Additional Info

• Advisory Council Member:

  PhD Hugo Rocha
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• National Societies:

  Portuguese Society of Metabolic Diseases
  Sociedade Portuguesa de Doenças Metabólicas (SPDM)
  
  Society Website
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  Annual Meeting

  International Symposium of the Portuguese Society for Metabolic Disorders – March 2026
  
  SPDM has been organizing annual international symposiums since 2003, establishing itself as a key platform for advancing knowledge in inherited metabolic disorders (IMD). Founded in 2002 by physicians and researchers specializing in hereditary metabolic conditions, SPDM held its first symposium in Lisboa in November 2003, focusing on clinical, biochemical, molecular, and therapeutic aspects of metabolic diseases.

  The symposiums have consistently rotated among Portugal's main medical reference centers - Lisboa, Porto, and Coimbra -though they have also been held in other cities including Évora, Fátima, Peniche, Figueira da Foz, Aveiro, Luso, and Funchal (Madeira). A milestone occurred in 2008 when Portugal hosted the Annual Symposium of SSIEM (Society for the Study of Inborn Errors of Metabolism) in Lisboa, chaired by Isabel Tavares de Almeida, commemorating the centenary of Archibald Garrod's concept of Inborn Errors of Metabolism and attracting over 1,500 international participants.

  Throughout their evolution, the symposiums have addressed critical advances in metabolic medicine. These symposiums consistently feature multidisciplinary programming with plenary sessions led by international and national experts, oral communications showcasing Portuguese research, poster presentations, and satellite meetings. They address diverse topics spanning diagnostic innovations, therapeutic advances (enzyme replacement, gene therapy, RNAi therapeutics), nutritional management, adult metabolic medicine, and palliative care. The events receive scientific sponsorship from numerous Portuguese medical societies and maintain strong international collaboration with organizations like SSIEM and MetabERN (European Reference Network for Hereditary Metabolic Disorders), reinforcing Portugal's active role in advancing global metabolic medicine research and clinical practice.

  Committee Members
  
  President 
  Dr Maria Dulce Silva Quelhas, PharmaD PhD
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  Secretary
  Prof Isabel Antolin Rivera
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  Treasurer
  MD Anabela Oliveira
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• About the Society:

  Portuguese Society of Metabolic Disorders (SPDM), founded in 2002, is a scientific society whose main goal is putting together professionals from different fields under the scope of inborn errors of metabolism (IEM).

  SPDM aims to promote awareness of IEM, implementing early diagnosis and therapy in order to increase the quality of life and social integration of all patients.

  SPDM encourages scientific research, development of diagnosis and therapeutic protocols and organizes regular clinical and laboratorial meetings, pre and pos-graduate courses, as well as an annual International Symposium. SPDM promotes and supports the training of professionals in the field of IEM, awarding several scholarships and grants.

  Dietitians Group

  The SPDM Nutrition Group (SPDM-GN), formally established in March 2016, includes nutritionists from all Portuguese reference centres for inherited metabolic disorders(IMD), as well as nutrition researchers and master’s or doctoral students in these fields. This group’s objectives are to standardize the clinical practice of those professional who practice or will practice IMD treatment, promote their scientific updating, improve clinical practice, and encourage research in nutritional treatment.

  Its first executive committee was elected in March 2017, and the group now organizes short courses, contributes nutrition sessions to the annual SPDM symposium, and spearheads multicentre translational studies.

  This group provides annual training with a major practical component.

  Membership is open to all SPDM nutritionist members, who collaborate via annual meetings, postgraduate training sessions, and online forums.
  SPDM-GN liaises with international bodies such as SSIEM Dietitians Group, ESPKU, and GMDI and provides access to resources like food composition databases and the eVM (Vademecum Metabolicum).

  The SPDM Nutrition Group has 28 members and is coordinated by Ana Isabel Vieira, M.Sc in Clinical Nutrition.
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