There will be a total of 24 hours of conference lectures
The lecture program is currently being finalised.
This event will be a combined Medical and Dental Conference. Concurrent medical and dental streams will be run in separate rooms, with some combined multi-disciplinary conference sessions.
- Dr Simon Lee – Dermatologist, Mohs Surgeon
- Clinical A/Prof Peter Katelaris – Gastroenterologist
- Mr Bill Fleming – Endocrine and General Surgeon
- Dr Gerard Bourke – Orthopaedic Surgeon
- Dr Richard Sullivan – Pain Specialist and Anaesthetist
- A/Prof Zarnie Lwin OAM – Oncologist
- Dr Raj Tanna – Psychiatrist
- Emeritus Professor Laurence J. Walsh AO – Special needs dentistry
- Dr Paul Ferris – Anaesthesia & Pain Medicine Specialist
- Dr Anthea Katelaris – Public Health
_________________
Dr Simon Lee
Dermatologist, Mohs Surgeon
Dr Simon Lee has been working as a dermatologist for nearly twenty years and is currently working full-time as a Mohs surgeon.
He is the Director of Training for the Mohs surgical fellowship, Head of Education and is a board member at the Skin Hospital in Sydney. Simon is also the chief examiner in procedural dermatology for the Australasian College of Dermatology and leads national surgical training workshops for the registrars.
Although focused on surgical management of difficult tumours, Simon is interested in the management of cutaneous malignancies including diagnosis, non-surgical treatments as well as surgical management.
- Current and emerging devices used in the diagnosis and management of cutaneous malignancies
- Non-surgical management of cutaneous malignancy and premalignant lesions
- Surgical management of cutaneous malignancy in the head and neck region – assessment, preparation and simple excisions
- Surgical management of cutaneous malignancy in the head and neck region – advanced surgical procedures
- Management of high risk squamous cell carcinoma in the head and neck region
Clinical A/Prof Peter Katelaris
Gastroenterologist
Peter is Head of Gastroenterology at Concord Hospital and Clinical Associate Professor at The University of Sydney
His has longstanding research interests in a broad array of gut diseases, including Helicobacter pylori, reflux disease, gut infection and bowel cancer. He is widely published and has been an invited national and international speaker for many years.
He has had a major role in teaching, training and maintance of standards in Australia and internationally. He has been actively involved in national and international clinical guideline formulation for over 25 years. He is a member of the World Gastroenterology Organisation Guidelines Committee, the Recertification in Colonoscopy Committee and Chair of the Gastroenterology Network of the NSW Agency for Clinical Innovation.
He is an inaugural board member of ANZGITA (The Australian and New Zealand Gastrintestinal Training Association) a volunteer association who teach and train to build capacity and improve the practice of gastroenterology in less well resourced countries in the Indo-Pacific region.
He was the 2019 recipient of the GESA Outstanding Clinician Award. He is recognised by his peers as an experienced clinician, endoscopist, researcher and educator.
- Gastrointestinal emergencies
- Gastrointestinal bleeding
- Helicobacter
- Reflux disease
- Bowel cancer screening
- New trends in inflammatory bowel disease
Mr. Bill Fleming
Endocrine and General Surgeon
Mr. Bill Fleming is a Endocrine and General Surgeon at Epworth Freemasons Hospital, Western Health (Footscray) and Austin Health (Heidelberg), specialising in endocrine surgery, particularly in minimally invasive thyroid, parathyroid and adrenal surgery. The Head of the Western Health Endocrine Surgery Unit, based at Footscray, which is the largest unit in Melbourne for thyroid, parathyroid and adrenal surgery. A Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (FRACS), a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons in England (FRCS), and a Full Member of Australian & New Zealand Endocrine Surgeons (AES).
Appointed as a Consultant Surgeon to the Austin Hospital in 1995, and Senior Lecturer in the University of Melbourne Department of Surgery, specialising in pancreatic and endocrine surgery. In 2002 Mr Fleming was appointed the Director of General Surgery at the Austin Hospital, responsible for 57 surgeons and junior staff, and helped to establish the Endocrine Surgery Unit. He became a member of the Court of Examiners for the Fellowship of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (FRACS) in 2003.
Mr Fleming returned to London as a consultant surgeon in September 2004, commencing practice in endocrine surgery at the Hammersmith (the largest endocrine surgery unit in the UK) and Cromwell Hospitals. He was appointed Honorary Senior Lecturer at Imperial College School of Medicine in 2005, and in the same year was awarded the Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons in England. After 4 years in the UK he returned to Melbourne to continue practice in endocrine and general surgery. He was appointed Head of the Endocrine Surgery Unit at Western Health in Footscray in 2011. He was a member of the Court of Examiners for the FRACS from 2010-2019, finishing as the Deputy Senior Examiner.
- The latest on thyroid cancer
- Wrestling with the faulty parathyroid gland
- Adrenal disease and hypertension
Dr Gerard Bourke
Orthopaedic Surgeon
Gerard Bourke is an Australian-trained Orthopaedic Surgeon specialising in Foot, Ankle and Knee surgery.
Gerard was admitted as a Fellow of The Royal Australasian College of Surgeons after completing Orthopaedic Training in Melbourne. In addition, he completed a Foot and Ankle Fellowship in the United States also completing advanced courses in reconstructive surgery and deformity correction. Gerard has a special interest in biomechanics and gait analysis in particular pressure studies utilizing in-shoe pedobarography.
