Declan Costello,
MA, MBBS, FRCS(ORL-HNS),
Editor, ENT & Audiology News;
Consultant Ear, Nose and Throat Surgeon,
Wexham Park Hospital,
Slough, Berkshire, UK.
BACO (the British Academic Conference of Otolaryngology) has been running regularly since its inception in Oxford in 1963; the last ‘in-person’ conference was held back in 2018 and, in the intervening time, we have had an immensely successful online meeting organised by Hisham Mehanna. But it is great that the conference in Birmingham from 15-17 February 2023 will be face-to-face and fully-fledged. In bringing together some articles to highlight the meeting, we wanted to give a flavour of the diverse range of topics and speakers that you can expect to see at the conference.
The academic chair for the BACO 2023 is Professor Claire Hopkins: she provides a very personal insight into what she enjoys about conferences, and gives us some top tips as to how to make the most of attending a meeting as busy as BACO. Professor Jaqueline Allen has devoted her career to laryngology and, in particular, to swallowing disorders, which could be said to be a ‘Cinderella’ area of ENT – she tells us about developments in her field. Stella Lee gives us a fascinating glimpse into the future of the management of nasal polyposis and the use of novel biologic therapies, which may radically change our ways of treating these patients. The challenge of providing otology training in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) is discussed by Clemence Chidziva – in parts of the world where other clinical conditions are seen as more important, how can adequate otology care be provided, both now and into the future? And finally, Deepak Sarin fills us in on the latest developments in the management of patients with thyroid and parathyroid disease.
We hope this small glimpse into what BACO 2023 has to offer will encourage you to join us at the meeting in February!
