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November Annual Academic Surgery Conference highlights
The Section of Academic Surgery November Annual Academic Surgery Conference (NAASC) was held as a virtual one-day event on 4 November 2021. Our program organisers minimised online meeting fatigue by expertly combining the Section of Academic Surgery meeting and the Surgical Research Society of Australasia into a full one-day extravaganza. The Chair of the Section of Academic Surgery Organising Committee, Associate Professor Claudia Di Bella and her colleagues did an outstanding job curating an exceptional list of speakers on topics relevant and contemporary to the target audience. The program speaker list reflected gender diversity and included discussions on critical issues faced by clinicians contemplating an academic career. The 2021 Association for Academic Surgery guest speaker, Dr Patrick McGrew, from the Tulane University School of Medicine, presented a fascinating but serious talk on Trends and Burden of Firearm Injuries Among Children and Adolescents: A National Perspective. The Society of University Surgeons guest speaker was Dr Gregory Kennedy from the University of Alabama in Birmingham. He provided the US perspective on addressing the lack of surgeons in rural America in his talk Strategies to Address Surgical Disparity in Rural America. Winthrop Professor Fiona Wood treated the audience to an inspiring Jepson Oratory on The Role of Interdisciplinary Research in Striving for Clinical Excellence. The major takeaway points were to be persistent, never give up and invest in networking with like-minded collaborators.
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We had 84 abstracts submitted and again the quality of work submitted made it difficult for abstract scorers to arrive at the final 42—selected for either long- form oral (14 abstracts) or quick-shot presentations (16 abstracts). We also had 12 entries that scorers deemed of merit to be included as poster presentations. It was especially heartening to see that surgical research seems to be in reasonable shape across Australasia despite the disruptive effects of the pandemic, with many excellent abstracts submitted by medical students, Trainees, and Fellows. Congratulations to all six prize winners—five of whom were from Aotearoa New Zealand.
Meet the winners
Young Investigator Award Dr Peter Russell
Acute pancreatitis causes mesenteric lymphatic contractile dysfunction despite aggressive fluid resuscitation in a rodent model.
Developing a Career and Skills in Academic Surgery (DCAS) Course Award Mr William Xu
The effect of intraperitoneal drain placement on postoperative outcomes after colorectal surgery: A propensity score matched analysis.
Travel Award 1 Dr Daniel Cox negative predictor for acute cellular rejection following liver transplantation.
Travel Award 2 Dr Keith Teo
Development and validation of a comprehensive pain assessment tool for chronic pancreatitis.
Travel Award 3 Mr William Xu
Wearable wrist sensors for continuous ambulatory vital sign monitoring in patients undergoing major abdominal surgery: a clinical validation study.
Travel Award 4 Dr Tary Yin
The chronic rhinosinusitis microbiota: a one-year longitudinal observational study.
We look forward to the time when we can meet face to face and return to a full twoday event in the near future.
Authors: Professor Marc Gladman Chair, Academic Surgery Committee Professor Greg O’Grady Chair, Surgical Research Society of Australasia
