Asia Pacific Lymphology Conference 2016, Darwin

From Deb Hurt writes about this informative conference held in May this year

The recent Asia Pacific Lymphology Conference held in Darwin was a great success. It was a joint conference between the International Lymphoedema Framework and the Australasian Lymphology Association which was a first, and also the first time that the ILF has held a conference in the southern hemisphere!

Three years of preparation produced a magnificent conference which drew 356 delegates, 69 exhibitor registrants manning 29 trade booths, 11 sponsors and 66 public day participants.

The international perspective and delegates brought by the ILF worked perfectly alongside the solid history of an ALA conference. The scientific and knowledge content, the fantastic social events, the networking opportunities, and the new product information from the exhibitors were all commented on positively.

The keynote and invited speakers provided inspiration and hope on a range of topics including lipedema and fat disorders, filariasis, near infra-red imaging of the lymphatics, genetics, skin care and treatment in third worls countries, depression and psychosocial issues. There was a range of workshops available throughout the conference and also some pre and post conference workshops that were well attended.

The program was full and varied and we all left with greater knowledge and practical messages, as well as hope for the future with current research projects underway. The standard of posters and short presentations from throughout the world was high and the content interesting.

It was a long way to travel from New Zealand and an expensive destination, but I know that those of us who were able to attend felt that it was worthwhile. Having had a challenging destination this time the ALA has chosen to have the next conference in Brisbane, which will keep costs down and it is also a much easier destination to get to. I can recommend attending so mark your calendars for May 2018.