Chong Yi Kang, Paediatric ENT Fellow,
Evelina London Children's Hospital
and Kate Hamlett, ST6 ENT Registrar
North West Deanery
The 2024 BAPO Annual Meeting saw the best turnout of paediatric ENT professionals from across the globe, reflecting the extensive scope and influence of the field.
The first ever BAPO Juniors (BAPOJ) Paediatric Study Day kicked off the meeting on the Wednesday before the conference, in the remarkable People’s History Museum, which is well worth a visit. This day was packed with very informative talks delivered via short presentations – aiming to be the perfect revision aid for future FRCS applicants.
The main event convened in the historic and impressive Manchester Hall, designed in 1929. The opening session began with a warm welcome speech by BAPO President Neil Bateman, which set the stage for an engaging and informative series of sessions. Sunil Sharma led an interactive session discussing the new changes in the Joint Committee of Surgical Training (JCST) ENT curriculum, sparking meaningful dialogue among attendees. A key highlight was an update from Harry Tustin, the previous year’s BAPO Juniors Research Prize winner. He presented his groundbreaking work in ‘SecureSound’, a project addressing challenges in conventional bone conduction hearing devices. This set the stage for a ‘Dragon’s Den-style’ competition, where delegates pitched innovative projects for this year’s research prize.
Jessica Richardson (left) and Christine English (right) giving their perspectives
as allied healthcare professionals in Paediatric ENT.
Neil Bateman continued with a heartfelt presidential address, celebrating Manchester as a city of science, culture and music. Dr Steve Sobol from Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia delivered the annual John Evans keynote lecture on wellness in his professional journey, leaving the audience feeling rejuvenated. Dr Soham Roy tackled complex clinical and ethical dilemmas in his paediatric ENT practice in the Children’s Hospital of Colorado, and Dr Kara Prickett shared her experience in building effective multidisciplinary team in her practice in the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. Dr Scott Rickert, from New York University Langone, delivered insights into diagnosing and managing paediatric voice disorders.
Dr Steve Sobol (left), Professor of Otorhinolaryngology from Children’s Hospital of
Philadelphia, with Neil Bateman (right), President of BAPO.
The conference also featured engaging panel sessions on various aspects of paediatric ENT. Grace Khong led a rhinology panel addressing challenging clinical questions such as paediatric septoplasty, followed by James Ramsden’s otology panel. Mike Saunders’ paediatric airway panel provided updates on advanced diagnostic technologies. Adding depth to the conference were sessions on less common but significant topics, such as diagnostic pathways for Pierre Robin sequence, juvenile nasal angiofibroma, artificial intelligence in paediatric ENT and managing ENT pathology in children with neurodisabilities. Innovative talks on gene therapy for congenital hearing loss and the roles of specialist nurse practitioners and physician associates broadened the scope of discussions. Delegates were entertained by a ‘fighting talk’ debate between an international panel of paediatric ENT surgeons on key topics.
The 'Fighting Talk' panel led by Mike Saunders, with an international panel of Paediatric ENT Surgeons.
For trainees, the conference offered educational sessions and opportunities to present their audits and quality improvement projects. An impressive forty posters were accepted for presentation this year, with high quality, short paper oral presentations interspersed in the two-day meeting. The conference also included a session delivered by BAPOJ fellowship panel consisting of recent fellowship leavers. The event also marked a transition of responsibilities: Ayla Tabaksert’s election as the new BAPO juniors representative, Mira de Kruijf joining the BAPO committee and Haytham Kubba taking over as BAPO president from Neil Bateman.
Raj Bhalla, Consultant ENT and Skull Base surgeon from Manchester,
delivering his talk on the management of juvenile nasopharyngeal angiofibroma.
The announcement of prize-winners was celebrated, including Elizabeth Maughan (Amged El-Hawrani Memorial prize), Maia Walsh (travelling fellowship prize), Ben Talks (BAPOJ research grant), Avgi Loizidou (Susanna Leighton prize), and Michael Hopkins (best poster prize).
The conference ended with an introduction to the BAPO Annual Meeting 2025, which will take place in Glasgow.
