ACE WA Lecture Series 2025
Following the successful trial of the new ACE Lecture Series in 2024, the ACE WA Committee is pleased to announce further developments for 2025, building on the positive outcomes from the past year.
The lecture series events are held in the evenings at the ANZCA WA Office; these events are a good opportunity to obtain hard to get CPD points at a low cost and are offered in house as well as online.
- 22 September - CICO Workshop - Dr Jingjing Luo
- 17 October - Refresher Anaesthesia Crises (RAC, SCGH)
- 18 November - Anaesthetic Morbidity and Mortality Meeting - Dr Bridget Hogan
- 26-28 November – EMAC (PCH)
Please visit the ACE WA Lecture Series event page to register and keep up to date with our upcoming events.
2025 ACE WA Country Conference
The 2025 ACE WA Country Conference, held from 13–15 June at Cable Beach Resort in Broome, was a highly successful and well-received event that brought together anaesthetists, trainees, and allied health professionals from across Western Australia. The program offered a strong balance of education, hands-on learning, and social connection, creating a collegial atmosphere that was widely praised by delegates. The academic program was a particular highlight, with a diverse range of presentations under the theme “Medicine in the Kimberley”.
Sessions included Dr David Hailes’ engaging talk on The Colours of Broome, Dr Lydia Scott’s insights into perioperative outcomes for rural patients with rheumatic heart disease, and Dr Jignesh Patel’s comparison of trauma management in hospital versus aeromedical settings. Dr Jenny Stedmon, OAM, captivated attendees with her experiences delivering healthcare in the field with Red Cross teams, while Dr Jeremy Hickey offered sobering lessons from providing anaesthesia services in a warzone. The trauma panel, featuring Dr Martin Jarmin, Dr James Anderson, Dr Jenny Stedmon, and Dr David Hailes, generated robust discussion and was noted as one of the most valuable sessions of the weekend.
Practical workshops on malignant hyperthermia, regional anaesthesia, and acute severe behavioural disturbance were well attended, with the Royal Flying Doctor Service-led Trauma Skills and Aeromedical Thrills excursion proving particularly popular and sold out.
Social events added greatly to the atmosphere, beginning with Friday’s Pearls and Prosecco at Willie Creek Pearls, welcome followed by a cocktail reception on the Okari Deck, providing a relaxed opportunity for delegates to reconnect and network. Saturday’s Disco in the Desert was a standout social highlight, offering music, dancing, and themed fun under the Kimberley night sky.
Sponsors including Ambu Australia, Draeger, Duke Medical, LTR Medical, MDA National, Medtronic, and Fujifilm Sonosite contributed to the success of the conference.
Country conference lecture
Disco in the desert
RFDS excursion
Recent events
The Perioperative Medicine with WAPOM evening
The Perioperative Medicine with WAPOM evening, the latest session of the ACE WA Lecture Series 2025, held on 21 July 2025 at the ANZCA WA Office continued to demonstrate the ongoing popularity of the program, with 60 hybrid registrations and active engagement throughout the evening.
The session featured a well-structured program that offered a balance of clinical updates, guideline reviews, and collaborative discussion:
- Updates in POM – Dr Leena Nagappan (Anaesthetist)
- ACC/AHA Guidelines: What’s in the Update? – Dr Breffny O’Shea (Cardiology Registrar)
- Ask the Panel: Cases and Conundrums – Dr Bjoern Paganetti (Anaesthetist), Dr Panchi Kumarasinghe (Geriatric Physician), Dr Anand Trivedi (Surgeon), and Dr Liezel Bredenkamp (Anaesthetist).
The panel discussion was particularly well-received, encouraging interactive dialogue around complex cases and perioperative decision-making. The use of Poll Everywhere further enhanced audience participation, allowing for real-time input and discussion.
This session reaffirmed the strong interest in perioperative education across the medical community, and the series remains a valuable platform for professional development aligned with contemporary practice.
Special thanks are extended to our presenters – Dr Leena Nagappan, Dr Breffny O’Shea, Dr Bjoern Paganetti, Dr Panchi Kumarasinghe, Dr Anand Trivedi, and Dr Liezel Bredenkamp – for their insightful contributions and support.
2025 Annual EO HOD Planning Meeting
Image caption: Dr Tanya Farrell, Dr Thomas Cordery, Dr Matt Rucklidge, Dr Shereen Edmends, Dr Tamsyn Williams (DEO), Dr Barbara Biki, Dr Anna Hayward, Dr Annie Carlton (DEO), Dr Angela Palumbo, Dr Alan Ch’ng (EO), Dr Wim Smithies, Dr Nikkie Harmey, Dr Bruce Hullett, Dr Tehal S Kooner.
2026 WA RATP Selections
In Western Australia, the WA Rotational Anaesthesia Training Program (RATP) undertakes its annual trainee selection process in late August each year.
Approximately 150 candidates applied to the WA RATP Selection Process. From their written submission, between 40 and 45 candidates are shortlisted and invited to progress to the next stage of the process.
From 25 to 27 August, candidates attended in person for their selection day, where a range of selection modalities are used to assess different aspects of the selection criteria. A combination of face-to-face interviews, a presentation and two simulation stations allow candidates to demonstrate their skills and their strengths in multiple ways.
Results from the written submission, the interview, the presentation and the simulations all form part of the final selection scoring, with between 10 and 20 candidates successfully appointed to the WA RATP each year.
This process uses numerous Consultant Anaesthetists and Simulation Fellows each year. Our thanks go to all the individuals as well as the Departments who support the process each year.
Specifically, our thanks go to Dr Nikki Harmey, Chair Selection Committee; Dr Rebecca Kelly, who organised the interview component of the day; and Dr Angela Palumbo, who organised the simulation component.
Related events and courses
WA directory
Garden Office Park, Ground Floor, Building A, 355 Scarborough Beach Road, Osborne Park WA 6017
+61 8 6188 4555
The Western Australian Trainee Committee is an elected body that act as a conduit between fellows and trainees in the Western Australian region and the ANZCA Council to which they report.
The Western Australia Regional Committee is an elected body that acts as a conduit between fellows and trainees in Western Australia, and the ANZCA Council to which they report.
The FPM WA Regional Committee is an elected body that acts as a conduit between fellows and trainees in the WA region, and the FPM Board to which they report.