Overview

Pre-Congress Workshops
Professional Skills Day, incorporating Trainee Stream
Adult Medicine Programs
Paediatrics & Child Health

Paediatrics & Child Health Annual Meeting

The 2008 Paediatrics & Child Health Annual Meeting will be held from 13 – 15 May 2008. The theme for the meeting is Paediatric Infectious Diseases.

What can you expect from the 2008 program?

• Expert sessions, clinical updates and controversies on a variety of relevant topics for the busy paediatrician, such as adolescent health issues, neonatology.
• Cutting edge clinical and research sessions in paediatric infectious diseases and immunology, of relevance to both general paediatricians and community paediatricians.
• A wide range of topics for community paediatricians in the areas of population health, child protection and child development and behaviour.
• A celebration of 15 years of the Australian Paediatric Surveillance Unit. We look forward to seeing you in Adelaide.

Download RACP Program (PDF, 237KB)

Program Change:

Please be advised that the following session listed in the published Congress program has been cancelled:

Thursday 15th May - 1100 - 1230 
Meeting Room 1&2

Session Name / Topic:
Everything that you ever wanted to know about molecular diagnosis but were afraid to ask

Speaker: Michael Nissen

Please Note: The session PRSANZ Research Presentations will now take place in Meeting Room 1&2 at this time and not in Meeting Room 10 as published.

Paediatric & Child Health Program Keynote Speaker

Heikki Peltola is a qualified paediatrician, paediatric infectious disease specialist, and general surgeon. Currently, he is the Professor of Infectious Diseases at the University of Helsinki, and Head of infectious diseases at the Hospital for Children and Adolescents. The main research areas have comprised the treatment and prophylaxis of severe bacterial and viral infections, meningitis, pneumonia, osteoarticular infections, measles, mumps and rubella being the first to be named. The total number of scientific papers exceeds 250, most in peer-reviewed US and European journals. Research activities have brought Heikki especially to several countries of Latin America, Africa and Asia. Currently, he is conducting a large treatment study on bacterial meningitis in Angola, the aim being to improve the prognosis with means available also for the poor children. Heikki has been invited to more than 100 countries to give lectures, or to participate in other academic activities. Music is Heikki’s great love, and he has concertized with various singing groups in three continents. His discography comprises more than 10 LP’s or CD’s.

2008 Howard Williams Oration: Professor Graeme Barnes MD FRACP

Professor Graeme Barnes is the 2008 Howard Williams Medal recipient and will be delivering the Howard Williams Oration on Tuesday 14 May 2008.

Graeme Barnes graduated from Otago University in 1965. An MD program from 1971 with Dr Rudge Townley and Prof Ruth Bishop at the Melbourne Royal Children’s Hospital, was his introduction to research on gastroenteritis. Severe damage was demonstrated in the small intestine, pinpointing the previously uncertain site of pathology. After 2 years back in Dunedin, he returned in 1975 to RCH as Director of Gastroenterology, soon after rotavirus had been discovered by Ruth Bishop, Ian Holmes, Geoff Davidson and Brian Ruck. Clinical activities included changing intravenous rehydration to oral, introduction of paediatric endoscopy, and gearing up for the emerging Crohn’s Disease clinical load. The research program was directed at the epidemiology of rotavirus disease in Australia, Indonesia and the Asia-Pacific region. Development of a candidate neonatal rotavirus vaccine for developing country manufacture is ongoing.

Graeme was Director of the RCH Research Institute from 1995 until its merger in 2000 with the Murdoch Institute to form the Murdoch Childrens Research Institute. He has assisted paediatric clinical research review panels in several centres and has been a WHO adviser. A long association with colleagues in Yoyakarta, Indonesia includes them as co-investigators in RV3 rotavirus vaccine trials. Currently he assists development of a new RCH model of care for Koori children and their families. Having retired from clinical practice, he continues as a Research Fellow in the MCRI, and Professorial Fellow in the Department of Paediatrics.

Current Appointment

Senior Principal Research Fellow, MCRI
Professorial Fellow, Department of Paediatrics, University of Melbourne
Honorary Gastroenterologist, Royal Children’s Hospital