Highlights from the The 17th Annual Symposium on Advanced Wound Care & 14th Medical Research Forum on Wound Repair
SAWC Co-Chairpeople and newly named Emeritus O/WM Editorial Board members Evonne Fowler, RN, CNS, CWOCN, and Robert S. Kirsner, MD, share a photo op. The two take great pains to ensure that as far as educational content is concerned, every day at the Symposium is a magical day.
After a busy day of educational sessions and entertaining events, attendees could relax and enjoy this view of the Coronado Springs Resort, one of the many accommodation options on the vast Disney property.
Welcome to the SAWC! The Opening Ceremony (shown here) provides the perfect opportunity to greet familiar faces and initiate first-time attendees into what clinicians and industry people consider the premier wound care meeting. The Symposium experience is designed to help attendees improve patient outcomes; the motto is One Mission, Many Faces, One Family. Opening Session motivational speeches, award presentations, and glimpses into what's in store create anticipation for a productive conference.
Awards and recognition
Allen Holloway, Jr., MD, is all smiles after receiving the 2004 Evonne Fowler Founder's Award for his significant contributions to the mission and goals of the SAWC through his involvement in all 17 SAWC conferences. Symposium planners take great pleasure in recognizing the efforts of their peers in the planning and promotion of the conference.
Each year, ConvaTec, A Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, honors a nurse in the wound care arena by presenting the ConvaTec Nursing Award. This year's recipient is Janice M. Beitz, PhD, RN, CS, CNOR (right). Dr. Beitz is Associate Professor, Director of Nursing Certificate and Distributive Learning Programs, and WOCNEP Co-Director, School of Nursing, La Salle University, Philadelphia, Pa. Here she is shown receiving her award from Linda Pruitt of ConvaTec.
Marie Brown-Etris, RN, CWOCN, congratulates Carlos Ricotti, Jr., MD, recipient of the ConvaTec Young Investigators Award. The award acknowledges innovative research in the field of wound care.
At the SAWC, everyone in wound care is a V.I.P.
Evonne Fowler (second from left) greets members of her wound care family that includes clinicians and industry representatives.
Enjoying a scheduled networking opportunity are (from left) Nick Przystawski, DPM. Caroline Cuttino, RN, BSN, CWOCN; Susan Dieter, RN, MS, CWCN, CWS; Judy Papen, RN, MSN, CNS, CWOCN; Renee Cordrey, MSPT, MPH, CWS; and Mona Baharestani, PhD, NP, CWOCN, CWS. The multidisciplinary nature of the Symposium brings together clinicians from various specialties, underscoring the importance of a team effort in wound care.
Whatever your preferred method of learning, the SAWC offers numerous options to suit your needs.
During poster sessions, attendees can learn more about the different innovations and findings developed and discovered by clinicians at every level. More than 200 abstracts were submitted for consideration this year and, as always, judged by a multidisciplinary panel of wound care experts before acceptance. Poster presenters are available to answer queries about their displays and often are invited to publish their findings.
The Exhibit Hall often serves as a classroom. Companies conduct informative sessions on new products to audiences hungry for new and better ways to care for their patients.
Industry-sponsored satellite breakfasts and lunches allow attendees to explore product-related theory and practice in more depth. The pre- and post-conference sessions often provide "the basics" as well as opportunity for hands-on learning for those new to wound care and those who wish to hone their skills.
The well-attended General Sessions offer topics of interest to a wide variety of multidisciplinary clinicians. This year, General Session subjects included oxygen in wound healing, evidence-based medicine, and wound management options for frail elderly.
The SAWC Exhibit Hall features the latest innovations in technology and product, as well as many tried-and-true wound care items. Attendees have the opportunity to speak one-on-one with company representatives, sampling their wares and comparing outcomes. The Exhibit Hall is also a great place to meet and greet over lunch. The dedicated Exhibit Hall hours are planned to meet everyone's needs.
Every year, the SAWC celebrates the wound care community with a spectacular party. And where better to throw a party than Walt Disney World? The cavern-like World Showcase Pavilion in EPCOT set the stage for an evening of food and fun sponsored by Healthpoint and culminated by Illuminations, Disney's laser and fireworks show. Whether attendees were eating, dancing, socializing, or gazing in awe at the sparkling sky, a great time was had by all.
