A Breakdown of the First Couple of Days of Dr. Virginia Ledda and Dr. Maria Picciochi from the University of Birmingham
This week two of our PhD fellows, Maria and Virginia, have travelled to Togo for the 63rd West African College of Surgeons Congress (WACS), to help the other members of the Unit present the projects that are being developed currently.
They landed in Lomé, Togo late on Sunday night, after being greeted by Vivien and Covalic, colleagues from the Benin Hub.
The opening ceremony to the Conference was held on Monday afternoon, with a procession of the members of WACS and addresses from the President of WACS, Professor Peter Donkor and Professor Tchengai, Chairman of the Local Organising Committee. Addresses were also given by representative of sister organisations, such as the West African College of Physicians. The addresses highlighted the importance of collaboration to promote the quality of care provided- which is one of the key principles of our Unit.
After the opening ceremony, Maria and Virginia had the chance to catch up with their Unit colleagues from the Hubs of Benin, Rwanda, Nigeria and Ghana. The NIHR Global Surgery Unit lead a symposium on Global Surgery on Thursday morning, so the meeting was an excellent opportunity to define the themes to be discussed and plan the session.
After the meeting the group had an opportunity to unwind and relax at dinner- everyone is so excited about the next few days!
Maria and Virginia are looking forward to the next few days in Lomé, Togo and will keep sharing their experiences.
You can view additional information from the Conference as it comes in via our official Twitter channel.
More information on the West African College of Surgeons can be found on their website.