Welcome to the 41st National Podology Congress.
Welcome to Gijon.

Dear colleagues,

On 9, 10 and 11 October 2010 we, the professionals in the field of podology, shall be meeting in Gijon to hold the 41st National Podology Congress. This is a great honour for the Asturias Chiropodists Association, and being your hosts for such a meeting is a significant challenge. We shall devote all our efforts to ensuring that your stay in Gijon is highly gratifying and fruitful, in both professional and personal terms.

The location chosen to host the event is the Convention Centre, located in Gijon's Trade Fair Exhibition Complex and equipped with the latest technology; it has a plenary hall which seats 800 conference delegates and three annexed halls, which we shall use to stage workshops and for lectures. Its proximity to the hotels means that you can forget your car, and instead stroll around and enjoy this welcoming seaside tourist city.

Both the technical team and the various organising committees are clear on the philosophy that will govern this, the 41st Congress: we are committed to the quality of the subject matter, in both form and content, and hence the conferences shall take the form of a minimum duration of fifteen minutes and a maximum duration of one hour. We shall devote all our efforts to professional and commercial consensus as well as to a commitment to the future. Also, as is customary in this region, catering and courtesy will be aspects to which we will be paying special attention, and which will make you feel particularly at home here. Lastly, taking into account the current economic climate, we are endeavouring to secure the best possible prices regarding travelling and accommodation; we do not want this aspect to be an inconvenience for any of you.

Within the scientific programme, we shall be debating topics of great professional interest, some habitual and essential, such as biomechanics, orthopodology, surgery, diabetic feet and children's podology, along with other, less habitual ones, such as applied pharmacology, image diagnosis and medicine applied to our daily practice. We encourage you to write your papers, remitting them to us before 16 April. We shall also have other, innovative activities, aimed at our profession and at the public, such as the painting competition and the "street podology" programme. We hope and trust that these activities will transform our Congress into the protagonist of this Community's social life and ensure that it is a truly enriching experience for all those attending.

As in the most recent editions, this year, we shall once again have a dynamic website, www.congresopodologia.com, to which we have incorporated, and shall continue to incorporate, a number of innovations. All information pertaining to the Congress will be available therein; you can also formalise your registration and remit your papers and posters. We would suggest that you consult it periodically to keep up to date with the latest news on the event.

Warmest regards from the organising committee of the 41st National Podology Congress.

José Luis Fernández Lago
General Secretary