Discovering gastroenterology

Manchester has a rich medical heritage; on 5 July 1948 it made history as the first city to open an NHS hospital (now known as Trafford General Hospital) and treat the service’s first patient, a 13 year-old girl called Sylvia Diggory. With its reputation as a centre for ground breaking health advances, it is unsurprising that the British Society of Gastroenterology (BSG) has chosen Manchester as the host-city for its 2017 Annual Meeting from 19 to 22 June, where it will be celebrating 80 years of improving clinical excellence and patient outcomes across the specialty. It is also fitting to return at this point because one of the BSG’s founding fathers, Sir Arthur Hurst, was educated in Manchester and eight decades later, the organisation he helped to build seeks to continue his legacy through educating medical professionals about the latest advances in medical research, treatments and patient care. 

The Annual Meeting will start on Monday (19 June) with a Gastroenterology Masterclass on ‘Dealing with Dilemmas’. Attendees will find out how to manage those tricky patient complaints such as ‘I hardly eat anything - but I’m still fat’ or ‘I haven’t opened my bowels for three weeks’. They will leave equipped with knowledge on how to manage those fiendishly difficult diagnostic or management problems which even experienced clinicians find challenging. In the afternoon, medical trainees can attend a dedicated symposium on ‘Walking with Gastro Giants’, designed to follow in Sir Arthur Hurst’s footsteps and inspire the next generation of practitioners. 

We’ll be rounding off the first day with a welcome drinks reception, which will offer delegates a chance to relax and reconnect with old colleagues and meet new ones. Expect nibbles and vibrant jazz renditions from The Sizzling Swingsters to get everyone into a celebratory mood!