SAC2019 represents the 4th edition of the biennial SingHealth Duke-NUS Surgical & Anaesthesia Congress, jointly organized by three SingHealth Academic Clinical Programmes (ACP) – Musculoskeletal Sciences, Surgery and Anaesthesiology & Perioperative Sciences.
Themed ‘Global Surgery, Global Partnerships’, Musculoskeletal Sciences ACP was at the forefront of this initiative as speakers and delegates explored a broad range of topics related to surgery across borders such as capacity-building, collaborations and partnerships as well as strategic policies and processes.
The Main Congress was held over a period of two days, from 20th to 21st of September 2019, with a programme line up of highly esteemed local and international speakers who are thought leaders and trailblazers in their respective fields. The event was graced by Guest-of-Honour Professor David L. Heymann, Head and Senior Fellow at the Centre on Global Health Security, Chatham House and Professor at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
Other key speakers included Professor Michael Haglund, who delved into the topic of "Academic Neuroseurgery in Uganda through the 3Ts: Training, Technology and Teaching" as well as Professor Ian Curran, Vice-Dean of Education at the Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School and Co-Director of the Academic Medicine Education Institute (AM∙EI).
In addition, the Congress also featured the SingHealth Duke-NUS Transplant Centre’s very first transplant symposium. A key invite was Professor Debra Sudan, Chief of the Division of Abdominal Transplant Surgery at Duke University School of Medicine, who gave an insightful talk on "Transplantation Around the World – Do We Need More?".
A string of pre- and post-Congress workshops were also conducted over the period of 14th to 14th of September 2019. Musculoskeletal workshops encompassed spine, knee, hip, shoulder and elbow workshops, while surgical workshops included anastomotic, minimally invasive esophagectomy and kidney and liver transplant workshops. Other workshops held included an OT Management Course & Sterile Supplies Unit Workshop as well as a Perioperative and Emergency Point of Care Ultrasound (POCUS) Workshop.
The event was a success, with leading surgeons, anaesthetists, nurses, allied health professionals, students, researchers and industry partners in attendance, engaging in a vibrant and multidisciplinary exchange of knowledge, ideas, experiences and best practices in surgery and clinical management.
