Activities, events and updates

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Activities and events

RACS ASC 2025

The RACS Annual Scientific Congress was held from 3-6 May 2025 at the International Convention Centre Sydney. A number of plenaries, presentations and panel discussions were held on environmental sustainability, climate change, waste in surgery and carbon footprint reduction. These sessions are highlighted in the conference program here.

October 2024
Presenters and Topic: Dr Benjamin Dunne & Professor Margaret Schnitzler: Carbon neutral surgery - educating current and future surgeons on environmentally sustainable surgical care
Session Recording: Available for Academy members to view here.

About the Topic:
Join us for this session with the Environmental Sustainability in Surgical Practice Working Party (ESSPWP) on integrating environmental sustainability into surgical education. We will explore the demand for this education among surgeons, current initiatives, upcoming changes from the AMC, and our strategies to address surgeons’ needs. Learn about existing educational resources and our collaborative efforts with other Colleges and Government bodies for a cohesive educational approach. Discover why it’s crucial for surgeons to understand the intersection of health, climate, and surgery.

Further Reading:
• To contribute ideas and feedback to the ESSPWP, get in touch via [email protected]
• About the Environmental Sustainability in Surgical Practice Working Group | RACS
• Green Surgery Report – UK Health Alliance on Climate Change

About the Presenters:
Dr Ben Dunne is a Thoracic Surgeon at the Royal Melbourne Hospital and at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre. He is the Chair of the RACS Environmental Sustainability in Surgical Practice Working Party, and is the Chair of the University of Melbourne Environmentally Sustainable Surgery Network.
Professor Margaret Schnitzler is a Colorectal Surgeon at Royal North Shore Hospital, and Deputy Head of Sydney Medical School at the University of Sydney. She is one of the co-directors of the MD program for the Specialty of Surgery and Deputy Chair of the Sydney Medical School Sustainability Leadership group. She chairs the Net Zero Clinical Group in Northern Sydney Local Health District and is the Education Lead for the RACS Environmental Sustainability in Surgical Practice Working Party.

RACS ASC 2023

The RACS Annual Scientific Congress was held from 1-5 May 2023 in Adelaide. In addition to several presentations on environmental sustainability this ePoster summarising Australian and New Zealand Surgeons' attitudes to our role in climate change mitigation was on display throughout the Congress.

September 2022 webinar
On 15 September Fellows, Trainees, SIMGs, and other medical professionals interested in sustainability attended a webinar hosted by the Environmental Sustainability in Surgical Practice Working Party (ESSPWP). The webinar featured a presentation delivered by Dr Chantelle Rizan.

Dr Rizan is an ENT Research Fellow at University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust, currently undertaking a PhD at Brighton and Sussex Medical School using carbon footprinting and life cycle assessment methodologies to identify carbon hotspots within surgical operating theatres.

Thank you to Dr Rizan for generously giving up her time and for sharing her expertise.

February 2022 inaugural webinar
In February 2022 the ESSPWP hosted a webinar to discuss issues of environmental sustainability in the health care sector and surgery.