L–R: Dr Christine Lai ( RACS Women in Surgery Chair), Dr Himani Joshi (SA), Dr Indu Gunawardena (NSW) and Dr Alethea Grobler (SA) at the Women in Otolaryngology lunch. .
It was with great enthusiasm that those who registered for ASOHNS Annual meeting 2022 met in Adelaide as this was the first post-pandemic conference in the field of ENT in Australia. The meeting truly lived up to its theme of diversity and inclusivity.
Congratulations to scientific convenors Guy Rees and Eng Ooi who had carefully planned the programme to include a well-balanced representation of diverse keynote speakers and topics. Speakers from North America, the UK, Europe and New Zealand travelled in person while others spoke virtually to share their expert knowledge. It was encouraging to see that these experts had continued their research and clinical work throughout the pandemic in their respective countries and so eloquently presented their work. I was very excited to meet Professor Jacquie Allen, one of my colleagues from New Zealand, and it was inspiring to see the presentations by Professor Elina Toskala and Professor Michelle Wyatt.
One of the highlights was to listen to Uncle Adrian Ware, an Aboriginal elder, being interviewed by H&N cancer nurse Tracey Nicholls about his cancer journey. The geography of Australia can make access to treatment difficult. The challenges any patient faces with a cancer diagnosis are tremendous but his story demonstrated the difficulties of living remotely, as well as the psychological and financial impacts. This was a reminder of how far our work extends and why our outreach work is essential.
South Australia has been at the forefront of advancing sleep surgery under the guidance and pioneering work by the late Sam Robinson. The ongoing advances in this field were evident in his memorial lecture and the sessions dedicated to the subject.
The social events were not to be missed and certainly very well attended, bringing back the joy of networking amongst colleagues face to face, following the difficult period of online meetings. The Women in Surgery luncheon was an opportunity to meet and relax with like-minded surgeons.
Congratulations to the medal winners including some who have dedicated their working life to our specialty and paved the difficult path for us.
I was thrilled to be back in Adelaide where I completed my fellowship about 10 years ago with the opportunity to meet my mentors and friends while updating and sharing our knowledge, back in the normal form of face-to-face meetings.
Dr Indu Gunawardena, MBBS (Syd), FRACS (ORL–HNS), New South Wales.
