Attendees of the radiology sessions at Arab Health 2014 next week will be treated to an additional day of presentations and sessions dedicated to radiographers and radiologic technologists. The sessions also have a new name -- Total Radiology -- which reflects a broader focus on medical imaging.
Taking over from the Imaging and Diagnostics Conference, Total Radiology will be held 27-30 January at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre in the United Arab Emirates. The radiology congress will be part of the 39th annual Arab Health conference, which itself will have 3,900 exhibitors from 64 countries, including 216 from Germany, 441 from China, 132 from Italy, and 202 from the U.S. The conference will feature 38 country pavilions, with new pavilions from Iraq, Pakistan, and Morocco.
Total Radiology is one of 19 conferences being held at Arab Health, and it has been extended to four full days for the 2014 event. This change allowed organizers to allocate time to focus on some new areas, including pediatrics, interventional radiology, and cardiothoracic imaging. There will also be significantly more sessions dedicated to radiographers and radiologic technologists, as well as a session dedicated to the training programs available in the UAE.
The Imaging and Diagnostics Conference at Arab Health will be called Total Radiology in 2014.Also, for the first time, the conference will include sessions led by senior members of the European Society of Radiology (ESR), who will discuss cutting-edge topics from some of the most advanced hospitals and clinics in Europe.
As Arab Health organizers gear up for one of the most important radiology meetings in the area, they offer attendees a multitude of reasons to attend:
- Identify successful breast operations
- Learn about new developments in patient safety
- Discuss the latest updates in emergency radiology
- Review the latest imaging modalities for cardiothoracic imaging
- Learn about advances in PACS and IT use in radiology
- Evaluate possibilities for radiological education in the UAE
AuntMinnie.com spoke with Edward Atkinson-Clark, conference producer for Total Radiology 2014, about the reasons behind the changes, as well other new and notable developments this year.
AuntMinnie: This year, the name of the conference has been changed, and it has been extended to four full days. What are the reasons behind these changes?
Atkinson-Clark: The name of the conference has been changed from Imaging and Diagnostics to Total Radiology to be more inclusive. Names are powerful devices, and we realized that many of our conference delegates were keen to expand their knowledge into other aspects of the radiology field. We felt the name change reflected the changing face of the healthcare industry in the region and allowed us to grow the conference into new areas.
Edward Atkinson-Clark, conference producer for Total Radiology 2014.Additionally, we have seen huge growth in the number of radiographic practitioners in the past couple of years -- reflected in our conference participation -- and we are always looking to help them with their education. As such, offering a fourth day ensures that particularly those on shift patterns will be able to get as many CME points as they need. We also have great interest from speakers around the world keen on participating.
In your opinion, what's new and particularly notable at this year's conference?
We feel the most important changes are the addition of more sessions on patient safety and radiological education in the UAE. We have also included a session on state-of-the-art neuroradiology. We always endeavor to make up for topics we haven't had enough time for -- so if there are areas which are not concentrated on this year, they will be given priority the next.
The featured speakers include experts from North America, Europe, and Africa. Should the attendees expect a truly international experience?
Our speaker faculty is truly global. We have more than 30 speakers from Europe, America, Africa, and the Middle East. This very much reflects the nature of both Arab Health and the Gulf Cooperation Council in general.
The healthcare industry here is hugely cosmopolitan, with well over 50 countries represented as medical practitioners in the UAE alone. Our delegates have grown to expect a global speaker panel. We aim to offer them clinical perspectives and expertise on both an international and regional level.
Medical practitioners in this region need to be able to draw from the latest studies and reports generated in the medically advanced countries, and they also need to be able to understand how to apply this on a practical level in their home countries.
What's the importance of this conference for the region?
Arab Health is the biggest healthcare event in the region, and it has one of the largest multistream medical conferences in the world running alongside. It is where the largest vendors display their leading technologies, and it brings medical practitioners from all corners of the Middle East. This means that Total Radiology at Arab Health is perhaps the definitive place for regional radiologists to learn about the newest advances in the field, and to really upgrade their knowledge in line with international best practices.
What's the significance of the conference being held in Dubai?
Dubai is a tourism, trade, and logistics hub. It also has a thriving healthcare industry, possibly the highest percentage of healthcare investments in the region, and the optimum geographical location right in the center, which makes it the perfect venue for this conference. There is a growing regional need to cater for CME-accredited conferences in the fields of imaging, diagnostics, and radiology, and Arab Health is the perfect platform to host this global event.
