7th McMaster International Review Course in Internal Medicine MIRCIM 20222

On 29 September – 1 October 2022, ICE Kraków Congress Centre and the Jagiellonian University Faculty of Medicine Conference Centre hosted the 7th McMaster International Review Course in Internal Medicine - MIRCIM 2022.

The course was organised by the Polish Institute of Evidence Based Medicine (PIEBM) and McMaster University in Canada in conjunction with Jagiellonian University and the Polish Society of Internal Medicine, under the auspices of the European Federation of Internal Medicine and the International Society of Internal Medicine, in partnership with internal medicine societies from more than 40 countries around the world. The Medycyna Praktyczna publishing house was the technical organiser of the event. The course was held under the honorary patronage of the Minister of Education and Science Przemyslaw Czarnek and the Mayor of the City of Kraków Jacek Majchrowski.

The new hybrid conference format led to the considerable interest of the participants, as evidenced by 450 in-person attendees hailing from all over the world as well as 600 online attendees taking part in the course every day. The lectures were given in English and interpreted simultaneously into Polish, Ukrainian and Spanish.

More than 40 speakers – world-renowned experts from North America and Europe – shared their thoughts during lectures and participated in panel debates. The second day of the course featured a pulmonology session in memory of Prof. Andrzej Szczeklik, held on the anniversary of his death, which coincided with the 13th Ethics Symposium under the auspices of the European Federation of Internal Medicine (EFIM) and the International Society of Internal Medicine (ISIM), devoted to ‘Ethical Dilemmas in Medical Practice: How to Reconcile Medicine with the Economy’. The symposium was held under the honorary patronage of the Minister of Health Adam Niedzielski.

During the event, the attendees also took part in the fourth edition of the Best Case Report Contest, with the best 19 reports presented by young doctors and an expert panel commenting on the cases and asking detailed questions. The Best Case Report Contest is recognised as the most prestigious abstract contest in the world. The selection of papers is very stringent, and their subsequent publication in the Polish Archives in Internal Medicine is a source of reliable knowledge.

In addition to the lectures, the participants and speakers had a chance to explore Kraków and Małopolska. Thanks to trips and excursions, the visitors and attendees had the opportunity to discover the Royal Route, see what is underneath the Market Square, visit the Wieliczka Salt Mine and pay respects at  AUSCHWITZ-BIRKENAU, the former German Nazi concentration and extermination camp and its memorial site and museum.

MIRCIM 2022 was greatly supported by Mayor Jacek Majchrowski and the Kraków City Hall – thank you for your involvement.

The financial support in the form of providing access to the most beautiful congress centre in Europe – the ICE Kraków – for one day, ten shuttles for the guests between the airport and the city, an official dinner at the City Hall, as well as the materials and publications about Kraków, increased the prestige of the entire event and gave Kraków the title of the best host of internal medicine conferences in the world, as evidenced by numerous messages from our speakers, guests and participants.

The MIRCIM Organising Committee has decided to hold the eighth edition of the course on 11–13 May 2023, so we are pleased to ask Kraków City Hall  to be involved in the organisation of this unparalleled event.