The Örenäs Research Group and the EGPRN

Written by: Michael Harris
 

In 2012, I read a paper showing that European countries with a ‘GP as gatekeeper’ system have lower cancer survival rates. I then found that there were large differences in cancer survival rates across Europe – but when I asked why that was, nobody could give me a definite answer. So, I set up a research group to find out.

Our first residential meeting was in 2013, at Örenäs Castle in Sweden, where 18 enthusiastic primary care researchers from 7 European countries, planned research projects around early diagnosis of cancer in primary care. We decided to name ourselves after our meeting-place: ‘The Örenäs Research Group’ (ÖRG).

The group met at my first EGPRN conference, in Barcelona in 2014, where we ran a pre-conference focus group that resulted in our first paper. Since then, the EGPRN has generously let us run a 90-minute meeting at every conference. In all, 65 EGPRN members have joined us in these meetings. It has been a great way to share with our colleagues what we have done, discuss our future plans, and hear their ideas. This, together with our EGPRN posters and oral presentations, has helped us to find new ÖRG collaborators – we now have over 140 members, in 90 medical and academic centres, in 34 European countries.

We twice successfully applied for EGPRN research funding. We run a 3-day residential research workshop every year (we have had eight so far), and the EGPRN’s grant has helped to make those a success.

We have completed 16 ÖRG research projects and published papers about them, and now have five more projects in progress.I am very proud of what my amazing ÖRG collaborators have achieved, and I thank the EGPRN for being a key part of that success. If you would like to know more about the Örenäs Research Group, please mail me at [email protected]