This week, ten years ago, the Lancet published an editorial titled ‘Offline: Why (some) medical conferences make sense.’ In this article, Richard Horton discussed the realities of many medical conferences where the educational deliverables were dilute and vague.
Set to attend the ‘Cardiology and Diabetes at the Limits’ meeting in Cape Town he expected more of the same, however was pleasantly surprised by what he found. He remarked on the unique format of the meeting, the usual fare of bland presentations was instead replaced by state of the art summaries and interpretations of new finding and trends across cardiology and diabetes.
This approach was novel as it not only presented new medical information but also sought to expose and exploit shared boundaries and opportunities between these two specialities. With the audience small and specific, this was a new and refreshing approach to medical meetings which allowed meaningful debate and discussion. Importantly, the focus has always been on education, while supported by industry sponsorship, no advertising or trade exhibitions are present, the focus in only on the meeting, a welcomed approach.
Originally started by Prof Derek Yellon (UCL) and Prof Lionel Opie (University of Cape Town) as a meeting to foster an exchange of science and medicine between Africa and Europe, these meetings have continued to evolve and continue strong a decade later. Now inclusive of renal medicine, a natural complement, ‘Cardiology, Diabetes & Nephrology at the Limits’ meetings are hosted annually in London, UK with further development to also now hosting meetings in Brazil and Canada, and expanding to Japan in 2023. With a presence on 4 continents now, these meetings are stronger than ever and interest continues to grow.
The Hatter Cardiovascular Institute is proud to be part of such an authentic and practical approach to medical education. Looking ahead to the next decade we are excited think about all that we will accomplish.