The Irish Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Society (IOS) is a prestigious joint North-South Irish ENT society founded in 1961. Professor Rory McConn Walsh (right) considers it a great honour and privilege to be the president in 2024 and 2025, having just taken over from his good friend Robin Adair from Belfast. The past presidents were all significant contributors to Irish ENT over the years. There is also a Northern (Brendan Hanna) and Southern (Peter Lacy) secretary, treasurer (Martin Donnelly) and a North-South council. There are very close ties and great collegiality between members north and south of the border and Prof McConn Walsh will endeavour to augment those ties. Vice-president Keith Trimble is also playing an important role in the organisation of this meeting.
At the 65th annual society meeting a distinguished international speaker is invited to deliver the William Wilde discourse for which he is awarded the Wilde medal. This year’s Wilde discourser is Professor Kofi Boahene, professor of facial plastic and reconstructive surgery at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore US. His research interests are in outcomes in facial paralysis, facial nerve injury and facial reanimation as well as surgical innovation in facial reanimation and minimally invasive skull base surgery.
Every year there is a theme to the meeting and this year it is head and neck, and facial plastic/reconstructive surgery with invited speakers in those areas. The meeting has evolved such that it now has a very high academic standard and is approved for CPD.
Substantial prizes will be awarded for the best free paper presentations (first and second prize), best poster presentation and the Aonghus Curran prize and bursary for the best head and neck presentation in honour of the late colleague Professor Aonghus Curran which is awarded by his wife Dr Noreen Dowd and their family.
Traditionally partners and families are very welcome to attend the meeting and the organisers would very much like to encourage as many as possible to attend so as to keep that tradition alive.
Above: Professor Naishadh Patil, former president and also global ambassador (Ireland) for ENT and Audiology News.
