AI remains a hot topic for dermatologists around the country.
The use of technology and AI and the growing role of genomics in dermatology are expected to be among the hot topics at this year’s Australasian College of Dermatologists 56th Annual Scientific Meeting.
The ASM will be held at the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre from 11-13 May and convened by Perth-based dermatologists Dr Rachael Foster, Professor Prasad Kumarasinghe, Dr Bernadette Ricciardo and Dr Su-Lin Chan.
Dr Foster said this year’s conference would include a number of leading international speakers, including Dr Leong Kin Fon, a paediatric dermatologist from General Hospital, Kuala Lumpur.
“He’ll be speaking in my paediatric dermatology session, also in the eczema session and in the genetics plenary,” she told Dermatology Republic.
“We’ve also got Professor Veronica Kinsler [from the Great Ormond St Hospital for Children and UCL GOS Institute of Child Health], who’s going to be giving us a great update lecture about congenital melanocytic nevi and her research in that area.”
Keynote speaker for the conference will be futurist, speaker, author, and AI researcher Gihan Perera.
One of the biggest challenges of the conference this year would be picking which ones to go to, given the wealth of topics on offer, said Dr Foster.
“The AI stuff is really interesting as well, and that’s building every year, so I think that will be a really interesting update,” she said.
“I think one of the ones I’m looking forward to the most is the genetics plenary. We’re lucky in Perth to have some geneticists that are world class and heavily involved in rare diseases, cutting edge diagnosis and using photography to embed with AI diagnoses and connecting photography with genetic diagnosis.
“Dr Cathryn Poulton, a local geneticist who pioneering genetic treatment clinics using specific genetic diagnoses to use targeted treatments, is going to be speaking.
“This is really an emerging field that has been starting to be really game changing internationally. In the paediatric space, we’re starting to have genetic-based diagnosis that is allowing previously untreatable conditions to be treated, which is quite exciting. It’s a fast-moving area, so these updates will be really important for people because things have changed. They’re going to be great sessions.”
Dr Foster said the program was designed to appeal to everyone, regardless of which stage of their career they were at. A number of delegates are also expected to attend from outside the dermatology sector, particularly local GPs with an interest in the specialty.
Sessions on the use of technology were expected to be among the most popular sessions given the level of interest across the board about the role technology, particularly AI, has to play in Australian dermatology now and into the future.
Last month the ACD issued a new consensus statement calling for the TGA to create and regulate specific labelling requirements for dermatology AI-based software as medical devices (see page 6 for more).
“People are really interested in seeing how we can use these new technologies to improve patient care, improve efficiency, but also to be aware of some of the pitfalls with regards to having patient safety and governance and all of those sorts of things,” Dr Foster told DR.
“They’ve got the potential to be pretty amazing, but a lot of this new technology is going to be incredibly expensive. You don’t want to have a situation where it’s only available to an elite, small percentage of the population. I think the other thing is trying to make sure that these technologies are also implemented in the public hospital and in the public settings, not just in the private setting.
“That’s why I think those sessions are really important for people to see, because the science is moving really fast. And it’s important that we keep abreast of it all, so that we can make sure it’s safe, make sure that we’re using it to its best ability, and also make sure that we can really promote and harness it and make it make it available to all people from an equity point of view.”
There are plenty of other conferences and ASMs lined up for dermatologists in Australia and around the world this year, including:
- The Digital Health Festival 2024, May 7-8. A festival of ideas on the future of healthcare. It brings together the entire health ecosystem across two days at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre.
- The British Association of Dermatologists Annual Meeting, 2-4 July. The 104th BAD Annual Meeting will be held at the Manchester Central Convention Complex, Petersfield. Virtual access to all content will be available after the meeting on a virtual platform.
- The Australasian Society for Dermatology Research (ASDR) 2024 Annual Scientific Meeting, 18-20 July. This year’s meeting will be an in-person/hybrid event taking place at Westmead Innovation Centre, Sydney.
- The Australasian College of Dermatologists 8th Rural Dermatology Meeting. 6-8 September. An opportunity for ACD fellows, trainees and other medical professionals to come together to discuss clinical and professional challenges, opportunities and solutions for dermatology practice in rural and remote areas. The meeting will be held at the Hobart Function and Conference Centre.
- The 6th International Conference on Ultraviolet Radiation and Skin Cancer Prevention, 11-13 September. Convened by the Australian Skin and Skin Cancer Research Centre, a joint initiative of The University of Queensland and the QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute. the meeting will be held in Brisbane and will include the Global Advances and Controversies in Skin Cancer meeting on 13 September.
- The European Academy of Dermatology and Venerology Congress, 25-28 September. This is regarded as Europe’s biggest annual congress on skin and venereal health and will be held at the RAI Amsterdam. Submissions for the congress close on 24 April, while the submission period for late breaking abstracts will be 13-26 August.
- The 2024 Australasian Melanoma Conference, 25-26 October. Hosted by the Melanoma Institute Australia, this conference will be held at the Hyatt Regency, Darling Harbour, Sydney.
The ACD has more details and links to upcoming conferences of interest to dermatologists on its website here. More information about the ACD’s ASM can also be found here.
