ANZSGM South Australia Division Annual Scientific Meeting

By Dr Timothy Chan

The South Australia Division of ANZSGM Annual Scientific Meeting was held 29-30 October 2022 at the newly updated and refurbished Novotel hotel and resort in the heart of picturesque Barossa Valley. A total of 50 attendees made the trip from Adelaide and we were very pleased to welcome amongst them a number of our colleagues from psychiatry who had also registered for the event.

Our keynote speaker this time round was Professor Vasikaran Naganathan, who presented two keynote sessions, focusing on the changing landscape in Geriatric medicine with an emphasis on the ever important roles of education and research. Both sessions were highly thought-provoking and informative, with Professor Naganathan’s uncanny ability to engage the audience generating robust discussions in post-presentation Q&A.

As a division, we also sought to provide updates on a variety of contemporary issues within South Australia.  Topics covered ranged from an expert panel presentation on the impending implementation of Voluntary Assisted Dying in South Australia, to an intensive care specialist’s perspective and lessons learnt in managing patients with COVID-19 during the pandemic. Other educational sessions over the weekend also included a breakfast education session on Type 2 Diabetes management, as well as a comprehensive overview of hereditary and early onset dementias.

It would be a cardinal sin however if it was just all work and no play. Attendees were treated to pre dinner canapés and cocktail drinks on the Saturday evening before settling in to a sumptuous 3-course meal for dinner. The revelry for the evening started with the presentation of the Katherine Lucero Prize for the best Advance Trainee project presentation (which was held earlier in the day) to Dr Ning Ning Choo, for her project titled: “Examining the effect of perioperative comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) and interventions on postoperative length of stay in prefrail and frail older people awaiting elective hip or knee arthroplasty”.

Dinner entertainment was provided by The Neapolitans, who absolutely won the audience over that night with their signature mix of acoustic guitar, keyboards, stripped back drums, and rich 3-part harmonies. In fact, everyone was having so much fun on the dance floor (spurred on by a just a tiny amount of ETOH, no doubt) that the organisers were half-worried that no one would turn up to the breakfast session the next morning. A downside of having your annual meeting in the middle of wine country.

Photo Courtesy: Alison King