The 21st Sylvester O’Halloran Annual Meeting will be held on 1st & 2nd March 2013.

This year’s meeting will be held in the newly opened Graduate Entry Medical School at University of Limerick.

There are several new developments in this year’s meeting offering interest and participation to all members of the surgical community: students, surgical trainees and consultants. The theme of this year’s conference is “Delivering Cancer Care” and the 21st Sylvester O’Halloran Lecturer is.

Professor Graham T. Layer, Consultant Breast/General Surgeon, The Royal Surrey County Hospital with a lecture entitled: “The making of a cancer surgeon” The 21st Sir Thomas Myles Lecture will be delivered by, Professor Emeritus of Surgery, University College, Dublin Niall O’Higgins on; “Advancing cancer care – the quality spiral”

Expansion of the programme for this year’s meeting includes the ASGBI/Sylvester O’Halloran best published paper, prizes to be presented on Saturday March 2nd. A “Surgical Masterclass” and technical skills session will take place on Friday 1st March aimed at surgical trainees. In keeping with the theme of the meeting, there will also be an oncology MDM with visiting consultant and trainee participants.

On Saturday 2nd March, we will have parallel orthopaedic and anaesthetic paper presentations. We are also delighted to welcome the Irish Association of Vascular Surgeons (IAVI) to the meeting. They have a full programme including lectures and workshops on Thursday 28th February.

As always, we look forward to hearing the ENT Guest Lecture this year delivered by Professor Martin Birchall, UCL Ear Institute Royal National Throat, Nose and Ear Hospital, London., on Friday 1st March, following the very successful facial plastics course organised by Professor John Fenton and Mr. Neville Shine.

We look forward to welcoming the surgical community to Limerick for what promises to be an exciting meeting.