Last weekend, the RCPA hosted its 21st annual Pathology Update conference at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre. Themed ‘Laneways to Discovery’, the conference ran from 24 to 26 February and attracted leading pathologists from around the world, including from the UK, Europe and the US, as well as Australasia.
President of the RCPA, Dr Lawrie Bott, says Pathology Update is always a much-anticipated annual event and this year marked yet another successful conference.
“This has been one of the most successful Pathology Updates that we have experienced in all our years hosting the conference. We experienced a huge turnout, with over 1,300 delegates in attendance, including highly respected local and international pathologists across all nine pathology disciplines. There was a fantastic atmosphere all weekend with colleagues clearly excited to be back together once again.”
Speakers at the event presented the latest in pathology innovation, new developments, new reports and studies plus the latest medical discoveries and technologies. A few highlights from the conference include: pharmacogenomic implementation in children; proteomics - the pathway to drug discovery and personalised/precision medicine; newborn screening by rapid genome sequencing for early treatment of genetic diseases; wisely using social media for network building, education, and academic advancement.
“The best minds in pathology and medical research came together to share global best practices, talk about the latest in research breakthroughs and discuss ongoing projects in the field. This year, we had a spectacular array of speakers who covered all areas of pathology,” said Dr Bott.
Pathology Update 2023 had a contingent of over 130 local speakers presenting at the conference, all of which are leaders in their field. Ten renowned international medical experts also shared their knowledge during the event. Among them were:
Prof Anna Lindstrand is a specialist in Clinical Genetics. She is Head of the Clinical Genetics diagnostic laboratory at the Karolinska University Hospital, group leader for Rare Diseases research group at the Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery at the Karolinska Institute Sweden, and Co-chair of Genomic Medicine Sweden Rare Diseases.
Dr Daniel du Plessis is a consultant clinical and forensic neuropathologist primarily based within the Department of Cellular Pathology and the Greater Manchester Clinical Neurosciences Centre at Salford Royal Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.
Prof Zornitza Stark is a clinical geneticist at the Victorian Clinical Genetics Services and clinical research Fellow with Australian Genomics.
Dr Jen Kok is a medical virologist, infectious disease physician and clinical microbiologist. He supervises the virology laboratory of NSW Health Pathology-Institute of Clinical Pathology and Medical Research at Westmead Hospital.
During the conference, the RCPA also awarded those who have achieved great things for the pathology profession over the past 12 months. This included trainees, fellows and medical reporters.
Pathology Update 2024, Answers in Adelaide, will take place from 1-3 March 2024.
