What better way to start Easter than to come down to ‘Tassie’ and attend the APS 34th ASM right on the Hobart waterfront. After learning about what’s new during the day, catch up with colleagues over a glass of award-winning Pinot or take a walk around the waterfront steeped in colonial and Antarctic history. The conference ends on Wednesday the 16th April so what better opportunity to take some extra days and spend Easter exploring Tasmania’s pristine beaches, sample gourmet cheese, oysters and olives on Bruny Island, buy locally made crafts & gifts at Salamanca market or head into the superb mountain wilderness.
This year’s conference is shaping up to be one of the best yet. There’s something for every profession across pre-conference workshops, discipline-specific meetings, topical sessions and individual presentations. Presentations range from basic pain science and policy development to the immediately clinically applicable as well as spanning the lifespan from paediatrics to geriatric pain.
The international keynote speakers were approached specifically to speak on the theme of personalised pain management. Prof Jane Ballantyne (University of Washington) will talk about “Why chronic pain is different” and “How pain management became a political issue in the US”. Dr Andrew Moore (University of Oxford) will present on the current evidence for pain interventions in terms of efficacy, risk of harm and what works for whom. Professor Jeffrey Mogil (McGill University) will speak on the “Nature and Nurture of Pain” and “Social modulation of and by pain”
Some Australian-based stars to look out for include:
• Professor Stephen Gibson – “What we need to know about pain in the older person.”
• Professor Elizabeth Kendall – “Coping with chronic pain: understanding self-management from the perspective of the person. “
• Associate Professor Michael Coppieters – New insights in the pathophysiology of human nerve compression and novel management opportunities
The highlight of the social program is the conference dinner on Tuesday night. It will be held at the Museum of Old and New Art, affectionately known as MONA. MONA is Australia’s largest privately owned museum, described as ‘a subversive Disneyland’. It was founded by gambling millionaire David Walsh, and is built into a rock face with a spiral stairway that leads down to three floors of labyrinthine rooms displaying his collections. There will be a private viewing followed by pre-dinner drinks in The Void, a dramatic subterranean venue. Diners will then enjoy locally produced wines and Moo Brew (MONAs award-winning micro brewed beer), and Tasmania’s best local produce.
With only 10 days to go – don’t miss out on the best conference of the year! Follow us on Twitter #aps2014
Join the Australian Pain Society to access reduced registration fees.
Michele Callisaya
Conference Convenor
Australian Pain Society 