Dr Richard Sullivan
Pain Specialist and Anaesthetist
Dr Richard Sullivan is a Pain Medicine Specialist and Anaesthetist at Precision Brain, Spine and Pain Centre. He has an interest in post surgical pain and neuromodulation.
He was previously the head of the acute and interventional pain service at Peter MacCallum Hospital in East Melbourne where he maintains an ongoing clinical role. His focus is now in clinical practice, research and advancing neuromodulation therapies in the private sector where he sees patients with a diverse range of conditions including post surgical pain syndromes in non cancer patients and cancer survivors.
His professional appointments have included Victorian Director of the Australian Pain Society, Chair of the Scientific Committee, Australian and New Zealand Neuromodulation Society and a number of pharmaceutical and medical device advisory boards.
He is a national and international guest speaker for numerous specialist Colleges and Faculties.
- What is MR Guided focused ultrasound? Is this the future of neurosurgery?
- Are opioids really as bad as they say? Is there a safe way to use these medications for chronic pain?
- Medicinal cannabis: Just another fad, or the answer to chronic pain?
A/Prof Zarnie Lwin OAM – Oncologist
A/Prof Lwin (MBBS, FCP, FRACP) is a senior clinician at the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital and University of Queensland. She graduated in Medicine from Burma, and completed her FRACP in South Africa, before specializing in Medical Oncology in Australia.
She undertook a two-year clinical research fellowship in Princess Margaret Hospital, Canada and specializes in Neuro-oncology. Her other major research interests are in Health Services Research, Equity, Societal Research and Thoracic Oncology.
She is Executive Editor for Neuro-oncology Practice, Co-Chair of the Society of Neuro-oncology International Outreach Committee, Deputy Chair of COGNO International Collaborative Research Subcomittee and incoming Chair of the Asian Society of Neuro-oncology inaugural Education and Outreach Committee. She has been invited as international faculty/speaker to several international conferences and has convened numerous scientific meetings.
A/Prof Lwin is a Clinical Fellow at the Sid Faithful Brain Cancer Research Laboratory, QIMR Berghofer MRI. She has been site Principal Investigator for numerous clinical trials and has won three awards for her original research in Societal/Health Services Research.
Dr Raj Tanna – Psychiatrist
Each person is unique and so my care is tailored to be individual and holistic, collaborating together with an emphasis on integrating strengths. Dr Tanna expertise is in the treatment of adult ADHD and associated problems, including the use of medications where needed and psychotherapeutic approaches. He brings local and international expertise to his work, having led award-winning services in Perth and London. He has a background in cognitive neurosciences, is an accredited mentalisation-based practitioner with the Anna Freud National Centre and a Fellow of the Royal Australian & New Zealand College of Psychiatrists. He has a life-long interest in meditation, community work and nature.
Emeritus Professor Laurence J. Walsh AO
Emeritius Professor Laurence J. Walsh AO is a registered specialist in special needs dentistry.
Laurence received his undergraduate education in dentistry at The University of Queensland and then undertook a PhD in immunopathology. He started his postdoctoral education at the University of Pennsylvania Medical School, and undertook his executive education at the Stanford University Graduate School of Management and at Harvard University.
His research interests are in advanced technologies such as lasers and biomaterials, and in dental microbiology. Laurence was Professor of Dental Science and the research grouip leader for advanced materials and technologies in the UQ School of Dentistry from January 2000 until his retirement in December 2020. During his retirement he remains active in hands-on research work and in supervision of research students.
- Insights into the epidermis
- Nanometals and novel antimicrobials in the era of antibiotic resistance
Dr Paul Ferris – Pain Specialist
Dr Paul Ferris is a Pain Medicine Specialist. After 20 years working as an Anaesthetist, he moved on to the more challenging field of chronic pain in 2014. His anaesthetic skills have enabled him to quickly and efficiently adapt to interventional pain management.
Paul has undertaken advanced training in pain medicine at Westmead Hospital with a special focus on interventional treatments and multidisciplinary pain management. He went to Budapest to study for his Fellowship in Interventional Pain Practice, winning the prestigious Hassenbusch Prize by qualifying first in the world in the exam.
He has a Master of Pain Medicine after completing the demanding studies at University of Sydney. Only 10% of pain medicine specialists work in rural and regional communities. Dr Ferris has committed to bringing modern, state of the art pain medicine practices to the Shoalhaven and surrounding districts, now and into the future.
Dr Anthea Katelaris – Public Health – Outbreak Investigations
_________________
Each of our continuing professional development programs is individually designed to address topics of current interest and is relevant to our professionals and their practices. The Academic Advisory Committee, comprising of medical professionals from across Australia will work with recognised and respected specialists to prepare a selection of presentations, workshops, case studies and panel discussions which will be specially prepared for our conferences.
Unconventional Conventions has been organising medical conferences since 1980, and takes pride in offering a comprehensive, stimulating and relevant academic program. We aim to ensure that the combination of lectures, workshops, and training activities make up more than 50% of daily activities during the main conference tour.
Many of our travel destinations provide an opportunity for local professional contribution and cultural exchange through workshops and structured visits to local clinics.
Our conference programs are prepared over a 12-month period and full details are available 3 months prior to the conference. Unconventional Conventions programs are suitable for RACGP and ACRRM CPD points. Dental programs are certifiable with the Dental Board of Australia. Specialists may apply for CPD points at their own discretion. No sponsors are involved in developing or supporting our conference program.