News Release: Monday September 5, 2005
Showcasing Surgery
Over 150 of New Zealand’s leading health researchers and specialist surgeons will gather in Hamilton next week for the
Royal Australasian College of Surgeons Annual Scientific Meeting.
The meeting will host a range of presitigous international surgeons including: Professor David Watson, Head of Flinders
University Department of Surgery; Dr James Church, a Colorectal Surgeon from the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland Ohio; Mr
Andrew D. Baildam - Surgical Oncologist from the University Hospital of South Manchester and Professor Hock L. Tan the
Inaugural Professor of Paediatric Surgery at the University of Adelaide.
Scientific Co-coordinator for the meeting Mr Chris McEwan says the focus of this year’s meeting is on “building
bridges”. The Conference will offer a number of papers on multi-disciplinary surgery. A major feature will be a
presentation on the separation of the conjoined twins at Waikato Hospital in October last year.
This 22-hour operation lead by paediatric surgeon Mr Askar Kukkady and a team of seven surgeons from Waikato and
Auckland, included paediatric, plastics, orthopaedic and neurosurgical specialists.
As well as offering a range of excellent overseas speakers the conference will also feature papers from talented New
Zealand surgeons with a key focus on breast surgery, paediatrics and urology.
The Royal Australasian College of Surgeons is an internationally recognized organization representing more than 6,300
members, including 1,700 trainees in nine different specialties in New Zealand and Australia – 90 per cent of surgeons
in both countries have been trained and examined by the College. Seven hundred New Zealand surgeons are members of RACS.
The key roles of the college are in advocacy, education, professional development and membership support. The nine
specialist areas represented by RACS are: general surgery, neurology, urology, otolaryngology, paediatrics, plastic and
reconstructive surgery, vascular surgery and, cardio-thoracic surgery.
The conference – to be held at the Novatel Tainui will run from Tuesday September 13 to Friday September 16. Media are
welcome to attend.
ENDS