Welcome to
30th SA Transplant Society congress 2023
Dear Transplant Colleagues
Hoping this year is a good one for you all?
Following the COVID pandemic and the very successful SATS/SATiBA Congress in November 2022, discussions showed that SATS Congresses would benefit from being in the alternate years, to some of our fellow organisations, to allow optimal attendance. As a result, we are busy planning the 30 th SATS congress for this year 17 – 19 November 2023. With this date now on the horizon, we have as a SATS EXCO, together with Alexia Michaelides, Fiona McCurdie and Event Options planning an exciting meeting.
Our theme is: Transplant Teamwork Together and we hope to showcase to each other, what all members of our transplant teams are doing.
The scientific committee is currently planning an inclusive interactive programme, including workshops, debates, lectures and abstract presentations, which should appeal to everyone. We are hoping that senior colleagues will also help grow our ‘Transplant Teams’ for the future and bring along junior colleagues, as well as nursing and allied health professionals.
Topics include ABOi transplants, kidney-paired donations, Lessons learned from Transplant co-ordinators and Ethics in Transplantation.
The venue is the Graduate School of Business in the V&A Waterfront district in Cape Town which offers state-of -the- art conference facilities, accompanied by beautiful views of Table Mountain. There is onsite Protea Hotel accommodation at the venue, but also other reasonably priced options in the vicinity.We are planning a roof top networking evening but have also left time for people to catch up with friends at the many surrounding restaurants in the area.
Save the Date and we look forward to seeing you and your colleagues there.
See you all soon!
Professor
Mignon McCulloch
President
Professor Mignon McCulloch is presently a Full Professor and Head of Clinical Unit of Paediatric Nephrology and Solid Organ Transplantation (including kidney, liver and heart) at Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital and Senior Lecturer at the University of Cape Town. She is current President of the South African Transplantation Society and also Past-President of the International Paediatric Transplantation Society (IPTA) involved in promoting paediatric transplantation worldwide. Also Past-President of the South African Paediatric Association (SAPA) dealing specifically with COVID issues in the last 2 years as an important advocacy voice for children.
She is a Nephrologist & Paediatric Intensive Care (PICU) consultant and on the Saving Young Lives (SYL) Steering Committee. Her other interests include Paediatric Nephrology and Care of Critically ill children specifically with AKI requiring all forms of Dialysis and Transplant in infants and children. This includes doing training Fellows and outreach work in various parts of Africa developing paediatric renal and transplant programmes.
She is also an amateur surfer.
Professor
Alexia Michaelides
President
Alexia has been a transplant co-ordinator for 25 years and is currently the Regional Manager for the Western Cape, Eastern Cape and Free State. Based at Christiaan Barnard Memorial Hospital, she is actively involved in organ procurement, as well as assisting with living donor programmes at both Christiaan Barnard and UCT Private Academic Hospital. She has been the flight co-ordinator for the Organ Donor Foundation for 20 years and is an aviation enthusiast. Alexia at this year’s meeting will present on, ‘Flight for Life Programme – Essentials, expectations and experience.
Alexia is currently very active in skills development for Transplant Co-ordinators, and has presented and published research both locally and internationally. She has served several terms on the SATS EXCO in the past and has been a member of the organising committee on 3 previous transplant congresses. Alexia is a registered nurse with a speciality in Intensive Nursing Science and holds the Advanced Transplant Procurement Management (TPM) Diploma from the University of Barcelona, Spain.
Professor
Fiona McCurdie
Secretary
Sr Fiona McCurdie studied BSc Nursing at the University of Cape Town. She completed the Diploma in Intensive Nursing Science in 1986 at Groote Schuur Hospital. Apart from a spell at St George’s Hospital in London in the Cardio-thoracic ICU, she has worked at Groote Schuur Hospital, Cape Town her entire career. She started working as a Transplant Co-ordinator in 1991 at Groote Schuur and remains an integral part of the procurement and living donor programme.
Fiona is currently serving as the Secretary of the SA Transplant Society and has served on the EXCO in the past as a member as well as Treasurer. She was a founding member of the Organ Donor Foundation of South Africa and has served on the ODF committee for many years.
Fiona has presented extensively both at South African and international transplant conferences and is currently championing the way forward for the kidney-paired donation programme.
