The ASM in Anaesthesiology 2024 – Unconventional
As this year’s Annual Scientific Meeting weekend slowly melts into a multi-coloured mist of memories, I look back with fondness at the unique
experience we created.
This journey as Chairman of the Organising Committee for ASM 2024 first started when I was offered this role of guiding the next ASM team. I generally consider myself to be an unassuming introvert, preferring low-profile, behind the scenes capacities, so I was initially hesitant to assume this responsibility. As I came to see, it was an opportunity for growth, collective growth, so I had a change of heart and accepted this opportunity. Perhaps it was because I had just finished reading Carol Dweck’s book “Mindset” or perhaps it was because we have a particularly persuasive College CEO.
Having supported previous ASMs throughout the years, I have noticed voices advocating for a change of venue, to go outside of the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, amongst many other compelling ideas. But each year, the gravity of convenience has triumphed over the flight of ideas.
It was towards the end of ASM 2023, encouraged by many enthusiastic, experienced and influential colleagues, that the idea of a change of venue began to grow a life of its own. After a few iterative suggestions, it was decided – we will be putting our ASM into West Kowloon.
Great! To construct a medical conference inside one of the premier cultural landmarks of Hong Kong was quite frankly an exciting proposition. But just like buying something that you can just about afford, the heavy realisation you now own this venture begins to set in. No one had ever done this
before. We were certainly heading into uncharted waters. As daunting was this challenge that lay before us, we only could but try. Crack on, we anaesthetists are problem solvers after all.
Teaser trailer played at ASM 2023
As it turned out, constructing an annual scientific meeting outside of the familiar and purposeful HK Convention and Exhibition Centre was not easy. It took many months of feasibility studies, site visits, tactical annual leave, meetings with various stake-holders, negotiations with various authorities and sub-authorities, to eventually construct a working frame for our ASM 2024 – this marking the 35th anniversary of the founding of the Hong Kong College of Anaesthesiologists and the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Society of Anaesthetists of Hong Kong. It was high stakes.
Crucially from the outset, the leadership of HKCA & SAHK had been supremely supportive and shared the vision. Our ASM 2024 faculty were willing to try what had never been done. I eventually learnt from one of our ASM faculty, that the venerable Toronto General Hospital had the adage “Never been done, is what we do”. We were in good company.
Faculty dinner on the eve of ASM 2024
Fast forward to the weekend of the 23rd and 24th November of 2024, we successfully held a rather special ASM in Anaesthesia in West Kowloon Cultural District.
What did we gain from this?
+ We became the first healthcare conference in West Kowloon – to this day, I am being approached by others curious to explore the venue concept for their meetings.
+ We had curated scientific content delivered by many distinguished speakers both from local and overseas faculties, speakers including two ministerial representatives for Health for HKSAR, orthopaedic, neuro and vascular surgeons, a commercial airline pilot and notable thought-leaders from as far as USA, Australasia, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore and the World Federation of Societies of Anaesthesiologists.
Healthcare partners Airline industry and surgery
Enjoying local crafts Palace Museum Congregation
Engaging humanitarians and students Kids Save Lives
Touring around the venue Our ASM creating strong impressions
+ We had full-house symposia with highlight topics including often over-looked challenges faced by anaesthetists in conflict zones and sites of natural disasters.
+ We provided workshops with state-of-the-art equipment, provided by our healthcare industry partners.
+ We had an interactive workshop addressing the well-being of healthcare workers.
+ We promoted awareness of our environment with the park setting and electric vehicle rides between venues, replete with spectacular views of Victoria Harbour – a special hit with our overseas guests.
+ We hosted our Congregation and their families in the grandeur of the Palace Museum.
+ We caught up with old and new friends alike over a glass of local craft beer and had sumptuous free-flow buffet dinner at a five-star hotel restaurant, compensating for my ~34,000 steps of caloric expenditure that weekend.
+ We engaged the HK’s largest medical student society (AMSAHK) to raise early awareness of our perioperative specialty.
+ We introduced children to basic life-support in our HK Palace Museum training room, an initiative supported by the WFSA.
This is nowhere near an exhaustive list of all the experiences on offer that weekend. All this goodness was made possible thanks to the contributions from a great team of people, who devoted a lot of energy and fantastic work into making this ASM a reality.
I acknowledge that this “The Art of Anaesthesia” ASM, turned out to provoke much thought, as expected. A distinguished professor of anaesthesia in attendance taught me that it was important to know the ‘What’ and the ‘Why’. In this unconventional ASM, the ‘What’ was ‘Change’. Change we know is an inevitability. The ‘Why’ is that this became an showcase in growth mindset, of being adaptable to change, to adopt different perspectives in order to see opportunities. I believe we needed this exercise, so that we as a society (in all senses of the word), we don’t just survive, but we demonstrate that we have the agility to thrive in a world that continues to change.
I am grateful that within our fraternity are many imaginative, resourceful and enthusiastic individuals. That weekend, we engaged, exchanged and collaborated, we developed relationships, we grew and had fun doing so. I thank Dr So of the HKCA and Dr Chee of the SAHK for their vision and courage, grateful for our stalwart healthcare industry partners, the West Kowloon Cultural District teams, the HK Tourism Board, W-Hotel, our non-profit collaborators, our devoted event company and all those unsung heroes working behind the scenes that magically turned ideas into action. Thank you all for being part of our special moonshot moment, it has been an absolute pleasure.
Donovan Wong
December 2024
Congregation
The 37th Congregation was held on 23rd November 2024 at a brand-new venue, The Hong Kong Palace Museum. It was a joyful event that celebrated the achievements of new fellows’ and awardees.
In the inspiring opening address delivered by Dr Hing-yu So, he highlighted graduation is only the beginning of lifelong learning and reflected on the College’s achievements as his term as president approached its end. You can find the full speech here.
For more delightful photos from the ASM, Congregation, and Congregation Dinner, please visit the Photo Gallery – HKCA.
57th Singapore-Malaysia Congress of Medicine & Induction Comitia 2024
Dr Hing-yu So was conferred Fellowship of the Academy of Medicine, Singapore during the 57th Singapore-Malaysia Congress of Medicine and Induction Comitia held on 19th to 21st July 2024 in Singapore.
