Dear colleagues and friends,

It is a pleasure for me to invite you to participate at the 2008 STEPS (Strategies & Trends in European Pediatric Surgery) under the auspices of EUPSA (European Pediatric Surgeons Association) to be held in Graz, Austria from the 16-18th October 2008.

This year the meeting will focus on the topic of "Surgical Oncology". This topic will be approached from various surgical approaches in pediatric tumors and explained through teaching lectures by our invited expert Faculty.

As in the previous years, STEPS encourages participants to share their views and experiences with short oral presentations in the free paper session. Only a limited amount of free papers will be accepted for this session.

On 16th October a Hands-on course in Laparoscopic Suture Techniques will be offered to a limited number of participants. This one-day course will include lectures and practical exercise sessions.

The lovely city of Graz in the Southern Austria provides an excellent ambience for the meeting. The old town is within walking distance of most of the hotels and presents with historical buildings which narrate the tales of this wonderful city.

Along with the local organizing team Prof. Michael E. Höllwarth and Prof. Christian Urban and the STEPS team, I would like to welcome you to Graz for STEPS 2008.

Amulya K.Saxena, MD
STEPS Organizer