The Royal Society of Medicine (RSM) Laryngology and Rhinology Section hosted a much-welcomed lecture series that re-ignited the face-to-face meeting scene following a post-COVID lull across academic societies. The excitement and energy amongst colleagues, friends and mentors was palpable as ENT surgeons and allied health professionals congregated in increasing numbers to a rejuvenated atmosphere of sharing and learning.
The first session was inaugurated by President Professor Peter Andrews on 2 December 2022, talking on ‘Thinking outside the box – medical innovation in the 21st century’. Keynote speaker Professor Kevin Fong shared how his distilled experience from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and complex systems provided insight into his NHS England role as National Clinical Advisor in Emergency Preparedness Resilience and Response for the COVID-19 pandemic. ENT registrar, Mr. James Bates, won the RSM Oral Presentation Prize for his essay on augmented reality in surgical training.
The session on 3 February 2023 featured expert panel discussions on the ‘Treatments and advances in olfactory dysfunction’ with Professor Thomas Hummel from the University of Dresden, presenting his highly relevant thoughts and work on the past, present, and future treatments on olfactory dysfunction. Dr Luca Pendolino, ENT clinical fellow, received the RSM Oral Presentation Prize for a project on the long-COVID smell clinic.
Professor Hesham Saleh discussed the evidence base behind functional septorhinoplasty during the 3 March 2023 session, which led to a stimulating debate around 'Septorhinoplasty in the modern day: The controversies and evidence base’. The RSM Oral Presentation Prize was awarded to Ryan Cheong for his work on ‘Septorhinoplasty and obstructive sleep apnoea in the post COVID-19 NHS’.
The RSM is a valuable resource and venue that will only grow stronger with continued engagement from the ENT community. With the new ‘trainee initiative’, ENT trainees in particular benefit from opportunities to win prestigious prizes, share their work with a high-impact audience and meet consultants in a warm social setting. The Peter Rhys Evans Travelling Lecture fund which aims to support international head and neck speakers to present in the laryngology and rhinology programme has also been launched this year.
The final session on 5 May 2023, featuring Professor Kofi Boahene from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, discussing the past, present, and future of facial nerve paralysis management, is not to be missed with free admission for registered RSM members.
Future meeting details: ‘The facial nerve and its challenges in reanimation, aesthetics and paediatric surgery’, 5 May 2023, The Royal Society of Medicine, 1 Wimpole St, London W1G 0AE, UK.
Ryan Chin Taw Cheong, ST8 Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Royal Marsden Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK.
