The incoming presidents of the UK’s Royal Society of Medicine set out what they have in store for 2022-23.
Professor Peter Andrews, President of the UK’s Royal Society of Medicine Laryngology & Rhinology Section, shares his plans.
As the president of the RSM’s Laryngology & Rhinology Section for the 2022-23 academic year, my aim is to centre the education programme around our trainees, with a real emphasis on inspiring the future generation of ENT surgeons. Prem Randhawa, my honorary secretary, and I hope to continue the great work laid down by our past president Michael Kuo.
There will be short paper presentations given by trainees embedded within all the sessions throughout the year. Each session will have a trainee essay (abstract) prize, with the winner invited to present their work. The runners up will be invited to give poster presentations.
Innovation and transformation will run across the programme, with a focus on smell and facial function management, among other nose-related topics.
All our educational sessions will be in-person at the Royal Society of Medicine in London, and we are pleased that once more we will be able to provide participants valuable opportunities to network face-to-face with their peers and senior clinicians.
At our innovation meeting on Friday 2 December, speakers will include Professor Kevin Fong, Consultant Anaesthetist and Professor of Public Engagement and Innovation, who will explore innovation in medicine, drawing on his experiences of working with NASA. Other speakers will be Nadine Hachach-Haram, Consultant Plastic Surgeon and Clinical Lead for Innovation at Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust; Shahz Ahmed, Consultant Rhinologist and Skull Base Surgeon; and Krishan Ramdoo, CEO and founder at TympaHealth Technologies.
On Friday 3 February, the topic will focus on treatments in olfaction and COVID anosmia with Professor Thomas Hummel, Professor Claire Hopkins, Chrissi Kelly and Simon Gane. On Friday 3 March, the session will focus on nasal blockage with Professor Hesham Saleh, Professor Tim Woolford, Raj Bhalla and Philio Lekakis. At our final meeting, on Friday 5 May, we will look at facial nerve management, with Professor Kofi Boahene discussing dynamic facial reanimation and Professor Shak Saeed looking at nerve management. Other speakers will include Professor Alwyn D’Souza, Mr Ben Hartley and Dr Emma Craythorne.
Ahead of the main education programme I shall be talking about the repair of nose and face function during my presidential address on Friday 4 November. We will then welcome distinguished surgeon Professor Lucian Sulica, Sean Parker Professor of Laryngology and Director of the Sean Parker Institute for the Voice at Weill Cornell Medical College, who will give the annual Semon Lecture.
Professor Peter Andrews, Consultant Rhinologist, Facial Plastic and Anterior Skull Base Surgeon, Royal National Throat Nose and Ear Hospital and National Hospital of Neurology and Neurosurgery and Professor of Rhinology, UCL.
Professor Manohar Bance, President of the UK’s Royal Society of Medicine Otology Section, looks forward to a packed programme.
What a great honour to be incoming president of the Otology Section at the RSM, with my superb secretary James Tysome. The last two years have been very trying and we are looking forward, as a national community, to welcoming ENT surgeons specialising in otology back to the RSM, to talk to each other and learn together in person; not forgetting socialising and seeing old friends. We must also focus on supporting trainees to be part of our community and to help with this, we are having face-to-face meetings all year.
We have included something for everyone at each meeting, with a good mixture of practical everyday otology topics, cutting edge developments coming down the pipeline, and clinic or surgery tips and tricks.
World leading clinicians and scientists will deliver this content as well as busy community otologists. The programme is published for the whole year in advance on the RSM website, so you can book your diaries out now.
There will be trainee presentations spread throughout the year, together with the opportunity for trainees to compete for prestigious awards and prizes which are promoted on the RSM website. We are also aiming to arrange funding for trainee meet-and-greet receptions (perhaps with consultants as well) following several meetings, to re-emphasise the networking and social aspects of the RSM.
There is a packed programme for 2022-23:
Friday 4 November: Presidential address, followed by a deep dive on Meniere’s disease which will review new and old knowledge and challenge common assumptions.
Friday 2 December: A meeting focused on sudden sensorineural hearing loss, including vestibular paroxysm, genetic hearing loss clinics, paediatric hearing loss, top tips for the clinic and medicolegal pitfalls in otology.
Friday 3 February: This meeting will explore otitis externa from different specialty viewpoints, with sessions on the development of skull-base surgery in the UK, bone conduction and middle-ear implants, and treatments for single-sided deafness.
Friday 3 March: This year’s Edith Whetnall lecture will be given by Professor Karen Gordon of the University of Toronto. The meeting will also include sessions on early intervention in children, managing otologia, practical tips in surgery and an update from gene therapy companies about hearing loss therapies.
Friday 5 May: Professor Brian Westerberg of the University of West Columbia will be this year’s RSM visiting speaker. Other sessions will explore sports imagery to improve surgical performance, tips and tricks in surgery (cholesteatoma), when should you refer for facial nerve decompression, odd eye movements in dizzy clinics, and ergonomic surgery.
Professor Manohar Bance, Professor of Otology and Skull Base Surgery, University of Cambridge, Hon Consultant Cambridge Universities Hospital Trust .
