Following the success of last years UPRAS conference we decided to expand the conference to make it more available to all students from across the UK with an interest in plastic surgery. Whilst this meant acquiring a larger venue it did also enable us to approach the Royal Society of Medicine and the use of their prestigious facilities such as the Max Rayne Auditorium or the Marcus beck library.

We maintained our emphasis once again on basic concepts of plastic and reconstructive surgery (PRS). This was because we aim to emphasise this aspect and dispel the inaccurate myth of plastic surgery being all about cosmetic surgery and breast enhancement. The conference tried to cover the breath of PRS. This year we covered craniofacial, trunk, limb, trauma and paediatric surgery. Further more our delegates had the opportunity to be instructed on

both research and on a career in PRS.

This year, the conference attracted 140 delegates from all over the UK, and even some from as far afield as Scotland and Germany, attracting medical students from all year groups. 2009 was also the first year we opened the conference to junior doctors, specifically foundation years 1 and 2, who have had a similar limited exposure to this specialist field.

Lectures - [link]

This year’s conference was a resounding success with key note lectures from both the past and present RSM plastics presidents, alongside leaders in their subspecialist fields.

Mr Niall Kirkpatrick, the immediate former president of the plastics section, opened the conference with a welcoming introduction to the floor and his lecture on craniofacial surgery.
His excellent case discussions emphasise the skills and the excellent long term out comes that can be achieved. With an engaging talk and excellent images his talk illustrated the good that can be achieved through PRS.

Mr James Stuart, with his interest in oncolplastic reconstruction, discussed the wide range of reconstructive options related to post-cancer palliative and aesthetic reconstruction. He introduced a broad overview of long established and state of the art flaps currently being used in PRS to the delegates.

Mr Shehan Hettiaratchy followed with his lecture on upper limb reconstruction, emphasising his fascination and the skill needed in hand reconstruction, both after trauma and in congenital disease. He briefly touched on his military experience, introduced its application and highlighted its relevance to current surgical advancement. He then drew from his own experiences to emphasise the fundamental need for research to allow the continued development of PRS.

Mr David Floyd, the current president of the plastics section at the society, closed the morning session with his talk on the current state of UK training in PRS before delivering an engaging talk on reconstruction following acute trauma. His talk provided delegates with a much valued view from the top on a career in PRS, the skills needed and the current curriculum being set by the royal college.

Mr. Neil Bulstrode opened the afternoon lecture series with a fascinating discussion on paediatric reconstructive surgery. As such a specialist in this field and lead of paediatric plastic reconstructive surgery, his talk provided a special insight into his work at the Great Ormond Street Hospital, London.

Mr Greg Williams, a burns specialist for the greater London area, emphasised the importance of reconstructive surgery in burns victims and the complex nature of managing the psychological, physical and ethical needs of such patients. He also talked on the invaluable experience of working at a centre of excellence during his training and how it helped him hone his skills.

Overall, without exception the feedback on all off our lectures was excellent and it is down to their credit that they received the highest recommendations from delegates on the day. Their commitment and enthusiasm to PRS education at such an early stage in doctor’s careers is exemplary and a good example for the future of the field.

Practicles - [link]

Our afternoon didactic teaching sessions were kept small to ensure interaction, were very well received.

Mr. Matthew D. Gardiner ran the interactive burns session for the second year. He built upon the foundations of basic burns management and the Emergency Management of Severe Burns (EMSB) course, going on to highlight various management regimes, drawing from the relevant lessons laid down by Mr Williams earlier in the day.

Dr Hawys Lloyd-Hughes introduced the key concepts in Skin cancer care with an extremely engaging and interactive session, getting the students to stretch their knowledge and apply it to clinical scenarios. It covered basic diagnosis, classification before going on to discuss Moh's surgery and its principles.

Mr Amir Sadr fronted our wound closure and suturing session in the beautiful surroundings of the Marcus Beck library. With a brief introduction to the key concepts of wound closure and some of the alternatives currently becoming available, it was closely followed by a hands-on suturing session. This allowed our delegates to get their hands on a variety of suture material and introduced a series of basic suture techniques from simple interrupted sutures to horizontal and vertical mattress sutures.

Unfortunately, practical places were limited this year to 66 due to limited room space, equipment and so as to ensure a more interactive element to the late afternoon sessions, aiming to emphasise on quality rather than quantity. Due to the feedback given and numbers who wish to attend these sessions, we are approaching the RSM and hope to make more space available for next years conference.

Presentations - [link]

With the delegates presenting in front of 140 of their peers this was a hotly contended section. There was little to choose between them, but in the end it was Miss Adelola Oseni who came out on top with an engaging lecture on a case on “Extreme Resection of Recurrent Malignancy in the Scalp”.

Posters - [link]

Again there was fierce competition this year in this category, the winner was Omair Shariq with his clear and concise poster outlining “Tissue Engineering” and its application in the field of plastic surgery.

If you wish to see this years entrants posters please follow this link. Posters 2009

Sponsors

With out our sponsors we would have been unable to have made this event possible. We would like to thank the MDU, MPS, Wesleyan Medical Sickness, Ethicon and John Bell and Croydon for their kind support of this year’s event.
 

 Christoph E.A. Hartmann and Alexander. J. Hills

 Conference Chairmen and founders

                             Sponsors:

Page Search In association with: UPRAS 2011 Sponsor: Interested in sponsoring UPRAS 2012 contact us Interested in lecturing or assisting at UPRAS 2012? contact us Reviewed in

For news updates:    Join us on Facebook        Join us on Twitter