Aussie Health Abroad Training Conference:
Principles of Upper Limb Surgery, January 8 -15th 2011
In January 2011, Aussie Health Abroad hosted its second surgical training conference- sponsoring surgeons from the Polynesian islands to learn the principles of upper limb surgery over the course of a one week program.
Held on the island of Tavarua, a perfect venue for professional networking, the conference was a great success and saw 6 faculty members running sessions on a variety of topics relating to hand and wrist surgery. Basic and advanced surgical anatomy was the foundation for the weeks learning, and the training program 'Helping Hands: Achieving Surgical Excellence' provided multimedia presentations that were interspersed with practical teaching and discussions overseen by the panel. Workshops in plaster application, tendon repairs, surgical technique and basic flap design gave candidates take home practical skills that will be a solid foundation for their surgical careers and have the potential to impact tens of thousands of patients throughout the South Pacific basin, greatly improving the standard of medical care offered in the islands.
Each of the candidates were presented with a set of surgical instruments to take home and use in their surgical practices. It is hoped that these tools will be a lifelong memento of the event.
Special thanks are extended to Professor Eddie McCaig and Professor Craig Adams from Fiji for their ongoing support, and to Mr Shilandra Dass - a Fijian national with an Australian FRACS in Orthopedic Surgery who joined the faculty and who was a great encouragement to the local surgeons.
Read the full report on the 2011 Aussie Health Abroad conference.
Tavarua Island, Fiji, January 2010: Principles of Upper Limb Surgery Conference
The first Aussie Health Abroad Surgical Training Program was an enormous success, and received very positive feedback from all involved. Fifteen doctors attended from Fiji, Vanuatu, and the Soloman Islands, and participated in a week of lectures, workshops and one on one teaching in the area of upper limb surgery. Six faculty members ran the sessions – Prof. Craig Adams (Aust)), Mr Greg Hoy (Aust.), Dr Rob Medoff (USA), Dr Michael Thompson (USA), Dr Tony Sobol (Aust) and Mr John Crock (Aust). These were supplemented by multimedia presentations on upper limb surgery. 
Sessions covered treatment of wrist fractures, flap construction, internal wrist fixation, and various other topics relating to upper limb surgery. There was also extensive anatomy training provided by Prof. Craig Adams. The sessions ran for up to six hours of each day, and were concluded by an exam at the end of the week. On successful completion of the exam the participants were awarded a certificate, demonstrating their successful participating in the program.
Many of the attending surgeons commented that this conference was the first that they had attended of this kind, and that their practice of medicine would be considerably enhanced in this area as a result. Another outcome of the program is that the surgeons who attended built professional connections within their field. This allows cross discussion of cases (a central tenant in the practice of western medicine), and aids referrals. On going contact between the doctors has been facilitated by various means, including a Facebook group (South Pacific Surgeons), and group contact lists of emails and phone numbers. The faculty members have also made their details available and participated in the Facebook group. We believe that this will improve the standard of medical care that is offered in this region, as doctors will more easily and efficiently get second opinions and case conference. All surgeons who attended will be provided with ongoing support, and linked into our Aussie Health Abroad Surgical Network.
Male, Republic of Maldives, November 2009: Principles of Upper Limb Surgery Conference
Photo Paul Obrien
Since late 2008, Mr Crock has been producing a series of multimedia-based lectures given by a number of leading international authorities on the fundamentals of upper limb surgery. The program is formed the basis of a training conference in the Maldives in November 2009, which was attended by eight Indigenous surgeons from the region. The conference recieved considerable local and national media coverage through the Maldivies National TV network.
Fiji Islands 2007:
Download the information pack for the Fiji Surgery Tour 2007