BNMS Autumn Meeting: More than a conference

I have to say, you may say I’m biased, but I really think BNMS do put on a good meeting. For those of you who were able to join us in London for our Autumn meeting, thank you so much for coming, and I hope you enjoyed the day. I would also like to take this opportunity to once more thank Dr. Ranju Dhawan and her team from the hybrid Imaging and Therapy unit at the Wellington Hospital for organising such a fantastic meeting for us all. 

If you weren’t one of the 300-or so people who were there, let me tell you, you really missed a fantastic event. And honestly, I’m not just saying that because I’m BNMS President. There was so much that was good about it. For a start, content. You always need to have good content. Interesting talks that people want to hear. For this meeting, Ranju arranged talks around the general theme ‘Choosing Wisely’, and for me, the standout session was around the opportunities and challenges within Nuclear Medicine for Artificial Intelligence, which I thought was super informative and engaging. As a Radiopharmacist, I also enjoyed hearing about the journey of the radiotracer from lab to patient, and about new radiopharmaceuticals in the pipeline, but I have to say, the quality of the talks throughout was excellent, and there was certainly something for everyone. 

Another innovation introduced by Ranju and her colleagues, e-posters, which went down very well, and I must also mention the BNMS Manifesto for PET CT Commissioning that was released at the meeting. This was pulled together by our immediate Past-President, Prof. Richard Graham after extensive collaboration and consultation with experts in the field. I look forward to hearing what you all think of it, so please have a look at it when you get a moment.

As is always the case with us at BNMS, there was a lot of interesting debate throughout the meeting, and I was pleased to see so many people following in the footsteps of the late Dr. Keith Harding and asking plenty of questions (see October blog for more context on that if you didn’t read it!)

Another really lovely touch was the tour the afternoon before of Lords cricket ground with a reception at The Lord’s Tavern afterwards. We had a talk from Prof. Nick Pierce, Chief Medical Officer for the England Cricket Board. Oh, and refreshments – this is always a good thing. I found Nick’s talk incredibly interesting. Prior to working for the Cricket Board, he had worked with the UK Olympic team, who as elite athletes, took their training, health and lifestyle very seriously and had high performance equipment, sports clothing and footwear. By comparison, the cricket players had a different, shall I say, outlook on life and sport and certainly weren’t even wearing specialist footwear when he started, although the latter has changed. They do sound fun though. 

I’d never considered that cricket players were at higher risk of skin cancer, although once you think about it, it’s obvious – as Nick said, they follow the sun. And because of the higher risk of that, they use a lot of sun cream, which in turn leads to a lot of vitamin D deficiency. I also have this – as do many Brits. You probably do too – go get it checked if you haven’t already. The half an hour of sun we get on that afternoon in July when we’re all crowded on Scarborough / Bournemouth (delete or amend as appropriate) beach just isn’t enough to last us the rest of the year! 

Anyway, I wasn’t a cricket fan, but I learnt a lot about cricket and there’s clearly more to it than the opportunity to have a nice picnic (probably under an umbrella unless you happen upon that nice weekend in July). 

Other things essential for a good meeting are nice food, a good, accessible venue and a friendly atmosphere. I have to say, we had all that in spades at this meeting. Food especially – although there was nowhere really to sit, so sorry to those that struggled to balance their plates and drinks. But it did make for good mingling though!

Finally, I have to say that this was my first experience of a BNMS meeting as BNMS President. For those of you who are aware of my tendency towards Imposter Syndrome, this did rear its head a bit when I had to open the meeting. I was nervous. There were a lot of people in the room, and I was sure I’d be rubbish and wouldn’t sound as good as previous Presidents. However, something quite lovely happened through the meeting. Maybe it was the nice friendly atmosphere (see above). Maybe it was because I got my head around the fact I was actually doing it. You know, being BNMS President at a BNMS meeting. And it was going OK. But by the time I came to hand out the poster awards and close the meeting, it really felt like I was in a room with friends. The nerves had melted away throughout the day. 

So, I’d like to finish this blog by saying thank you. Thank you for supporting the BNMS and thank you for supporting me. 

And please think seriously about coming to the next meeting in Belfast next Spring if you possibly can. It’s already shaping up to be another good one….