Sarah May, Deputy Chief Executive at the IBMS, on the unprecedented breadth of content at this year’s Congress.
I regularly visit other conferences and conference venues and I can honestly say that nothing I have seen comes close to Congress. I no longer want to see how other people deliver their events, I want other people to come and see ours, because they will be stunned.
For the past six months we have featured the different elements of Congress 2017 on these pages, to try and give an indication of the unprecedented breadth of content that we are providing this year. I hope it has been of use to you and has helped you in securing time and funding to attend.
At the time of writing this, I do not yet have the final number of delegates who booked in the last days of June to benefit from the early booking discount rate because they are still being processed, such was the number. That is an amazing position to report and it is proof that our programme is the most comprehensive collection of biomedical science and pathology lectures that is available.
Launching two new qualifications
Each Congress we introduce a new element to reflect the changing landscape of pathology and biomedical science. This year we are expanding to four days and are introducing a new molecular pathology programme. This important new programme will be complemented by the launch of two new qualifications in molecular pathology: a new Certificate of Expert Practice, and a Specialist Portfolio module, offered as an optional addition to the Cellular Pathology Specialist Portfolio. Come and find out about these qualifications, who can take this new module and the impact genomic testing will have on pathology.
Assessing managers’ competence
UKAS accreditation continues to present a number of challenges for managers and we are increasingly hearing about competence assessment for managers and pathologists. The Tuesday management programme will be focusing on the assessment and management of competence and provides a series of lectures designed to address these issues in detail, including information on when to inform the HCPC when a registrant’s competence is in question.
This leads on to the Wednesday Quality Management programme, which is an intensive series of quality management topics.
Andrology practical workshop
An area of pathology that has encountered a number of problems in the context of accreditation is andrology. This is probably because andrology tends to be housed in whatever is the most “convenient” department. To help spread best practice in andrology we are holding a three-hour practical workshop on the Monday afternoon that will address both handling techniques and microscopic morphological analysis. You will need to book in advance for this session, as places are strictly limited.
Princess Diana: pathology of a tragedy
The closing plenary lecture will be delivered by Professor Atholl Johnson who will give his own analysis of the known pathology that was examined as part of the inquest investigations. This is not a sensationalist account, but a serious examination of the facts established from the pathology.
Learning for free
For anyone who does not have access to funding to attend as a lecture delegate, I would wholeheartedly recommend coming as a free exhibition visitor. This is a learning opportunity in itself and also gives access to the full programme of exhibition hall seminars.
More information
To see the full Congress 2017 programme, for more information and to book online, visit congress.ibms.org
