The North of England Otolaryngology Society welcomed over 100 attendees to the virtual Autumn Meeting, hosted by Mrs Archana Jaiswal and Miss Emma Stapleton.
After an enticing introduction by the President, Mr John Frewer, the agenda for the meeting was outlined, and included an excellent range of speakers. The keynote lecture was delivered by Professor Sheena Cruickshank (Professor of Immunology). She discussed inflammation and the role of the microbiome which provided an interesting overview into how our immune system responds to the microbiome. Jonathan Abbas (ST5 ENT), the 2021 winner of the George Seed Prize, presented his research, ‘HoloLensTM enhanced otolaryngology case based learning - A Randomised Educational Study’. This offered insight into the innovative use of simulation to revolutionise teaching.
Miss Emma Stapleton chairing the North of England Otolaryngology Society trainee presentations.
The meeting featured five oral presentations by trainees and medical students in addition to 19 stimulating posters available to view virtually. The presentations and posters were judged by a panel of three judges and the winners were announced by Mr John Frewer. The prize for the best presentation was awarded to Mr Haroon Saeed (ST6 ENT) for the talk on ‘Enlarged vestibular aqueduct: Disease characterisation and exploration of potential clinical predictors for cochlear implantation’. The best presentation by a medical student was awarded to Eloise Owen (University of Manchester) who presented ‘Patient experience of Necrotising Externa: A Qualitative Study’. The best poster prize was awarded to Ali Al-Azzawi (Medical student, University of Manchester) for the poster ‘Are we screening for autoimmune causes of SSNHL’.
Following the trainee presentations, Mr Christian Macutkiewicz (Clinical Lead for Surgery, Manchester NHS FT) delivered a talk on ‘Burnout in surgery’. The talk improved awareness for recognising and preventing burnout which may have grave implications on surgical training. In the final session of the evening, the audience were asked to participate in voting for a captivating debate addressing the statement: ‘This house believes that clinical leaders should maintain at least 50% of their clinical practice’. The pre-debate votes were at 85% agree and 15% disagree. Debating for the motion was Miss Toli Onon (Executive Medical Director, Manchester FT). Debating against was Mr David Crampsey (Executive Medical Director, Airedale FT). Interestingly the votes shifted following the debate to 57% agree and 43% disagree.
Mr Christian Macutkiewicz spoke on 'Burnout in Surgeons'.
Overall, the meeting was very insightful and granted excellent opportunities for trainees to share their research. The inspiring conclusions by Mr John Frewer made us look forward to the 2022 Spring Meeting when we hope to meet face to face for an evening meal followed by a whole day of educational and social content, and a Presidential handover from Mr John Frewer to Miss Emma Stapleton.
