Paediatric seven shine at congress

Expertise knows no bounds: (from left) Dr Shivani Singh (currently working in the UK, but a former member of staff), Sister Jane Booth, Dr Shamiel Salie, Assoc Prof Andrew Argent, Assoc Prof Mignon McCulloch, Dr Brenda Morrow and Assoc Prof Minette Coetzee at a recent congress in Geneva.

Staffers from the School of Child and Adolescent Health (SCAH) caught the eye with their cutting-edge work at the recent 5th World Congress of Paediatric Critical Care, held in Geneva, Switzerland.

The conference, which falls under the auspices of the World Federation of Paediatric Intensive and Critical Care Societies, addressed global issues related to paediatric intensive care.

The UCT group of seven, who made up the bulk of the South African delegation, impressed delegates with the school's world-class standards, says Dr Brenda Morrow, head of associated disciplines at the SCAH.

'Despite challenges of resource constraints and the immense burden of childhood disease (including HIV-related illnesses), we are able to provide an exceptional standard of healthcare to our children,' says Morrow. 'The enthusiasm that we encountered from representatives from other developing countries to implement some of our practices, and to collaborate on further projects, was incredible.'

The invited speakers - Associate Professor Andrew Argent, Sister Jane Booth, Associate Professor Minette Coetzee, Associate Professor Mignon McCulloch and Morrow - together gave a string of 17 talks on topics ranging from ethics and organ donation practices to home care for ventilator-dependent children.

In addition, two abstracts by Sean McLaughlin and Dr Shamiel Salie were selected among the top eight in the clinical research category, this from more than 2 000 submitted abstracts.