26th Annual Meeting of the Pacific Association of Pediatric Surgeons

REPORT OF PAST MEETING

26th Annual Meeting

of the Pacific Association

of Pediatric

Surgeons

T

HE 26TH ANNUAL MEETING of the Pacific Association of Pediatric Surgeons was held in Cairns, Australia, May 9-14, 1993. The meeting was unique in that it was held jointly with the Australian Association of Paediatric Surgeons. Cairns was an idyllic tropical setting for a meeting that was noteworthy for the high quality and diversity of the scientific presentations from all over the Pacific Rim. The meeting was opened with presidential addresses by Robert MacMahon for the Australian Society and Martin Glasson, President of Pacific Association of Pediatric Surgeons. A very stimulating keynote address was then provided by Dr John Pearn, Professor of Child Health, University of Queensland, Brisbane. His lecture, “Round the Rim-Vignette of Discovery and Research in the Pacific Rim” set the scientific program in perspective. The Program Committee did an outstanding job in selecting a very interesting program from 286 abstracts submitted for consideration. A total of 170 papers were presented on an extraordinarily broad number of subjects. Program Committee Chairman Athol MacKay and members Spencer Beasley, Tat Hin Ong, Takahiro Ito, and Steven Jolley are to be congratulated on a job we11done. Chairman MacKay kept the audience entertained with a running contest to identify creatures of Northern Queensland and the Pacific Rim, shown on slides between sessions. The winner was awarded at the gala banquet held Thursday evening. Local arrangements chairman Mervyn Lander and his committee-Fred Leditschke, Athol MacKay, Robyn MacKay, David Miller, Tat Hin Ong, and Rosslyn Walker-provided all participants with legendary hospitality and efficient organization. There were 333 registrants for the meeting, with 90 PAPS members, 42 Australian Association representatives, 110 nonmembers, and 91 accompanying persons. The

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Harry Applebaum

James B. Atkinson

social program was highlighted by a Tuesday voyage to the Great Barrier Reef aboard the Quicksilver fleet of power catamarans. The Thursday banquet was a gala affair that concluded with the traditional songfest presented by individuals from each country represented at the meeting. The articles in this issue were selected from those submitted by the Publications Committee of PAPS, and in conjunction with the peer review process of the Journal of Pediatric Surgey, headed by Dr Stephen Gans. This was an arduous and difficult task because many excellent manuscripts were received. For this effort, the Association is indebted to Committee members Kevin Lally, Steven Jolly, Spencer Beasley, Sachiyo Suita, Yoshiaki Tsuchida, Phillip King, and Nate Myers. We hope that this issue reflects the proceedings of our meeting and look forward to the 1994 meeting to be convened in May in Kagoshima, Japan. Hany Applebaum, MD, FACS James B. Atkinson, MD, FACS

Guest Editors Los Angeles, CA

Journalof

Pediatric Surgery,

Vol.29, No 5 (May), 1994: p 714