University hosts Sir Peter Freyer Surgical Symposium

University of Galway hosts the 49th Sir Peter Freyer Memorial Lecture and Surgical Symposium, the largest Surgical Conference in Ireland this weekend.

The event offers a unique platform for healthcare professionals to present their research and clinical work and allows for merging of both scientific and clinical information.

The symposium is named in memory of the Galway-born surgeon, Sir Peter Freyer, who performed the first successful surgical operation to remove an enlarged prostate in 1900.

This year's gathering will offer a forum to discuss the future of surgical training in Ireland and the implications of Sláintecare, the Government's 10-year programme which was launched in 2018 to transform our health and social care services.

The symposium will hear keynote addresses from leading surgeons from America and Ireland, a focus on regionalisation, surgical care delivery and training and research and education sessions across the various surgical subspecialties.

Professor Keith Lillemoe, Surgeon-in-Chief and Chief of the Department of Surgery at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston and the W. Gerald Austin Professor of Surgery at Harvard Medical School, will deliver the Memorial Lecture on Friday September 6th. Professor Lillemoe is also a Senior Director of the American Board of Surgery and in 2015 was inducted into the John Hopkins Society of Scholars. His lecture will be on the surgical leadership and mentoring in the modern era.

Professor Ronan Cahill is Professor of Surgery at University College Dublin and the Mater Misericordiae University Hospital. He is also Director of the Centre for Precision Surgery and the Digital Surgery Unit at UCD. He will deliver the State of the Art Lecture on Saturday September 7th.

Professor of Surgery at University of Galway, Dr Michael Kerin, who is hosting the event, said: "We are delighted to welcome Professor Lillemoe and Professor Cahill to our University and to this symposium. Their impactful work focuses on delivering high quality surgical care and achieving best outcomes for patients in the modern era, encompassing issues related to service provision, surgical training and support and gender equality in healthcare. Both lectures at the centre-point of a comprehensive programme showcasing some of the finest surgical research in this country.

"This conference signals the start of the academic year, and has been a mainstay of the National Academic Surgical Platform with input from a diverse group of consultants and trainees across all specialties in Irish surgery. We anticipate an enriching experience and engaging discussions aimed at shaping the future of surgical practice and education within our community, which will be invaluable in fostering collaboration and innovation in the surgical specialities."

The full programme of events for the conference is available at https://freyer.ie/ Ends