Attendees at the Tristate ASM

Dr Andrew MacCormick, Dr Hemi Patel and Dr Paul Bumbak

Registrations hit capacity at the recent NT, WA & SA Tristate Annual Scientific Meeting 2023, held at the Darwin Convention Centre from 10 to 11 August. The event was a great success with more than 100 delegates engaging in discussion on the theme of ‘Trauma, Sustainability and Futility

Over the course of the two days, this conference united Fellows, Trainees, medical professionals and medical students predominantly from the Northern Territory, Western Australia and South Australia with an informative and thought-provoking scientific program.

In a first, the Battle of the States/Territory—a general knowledge quiz—held on day one, brought the Northern Territory, Western Australia and South Australia teams head-to-head, with the South Australian team triumphantly beating their opposition to win the 2023 title. 

The welcome function held at the Speakers Green, Parliament House on Thursday evening was a highlight, with amazing sunset views and canapes to welcome delegates and cap off day one of the meeting.

Starting with a session on trauma, the first day saw Dr Bernard Carney (plastic and reconstructive surgeon, South Australia), Dr Patrick Bade (general surgeon, Northern Territory), and Ronnie Taylor (trauma nurse, Northern Territory) share insights from their experiences on the ground at the Royal Darwin Hospital in 2002, following the devastation of the Bali bombings.

Day two included sessions on sustainability in the workforce and in health, followed by a session on free papers. This year there were a record number of abstract submissions compared to previous years.

The program concluded with an interactive discussion on the topic of 'An Outcome Worse than Death: Futility / Utility of Surgery'.

Conversations spilled from the conference hall to the beachfront setting of Mindil Beach at the conference dinner on Friday evening where guests, including the 15 event sponsors, networked through the evening. Keynote speaker and former ABC Darwin presenter, Julie Christenson, shared her personal experiences and insights on settling in Darwin from the United Kingdom. 

A big thank you to all the delegates, 34 presenters, convenors Dr Hemi Patel, Dr Mark Hamilton, Dr Vineeta Singh and Dr Bernard Carney. Thank you also the South Australian and Western Australian staff for a fantastic conference in the Top End.

Feedback from delegates indicates the meeting was a huge success with many looking forward to attending the 2024 meeting in Western Australia with an extensive scientific program on the theme of Culture, Accountability and Diversity.