Declan Costello,
MA, MBBS, FRCS(ORL-HNS),
Editor, ENT & Audiology News;
Consultant Ear, Nose and Throat Surgeon,
Wexham Park Hospital,
Slough, Berkshire, UK.
One of the joys of attending meetings and conferences is the chance to catch up with friends and colleagues from around the world, and also to meet new people. These chats are frequently social, but are also immensely rewarding in discussing difficult cases, new techniques, or exciting developments. The fact that meetings had to go online during the pandemic means that we have been able to keep in touch, but there is a palpable desire to meet up with people face to face.
So, the fact that the number of meetings and conferences in the coming months is proliferating is very exciting. There seems to be so much enthusiasm for meeting up with colleagues, it’s difficult to keep track! With this in mind, it is with particular pleasure that our ENT Features are focusing on the forthcoming BACO meeting, being held in Birmingham in February 2023. With Professor Claire Hopkins in the role of Academic Chair, there is a superb line-up of academic speakers, and an incredible roster of plenary speakers, including war surgeon David Nott, palliative care doctor (and writer) Rachel Clarke and former MP Anna Soubry. Click here to read more about our articles, written by some of the most high-profile BACO speakers.
It’s invariably the case that ‘prevention is better than cure’, and this is a theme picked up by Alex Griffiths-Brown in our Audiology Features – she gives us an overview of the articles here.
Loyal readers will know that our Global Ambassadors are our eyes and ears around the globe, keeping us updated about developments in their respective regions. For July/August 2022, we welcome two new GAs to the group: Brian Westerberg (Canada, representing North America) and Metin Önerci (Türkiye, representing Eurasia). We will be featuring more new faces in the coming months.
With technology moving on apace in the spheres of ENT and audiology, our Tech Reviews section keeps you abreast of all the latest developments. Since 2014, Carolyn Falls has been our audiology coordinator in this section, and has done a fabulous job. During her maternity leave last year, Emma LeBlanc stepped into the role, and now takes on the job permanently. Emma (like Carolyn) works in Toronto. We warmly welcome her to the team and we wish Carolyn all the best for the future!
As we go to press, we have just heard the immensely sad news of the death of our good friend Professor David Baguley. David was a world leader in audiology, particularly in the area of tinnitus: his research in this area was genuinely ground-breaking. He had a long, warm and fruitful relationship with this magazine dating back to 2008 – not least in helping to steer us from being ENT News to becoming ENT & Audiology News. We will feature tributes in our next print edition (our online obituary can be found here) and, in the meantime, we extend our heartfelt condolences to his family and friends.
And finally, as always, please do join us in the conversation on social media – we are always delighted to hear from you. You can find us on Twitter: @ENT_AudsNews, and also on Facebook.
