This year marked the 20th anniversary of an annual event that brings together clinical engineering professionals and key healthcare technology players in Atlantic Canada: the ACCES Educational Seminars and Trade Expo. Over 150 delegates, vendors, and presenters were present for this event in beautiful St. John’s, Newfoundland, from May 27-29, 2015.
Supported by the Atlantic Canada Clinical Engineering Society (ACCES) since 2008, the event is made possible by a new conference committee every year. The 20th Annual ACCES Educational Seminars and Trade Expo conference committee, chaired by Ron Johnson, has been able to bring us yet another successful experience.
The theme of this year’s event was “Healthcare and Technology in Motion”. It featured addresses from special dignitaries – invited guests Mr. Steve Kent, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health and community Services; Mr. Ron Ellsworth, Deputy-Mayor of St. John’s; and Mr. David Diamond, CEO of Eastern Health.
Delegates had the opportunity to attend over 20 academic streams, varying from privacy in healthcare, cyber threats, and security in the cloud, to healthcare technology trends, balancing the personal and professional life, and change management in healthcare. The variety and quantity of sessions offered, paired with the quality of the sessions themselves, made for an exceptionally enriching academic experience.
The event also featured an Exhibitor Hall with over 50 booths from medical equipment vendors and biomedical equipment manufacturers, and a very exceptional address from the Keynote Speaker: actor, vocalist, producer, newly-minted best-selling author, and lead singer for Newfoundland’s beloved Great Big Sea, Alan Doyle.
An element that was introduced at the event this year was the handing-out of newly created prizes by the ACCES Executives during the Dinner Banquet. Two members of the ACCES Foundation Team, Jeremy Dann and Paul Auffrey, each received the ACCES Clinical Engineering Professional Lifetime Achievement Award for their outstanding commitment and dedication to the Clinical Engineering profession and community in Atlantic Canada. Unfortunately, there were no recipients for the very first ACCES Clinical Engineering Professional of the Year Award, but the ACCES Board of Directors is encouraging members to nominate Clinical Engineering peers for next year’s Awards Ceremony.
All things considered, the 2015 ACCES Educational Seminars and Trade Expo was a great success, and we hope to see you all in such great numbers again at next year’s event in Nova Scotia!