Annual Scientific Congress
Only two months remain before the start of RANZCO’s 43rd Annual Scientific Congress, to be held in the National Convention Centre, Canberra, from 19-22 November.
The official website for Congress is: www.ranzco2011.com.au
Congress manager
The Congress Manager is Think Business Events
Phone: +61 2 8251 0045
Fax: +61 2 8251 0097
Email:
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Congress Chairman, Dr Iain Dunlop, encourages Members to register and to contact the Congress Secretariat early to book hotel accommodation. “Even though the Congress registration fee is included in RANZCO membership, those planning to attend Congress still need to register prior to 2 November,” says Dr Dunlop.
Abstracts
There are 65 accepted posters, 71 papers in the five rapid-fire sessions, and eight papers in the ‘Standard Oral’ plenary session. The full Scientific Program, including abstracts, can be accessed from the Congress website www.ranzco2011.com.au. Visit the site to review the program highlights, keynote speakers, courses, symposia and paper presentations.
A new innovation this year is the introduction of a ‘Standard Paper’ Plenary session, where the eight best papers selected by the Program Committee will be judged for prestigious trophies. The trophies have been named after Prof Gerard Crock (trophy to be awarded to a new Fellow) and Prof John Parr (trophy to be awarded to a Trainee, junior doctor, or vision scientist).
Because the congress of the Asia Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology was held in Sydney earlier this year, RANZCO’s Congress program will be shortened. Various workshops and meetings will be held on Friday and Saturday prior to the official start of Congress. The Scientific Program will commence on Sunday morning and end at 1pm Tuesday. The Congress Dinner will be held on Monday evening.
To accommodate the loss of the Poster Presentations in the late afternoon, and the industry evening, a number of changes have been introduced. There will be a two-hour break from, 12.00 to 14.00, on Monday. This will allow for the Poster presentations from 12.00 to 12.30, to be followed by lunch from 12.30 to 13.15. Industry participants will then hold presentations from 13.15 to 14.00. Pfizer will again be holding the Film Festival at their booth.
Registration
Registration is now open. To download a copy of the registration brochure or to register online, visit the Congress website on www.ranzco2011.com.au. Early registration closes 30 September. Standard registration rates apply from then until 2 November – after which late registration rates apply. The Congress registration fee is included in RANZCO membership only if the member registers before 2 November 2011.
Accommodation
The Congress Office has selected hotels and apartments in Canberra at competitive rates to suit a range of budgets. Special Congress rates for accommodation can only be guaranteed when delegates book through the Congress registration facilities, and if booked before 13 October. More details about accommodation options can be found on the Congress website, or by calling the Congress managers on +61 2 8251 0045.
Congress smartphone application
The RANZCO Congress 2011 smart phone application allows information about the Congress speakers, program and industry exhibition details to be accessed on mobile devices. Download the app to find speakers and sessions related to your specific area of interest, to create a personalised schedule of your Congress sessions, view details on industry exhibitors, share your calendar with friends, take notes and provide instant ratings on sessions.
The app works on all internet-ready mobile phones including iPhone, Android, Blackberry and iPad. Search the App store for the RANZCO11 application.
Social Program
Iconic venues, fine wine and dining and a relaxed atmosphere will ensure enjoyable evenings during Congress social events. Tickets for social events can be booked when you register for Congress.
Welcome Reception – Saturday 19 November at the Australian War Memorial, 6pm Guided Galley Highlights Tour followed by 7pm – 9pm drinks and canapés
The Australian War Memorial offers a unique experience for delegates to mingle with colleagues amongst authentic relics, great works of art and rare military aircraft that depict Australia’s military history.
A guided Gallery Highlights Tour will be conducted at 6pm for delegates who wish to participate. Indicate your interest on the registration form when you purchase tickets for the Welcome Reception.
Opening Ceremony and President’s Reception – Sunday 20 November at Parliament House, 7pm – 10pm
The Opening Ceremony and President’s Reception are prestigious events which honour and acknowledge members of the College who have made an outstanding contribution to the profession or are graduating as Fellows of the College. RANZCO is holding this event in the Great Hall and Marble Foyer at Parliament House.
Congress Dinner – Monday 21 November at the National Portrait Gallery, from 6.30pm
The Congress Dinner will be held at the National Portrait Gallery, a delightful and elegant setting, and home to the nation’s portrait collection. The evening will start with an optional self-guided viewing within the Gallery at 6.30pm, followed by canapés and cocktails in the Front Court. A tantalising dining experience follows in the Gordon Darling Hall.
Named lecturers
The named lecturers speaking during Congress are: Dr Stephen Best (Council Lecture), Prof Elizabeth Engle (Sir Norman Gregg Lecture), Dr Justine Smith (Ida Mann Lecture) and Prof Jill Keeffe OAM (Hollows Lecture). The named lecturers were profiled in the March and June issues of RANZCO News.
Invited speakers
Four invited speakers will cover the topics of retina, glaucoma, refractive surgery, and cornea and external diseases.
Dr Wilson Heriot has been invited to speak on the topic of retina and his lecture is titled ‘Retinal Diseases in the 2020 Decade: Can Our Outcomes Achieve That?’
