ASCIA 2023 Conference Report

The ASCIA 2023 Conference was a highly successful event which was held at the International Convention Centre (ICC) Sydney from Tuesday 5th to Friday 8th September 2023. This was a hybrid conference, which enables virtual or  in-person attendance, and on-demand viewing of sessions for all registered delegates after the conference.

The Final Program Book is available here:

ASCIA 2023 PROGRAM BOOK1.51 MB 

The ASCIA 2023 Conference attracted a record high of more than 700 registered delegates, with around 75% per cent of delegates attending in person, in addition to more than 150 sponsor and exhibitor delegates. Delegates appeared to welcome interactions with colleagues and feedback has been very positive.

There were several highlights, including:

• An international standard of continuing professional development (CPD)*, with presentations of the latest research and issues in allergy and clinical immunology, presented by more than 60 speakers, including five international speakers - A/Prof Edmond Chan (Canada), Prof Anna Nowak-Wegrzyn (USA), Prof Anne Puel (France), Dr Lluis Quintana-Murc (France) and A/Prof Elizabeth Tham (Singapore).
• Interactive Q&A panels for all sessions, with the option of asking questions via the fixed microphones at ICC Sydney, the conference app or the conference platform.
• The 2023 Basten Oration presented by Prof Connie Katelaris AM, which was chaired by Prof Ron Walls AM and attended by Prof Tony Basten AO. The Basten Oration can be viewed open access at www.allergy.org.au/conferences/ascia-annual-conference/annual-ascia-basten-oration
• A record high number of 26 clinical grand rounds (CGR) presenters, with 25 CGR cases presented in-person. 
• A record high number of 139 posters - abstracts have been published online in the Internal Medicine Journal which can be accessed at www.allergy.org.au/conferences/ascia-annual-conference/published-abstracts-ascia
• AIFA grant recipients from 2021 presenting their research, and the announcement of the 2023 AIFA grants, which are listed on the AIFA website https://www.allergyimmunology.org.au/projects/projects#latest
• An inaugural ASCIA Immunodeficiency Update for Nurses on Thursday 7^th September.
• Three concurrent Allergy Updates for Medical Practitioner, Nurses and Dietitians on Friday 8th September.
• A record high participation in six social functions held over four nights, including dinners on Wednesday night for 80 Trainees/Consultants and 70 Nurses, and the Gala Dinner for more than 200 delegates on Thursday night - all were fun and memorable events.

The ASCIA 2023 Conference was the 2nd hybrid ASCIA Conference, and we continue to learn more from the process of organising what is essentially two conferences (in-person and virtual) in one.

Thank you to the:

• Organising committee, chaired by Dr Katie Frith, for their work in compiling an outstanding program, and for paticipating as session chairs and speakers. Members. Main Program - Dr Paul Gray, Dr Alisa Kane, Dr Karuna Keat, A/Prof Jennifer Koplin, Dr Kathryn Patchett, Prof Kirsten Perrett, Dr Kahn Preece, Dr Shruti Swamy, Dr Winnie Tong, Dr Brynn Wainstein, Dr James Yun. Updates for Nurses and Dietitians: Kathy Beck, Jan Belcher, Wendy Birks, Geraldine Dunne, Carolina Valerio. Allergy Update for Medical Practitioners: Dr Lara Ford, Dr Kathryn Heyworth, Dr Rohit Saldanha.
• ASCIA team, managed by Jill Smith, (ASCIA CEO) for coordinatiing speaker/chair invitations and confirmations, sponsorship and exhibition,  program development, communications, dinners, finances, poster and CGR abstract review, editing and prizes. The ASCIA team comprises Rikki Dunstall (Finance and Operations Officer), Michelle Haskard (Senior Project Officer) and Nadene Dorling (Senior Project Officer). ASCIA Project Officers who commenced work with ASCIA in March 2023 (Emily Mamo and Georgina Egan) attended all allergy sesssions to assist in their work on National Allergy Council projects and to provide feedback on the program.
• ICMSA team, managed by Siobhan Jensen (Event Manager) for managing complex onsite and virtual logistics, with more technological challenges than previous ASCIA conferences. The ICMSA team includes Jessica Moebus (Event Coordinator) and Emily Low (Event Assistant).

Whilst we will make modifications in future based on feedback and data, we will continue with the hybrid model for the ASCIA 2024 Conferences, as it has several advantages, including:

• Participation -  for delegates when travel isn’t possible or feasible. 
• Ongoing CPD - with all sessions accessible on demand for six months after the conference.
• Q&A sessions - which enable in-person and virtual delegates  to submit questions.

We greatly appreciate the support from the ASCIA 2023 Conference sponsors, which allows ASCIA to provide an outstanding program at a reasonable registration fee. Sponsors and exhibitors are listed at www.allergy.org.au/about-ascia/sponsors

Other meetings held during the ASCIA 2023 Conference week inlcuded:

• ASCIA Annual General Meeting (AGM) chaired by A/Prof Theresa Cole (ASCIA President) on Thursday 7th September. The ASCIA Annual Report is a record of presentations from the AGM asnd is available at www.allergy.org.au/members/ascia-agm 
• CIRCA (Australian Immunogenomics) Symposium at the Garvan Institute, Darlinghurst on Monday 4th September
• Practical Rhinoscopy Workshop at St Vincent’s Hospital, Darlinghurst on Saturday 9th September.

To improve sustainability, the ASCIA 2023 Conference featured:

• A living, digital Program Book, which can be kept up to date and reduces waste associated with printing. 
• Online posters, which reduces production costs and waste associated with printing and transporting of posters.
• Namebadges that do not include a plastic holder and reusable lanyards.

We look forward to seeing you at the ASCIA 2024 Conference, which will be held from Tuesday 3rd to Friday 6th September 2024 at the Adelaide Convention Centre (ACC), chaired by Dr Jovanka King.

*Continuing Professional Development (CPD)

• All ASCIA 2023 Conference delegates receive a Certificate of Attendance.
• The ASCIA 2023 Conference program includes seven hours of sessions each day, providing a total of 28 hours of content (excluding sponsored sessions, lunch, afternoon and morning breaks) for the four day conference.
• ASCIA is a peak professional medical organisation and therefore CPD hours attained by attending the ASCIA 2023 Conference are acknowledged by medical colleges and accreditation bodies in Australia and New Zealand.
• In 2023 ASCIA trialled a new CPD system with the RACP which involves registering attendance each day using QR codes. CPD hours will be sent  to the RACP for fellows of the RACP who submit their member identification number in the ASCIA 2023 Conference registration process.

Content updated February 2024