Join us for this year’s Tristate Australian Scientific Meeting (ASM), which will be held at the iconic Adelaide Oval on Wednesday 27 and Thursday 28 August. This year’s ASM will pay homage to the pioneers whose innovation and ingenuity have shaped our profession. 

A highlight of the Tristate ASM will be a keynote presentation by Associate Professor Gillian Farrell, Head of Plastic Surgery in the Northern Territory and a breast reconstructive surgeon at Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in Melbourne. She will share the remarkable story of Dr Lena McEwan, Australia’s first woman plastic surgeon, who died in 2011. 

 

Dr McEwan became the first woman Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS) in South Australia in 1958 and elater stablished the Plastic Surgery unit at Queen Victoria Memorial Hospital. In Melbourne, she is remembered for her exceptional surgical competence and deep compassion for the patients. 

Associate Professor Farrell says, “I met Lena as a first-year plastic surgery Trainee in 1984. I must admit she was a bit intimidating—quite demanding, didn’t suffer fools, and expected a lot of herself and those around her. However, she was incredibly patient and a good teacher and universally admired by Trainees and nursing staff. She had a sharp wit and an excellent sense of humour. She was very supportive of women who wanted to embark on surgery as a career.”

Along with Associate Professor Gillian Farrell, the two-day conference will feature a range of invited speakers including Dr Bruce Foster AM, Associate Professor Susan Neuhaus AM CSC, and palaeontologist, Associate Professor Diego C. García-Bellido. As always there will be plenty of opportunities for delegates to network, including at the conference dinner. The dinner will also feature presentation of the prestigious Sir Henry Newland Award, and the delivery of the annual Anstey Giles Lecture.

Find out more and register at: RACS SA, NT & WA Tristate ASM 2025