Dear colleagues

On behalf of the SSIEM 2012 local organising committee, I would like to invite you to join us in Birmingham for the SSIEM 2012 congress. Birmingham is renowned for its diversity and this has many similarities with the field of Inborn Errors of Metabolism. It is a regenerated city with wonderful mixture of industrial heritage through to the bright and vibrant city it is today, rich in cultural diversity. New developments and the regeneration programme have moved the previously unknown second city of the United Kingdom forwards as one of the major cities for culture and cuisine, and, most importantly, as a hub for rare disorders. Similarly, inborn errors of metabolism are a mixture of old and new conditions, with new therapies and diagnostic techniques moving ever faster forwards to become an area of great hope for patients.

Many conditions can be phenotypically very diverse and patients with the same condition can have extremely different clinical features. For that reason we have decided to make the theme of this meeting: 'Phenotypic diversity of Inherited Metabolic Disorders'. The program will cover a wide range of disorder groups and will focus on how diversity influences diagnosis, therapy and long term outcomes. On Monday 3 September a joint meeting with the ESPGHAN liver interest group will also be held.

The congress will be hosted in the state of the art ICC convention centre which is easily accessible by road, rail or air connections from around the world. It is located within the city centre, within walking distance of the main station and attractions of the city. From Birmingham, day trips to other major cities are also within easy reach and it will also be the year of the London 2012 Olympics, so why not consider an extended visit to our beautiful city after attending some of the events in the Olympic venues. For accompanying guests Birmingham is centrally located and the ideal base for visiting many of the well known tourist attractions like Warwick Castle, Shakespeare's birthplace in Stratford upon Avon and many more.

Keep your eyes on the website for updates as more information on the programme becomes available in the coming months.

Put the dates 4-7 September 2012 in your diary now and we will look forward to welcoming you on arrival.



Chris Hendriksz
Incoming President SSIEM 2012