Dr Heriot is a Principal at Eye Surgery Associates (Melbourne) where his clinical practice includes both medical and surgical retina. His initial training at the Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital in the early 1980s was followed by a medical retinal research Fellowship in New York with Prof Paul Henkind – investigating pigment epithelial phototoxic injury and the initiation of choroidal neovascularisation. He continued his research on pigment epithelial injury and repair (this time following surgical trauma) during a two-year vitreo-retinal Fellowship with Prof Robert Machemer.
Dr Heriot pioneered the outpatient method for treating sub-macular haemorrhage that has been adopted worldwide as standard of care. His other research interests have been the epidemiology of diabetic retinopathy, optimising management of neovascular AMD (pioneering Avastin therapy prior to the PBS listing of Lucentis) and, most recently, optimising laser fusion of retina and choroid to improve treatment of retinal detachment.
He is Founding Chair of the Oceania Retina Association, Victorian Chair of the Macular Degeneration Foundation and a Board Member of the Ophthalmic Research Institute of Australia. He has been a regular invitee for the Vail VR surgery meeting (founded by Robert Machemer, a faculty member of the Retina Satellite meetings for the American Academy of Ophthalmology); the Duke Eye Centre and Cleveland Clinic retinal update courses; and an invited speaker at many international meetings.
Dr Heriot is a former Head of both the Medical Retina Clinic and the Vitreo- Retinal Unit at the RVEEH, and is currently consultant retinal surgeon at the Royal Women’s Hospital and Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne.
Prof James Brandt will deliver the glaucoma lecture. The title of his lecture is ‘A Decade of Pachymetry – What Have We Learned?’
Prof Brandt is Professor of Ophthalmology and Vision Science and Director of the Glaucoma Service at the University of California, Davis, USA. After receiving a BS degree from Yale University and an MD degree from Harvard Medical School, he pursued a two-year post-doctoral research fellowship in glaucoma-related pharmacology and cell biology at the Schepens Eye Research Institute in Boston, before starting his residency at the University of Southern California/Doheny Eye Institute. He completed his formal clinical training with a glaucoma Fellowship at the Wills Eye Hospital before joining the UC Davis faculty in 1989.
Prof Brandt’s clinical practice is glaucoma, with a particular focus on infantile and paediatric glaucomas. His research interests include the material properties of the eye as they affect the measurement of intraocular pressure, and in the physiology of outflow resistance. He is currently collaborating with researchers in the fields of nanotechnology and biomedical engineering to develop new methods to measure outflow resistance in the living human eye.
Prof Brandt has served as the Principal Investigator of numerous clinical trials, including the Ocular Hypertension Treatment Study (OHTS). As an OHTS principal investigator, he initiated the effort to measure corneal thickness as a potential risk factor for glaucoma.
Prof Roger Steinert has been invited to deliver the refractive surgery update lecture and his topic is ‘Presbyopia Surgery: Where are we now and where are we going?’
Prof Steinert earned his medical degree from Harvard Medical School, having graduated summa cum laude from Harvard College. He served his residency at Harvard Medical School’s Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary and rose through the ranks of the Harvard faculty until being recruited to UC Irvine.
Prof Steinert is currently Chair of the Department and Director of the Gavin Herbert Eye Institute at the University of California, Irvine, where he holds joint appointments as Professor of Clinical Ophthalmology and Professor of Biomedical Engineering. He combines a consultative practice in cataract, refractive, and corneal surgery with teaching and translational laboratory research in these fields.
He has authored or co-authored four textbooks, including Cataract Surgery, which is in its third edition. He has published more than 120 peer-review journal scientific articles and 70 book chapters. Prof Steinert is a member of the Executive Committee of the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery and became President of that society in April 2005, as well as Chair of the Annual Program. He serves as Associate Editor of Ophthalmology, the journal of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, and serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Cataract and Refractive Surgery.
Prof Steinert serves as medical monitor of several FDA trials. He holds seven USA patents and numerous international patents. He has received the Senior Honor Award of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, and has been selected by his peers for inclusion in every edition of Best Doctors in America and America’s Top Doctors. Ophthalmology Times named him in the top 100 ophthalmologists in North America.
Prof John Dart has been invited to speak on the topic of corneal and external diseases. His topic is ‘How Have Advances in Corneal and External Disease Altered the Management of Keratoconus?’
Prof Dart is a Consultant Ophthalmologist in the Corneal and External Disease Service at Moorfields Eye Hospital where he is Deputy Director of Research. He is a member of faculty of the National Institute of Health Research Biomedical Research Centre in Ophthalmology, and an Honorary Professor of Ophthalmology at University College London.
Within the past decade, new techniques have revolutionised the management of keratoconus. “Recent advances in Corneal and External Disease that have altered my practice include the use of topical cyclosporin, the identification of cytomegalovirus as a cause of acute endotheliitis, corneal collagen crosslinking, toric phakic & pseudophakic piggy-back intraocular lens implants, lamellar corneal surgery, both deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty (DALK) and Descemet’s stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty (DSAEK), and the recent success of the Boston keratoprothesis (Kpro),” says Prof Dart. “Of these, many have a role in the modern management of keratoconus (KC). This presentation will outline the role of some of these advances for this condition.”
