Birmingham UK 2013

Europe and the UK’s second city Birmingham was the venue of 2013. With more canals than Venice and the city with the greatest number of tree in Europe, Birmingham was pleased to welcome the delegates of IAPAE. The host was the new £750 million Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham. One of the largest hospitals in Europe and the largest solid organ transplant centres in the world. The excellent facilities and the warm welcome set the tone for the conference.

IAPAE has gone a long way towards the development of a truly international family, with shared values and vision, shared belief that the role of the non-physician medical provider makes a significant difference to people at their most venerable in cities, towns, and villages; urban or rural, all over the globe.

The conference was a great success with excellent stimulating speakers from the Medical Director of Health Education England Professor Wendy Reid, David Lusale, from Zambia representing the African Network of Associate Clinicians and of course, our dear friend and colleague Professor Nick Ross, who challenged our thinking and was also honoured with a lifetime achievement award and fellowship of IAPAE, our very first recipient. We also saw the setting up of our conference networking groups focussed on Education, Research and collaboration/awareness.

From the serenading on the balcony on the opening reception to the wide ranging conversation over the conference programme, the conference was a great success.