candidates scoring second and third.

Ivan Haefliger (Switzerland), who is the Chairman of the Education Committee responsible for organising, supervising, scoring and developing the EBOD, masterfully matched the candidates with more than 70 examiners representing the same countries than the candidates. This is not an easy task, given the multitude of languages spoken. The help and vigilance Catherine Creuzot-Garcher (France) was instumental for the smooth running of the examination, and several other examiners like Hannele Nykänen (Finland) and Vytautas Jašinskas (Lithuania) provided invaluable help to the organisers.

The examination commenced with the written paper, consisting of 52 multiple-choice questions (MCQ), each with a stem followed by five statements that had to be marked either "true" or "false".

After a lunch break, the oral part of the examination, known as viva voce, was ready to start. While waiting for their turn, many candidates were still busy with rehearsing and giving a final touch to their knowledge.

The viva voces were conducted simultaneously in ten groups - also a record compared with six last year - each with eight examiners and four candidates. The examiners carried along laptop computers loaded with fundus images, visual fields, corneal topography, histopathology, and other clinical data to accompany questions related to diagnosis, management and therapy in clinical practice. Four rounds of viva voces were needed to accommodate all candidates.

Some examiners like Fred Hendrikse (The Netherlands) had been with the Board from the conception of the EBOD, while most were attending their first EBOD. This continuity and renewal are both mandatory for the success of the examination.

In the meantime, officers of the Education committee were busy scoring the MCQs, headed by Alan Ridgway (United Kingdom). For the first time, optically readable answer sheets were used, which substantially increased efficiency.

Saturday commenced with the Meeting of the Jury, composed of the examiners and chaired by Ivan Haefliger, Chairman of the Education Committee. The Jury discussed all failed scores to verify that failure was the result of lack of knowledge and not the result of being examined in a foreign tongue. It was found that the majority of the candidates, 127 out of 144, had successfully passed the examination (pass rate, 88%; last year, also 88%).

According to the rules of the EBOD, 18 candidates who were specialists were awarded their Diploma in Paris, and they immediately became Fellows of the Board (FEBO). The remaining 109 candidates who were residents must first be registered as specialists in a country of the European Union, whereafter they will receive their Diploma from their National Delegate.

The price for the Best candidate went this year to Germany: Dr. Jan Schroeter won a grant for a one-month stay in another University Eye Clinic within the European Union.

The President, Tero Kivelä (Finland), congratulated the candidates for an examination well done. He thanked the examiners for their enthusiasm for supporting European ophthalmology, and the French Ophthalmological Society for sponsoring the magnificient examination venue.

The successful candidates and, hence, the new Fellows and Fellows-to-Be of the European Board in 2006 are (in alphabetical order):

ABOU ZEID Hana, ADAM Pierre-Alexandre, AHR Waltraud, ANDRIANTAFIKA Raberahona Mamisoa, ARNAUD Delphine, ARNAVIELLE Stephane, BALLONZOLI Laurent, BALWANI Avinash, BARBIER Jeremy, BAYDOUN Lamis, BENCHEKROUN Sâad, DE BOER Anne-Minke, BOLDEA Radu-Cristian, BONNERIC Jean-Guillaume, BOURDAIS Annabelle, BRUNEAU Guilhem, CEUTERICK Sophie Dorothee Marie, CLAERHOUT Ilse, CORDERO COMA Miguel, CORNAND Erwan Mathieu, CORNUT Pierre-Loic, COUPIN Antoine, CUSSENOT Benjamin Alexandre, DANG BURGENER Phong Lan Nathalie, DEDES Wasiliki, DEFREYN Alexander Peter Maria, DELESCAILLE Jerome, DENYS Katrien Ann Rachel Marcella, DETRY Marie-Beatrice, DOMIG Diego, DO-THI Phuong Huyen, EIBL Kirsten H, VAN ELMBT Gwenaelle, EMOLE NGONDI Chantal, ESCHLE-MENICONI Margherita, FEDERICI Ludovic, FLORENT Xavier, FURRER Roman, GAST Sacha Theodora Jacinte Maria, GENSBURGER Michael, GEVART Fréderic, GRIVET Damien, GUALINO Vincent, GUDMUNDSSON Johann, GUIGOU Sebastien, GUILLAUBEY Alexandre, JACOB Maud, JACOBS Sigrid Evelyn Hermine, JIMENEZ BENITO Javier, JOFFRE Jerome, KENNIS Helga, KLEIN Anna Barbara, KOCH Philippe, KOUFAKIS Dimitris Ioannis, KREIS Andreus Josef, KRIEGBAUM Birgitta Margarethe, LALLEMENT Alexandre, LANG Monica, LANSINK Peter Johannes, LE TIEN Valerie, LEDOUX Aurelie Anne, LEFEVRÉ Francois, LEHNERT Matthias Christian, LELOUP Eva Helena Maria, LIU Rong, LJUNGBERG Anna Maria Elisabeth, VAN LOOVEREN Jan, MADERN Francoise Darcelle, MAINO Anna Paola, MANOLI Pierre, MARTINEZ Alejandro, MATHYS Renske, MATTILA Jukka Kalervo, MAURER Pascal Philipp, MELTENDORF Christian, MEYENBERG Alexander, MEYER Michael Wolfgang, MIRSHAHI Alireza, MOESEN Ingemarie, MOJZIS Peter, MOMBACH Anne-Catherine, MORITZ Francois, MORMILE Sabine, MUCHART Benjamin, NAVARRE Renaud, PETELLAT Fabien, PION Bart, PLEISCH Beat, POIRSON Angelique, POITEVIN Jerome, POMMIER Stephan, POPOVICI Adrian-Mihail, PRIVAT Esther, QASEM Qasim, RAYMAEKERS An, REIGO Veiko, SABATIER Amelie, SALAMA Batoul, SCHERRER Mark, SCHNEIDER-LISE Berengere, SCHOLTES Frederic, SCHROETER Jan, SELVANDER Maria Madelaine, SHAHIN Mohamed Samih, SPICKA Nenad, STELLA Michele Domenico, STUETZLE Cornelia Gertrud Brigitte, STUKER-CHICCA Nadia, TAHERIAN Kasra, TANNER Markus A., THOMAS Vincent, TORRENT SOLANS Teresa Maria, TOTHOVA Zuzana, TRAN Hoai Viet, TSOURIS Demitrios, WALFRIDSSON Lars, WEBER-VARSZEGI Viviane, WENDRIX Geneviève, WEYLAND Christophe, WIAUX Christophe, VIDAL Julien, WINDISCH Bettina Katrin, VINH Viviane Phong-Lan, WINKLER Oliver, WÄHNING Alexander, YLITALO Jarno Petrus, YUN Sung Hyun.

The European Board welcomes candidates who, unfortunately, were not successful this year to attend the examination again in Paris, May 2007. Particularly the courage of candidates from new member countries is acknowledged, as they sit the examination in a foreign language and it is new to them.

Unsuccessful candidates are also reminded that they have the right to appeal to the Education Committee if they believe that they have not been judged fairly. The Education Committee must receive such appeals within three (3) months of the date of examination and it will respond to the Candidate in writing within three (3) months of the receipt of the appeal.

Swiss candidates are reminded that the Board is an educational body and not responsible for registration of candidates as specialists. Queries and appeals to this effect are to be sent directly to the FMH Swiss Medical Association after having received an official letter from that body.