European College for the Study of Vulval Disease (ECSVD)

The European College for the Study of Vulval Disease (ECSVD) is a relatively young society, founded in 1996. The founding members of the College were however physicians from different specialities who had a lot of experience in dealing with women with Vulval disease. The majority of the founders were already Fellows of the International Society for the Study of Vulvar Disease (ISSVD) and they realised that there was a need for a similar European Society, whose principle purposes (article 3 of the constitution) are:

• To promote communication among medical doctors managing patients with vulval disease.
• To promote education in the field of vulval disease.
• To promote research in the field of vulval disease.

The foundation of the ECSVD was originally based on an idea of Michèle Leibowitch, a French pathologist with a long interest in vulval disease. An extract from the original letter sent by Michèle Leibowitch in March 1996 inviting some European colleagues to meet in Paris, is seen below. These colleagues were already members of the International Society for the Study of Vulvar Diseases (ISSVD) and the section in italics lays out the principles which regulated the close relationship with the International Society.