27 WORLD GASTROENTEROLOGY NEWS JANUARY 2016 Gastro 2015: AGW-WGO | Expert Point of View | Gastro 2016: EGHS-WGO | WDHD News | WGO & WGOF News | WGO Global Guidelines | Calendar of Events SAGES 2015 Congress Report Vasudevan G. Naidoo, MD University of KwaZulu-Natal Division of Gastroenterology Department of Medicine Durban, South Africa (On behalf of the SAGES 2015 Local Organizing Committee) The 53rd congress of the South African Gastroenterology Society (SAGES) was held at the Durban International Convention Centre from 7-10 August 2015. The meeting was combined with the Association of Surgeons of South Africa (ASSA), which is the um-brella body for a number of surgical sub-specialty societies. Such a com-bination of surgeons and physicians is testament to an appreciation of the value of multidisciplinary perspectives as we strive for excellence in patient care. We were also joined by the South African Gastro-Intestinal Nursing So-ciety (SAGINS) who hosted a superb parallel program aimed at our nurses who are the backbone of any gastroin-testinal unit. The Durban weather warmly welcomed delegates from the colder parts of South Africa. Due to the combined nature of the congress there were numerous tracks for delegates to choose depending on their interest and needs. I was particularly drawn to the American Gastroenterology Association (AGA) postgraduate course on day one and the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL) postgraduate course on day two. A double thank you must go to Chris Kassianides and the Gastro-enterology Foundation for secur-ing these prestigious courses. Both courses were ably supported by local faculty as speakers and moderators, thus providing an important regional perspective. Chatting to the seasoned and freshman gastroenterologists at the end of the congress revealed an enormous amount of appreciation for these courses, which served the purpose of updating the seasoned and preparing the “freshers.” In light of financial constraints, along with the groaning logistics of long haul flights, having these two blue ribbon courses on our door step at relatively minimal cost to delegates represents a major coup d’état. International faculty often add spice to our local offerings and the Durban ASSA-SAGES curry carried a big punch. The international faculty consisted of: 1. Prof. Walter Biffl (USA) 2. Dr. Ailsa Hart (UK) 3. Prof. Chris Mulder (Netherlands) 4. Dr. Nageshwar Reddy (India) 5. Prof. Pinghong Zhou (China) 6. Prof. Didier Mutter (France) 7. Dr. Thomas Heller (Germany) 8. Prof. Tom Hemming Karlsen (Norway) 9. Prof. Massimo Pinzani (UK) 10. Prof. Frank Tacke (Germany) 11. Prof. Olusegun Ojo (Nigeria) The presentations were well received and it was clearly evident that these were masters and innovators in their field. The speakers went beyond evi-dence based educating, and provided inspiration and thought provoking concepts. It was also gratifying to welcome delegates and speakers from the rest of Africa to our shores. There is an immense amount of talent and enthusiasm on the African continent that deserves exposure, support, and nurturing. I was pleased to see gastroenterologists from Sub-Saharan Attendees at the Welcome Function. Attendees enjoying the Presidents Dinner.
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