About ASiT
The Association of Surgeons in Training (ASiT) is an amazing organisation that supports and represents trainee surgeons across the UK. They are dedicated to promoting excellence in surgical training and patient care, as well as providing education and support to trainees at all levels of their training.
At ASiT, trainees can take advantage of a range of services that are designed to help them succeed, including courses, publications, and networking opportunities. The organisation is run by a committee of trainee surgeons who are elected by their peers, and they are passionate about collaborating with and engaging trainees across all surgical specialties. ASiT also advocates for trainee rights and welfare, ensuring that the next generation of surgeons are supported and empowered to achieve their goals.
Planning the 2023 ASiT Conference
ASiT and MedAll have had a strong partnership since 2020, working together to deliver a range of educational events, courses, and conferences. Since joining MedAll, ASiT have hosted a range of educational events including 'Preparing for a Career in Surgery' and 'Preparing for ST3’. In the lead up to the Congress, they also hosted 18 pre-conference courses on specialist healthcare topics, as well as innovation, entrepreneurship, and leadership, further demonstrating their dedication to supporting the professional development of surgical trainees.
ASiT has entrusted MedAll to assist them in delivering their annual conference for the past three years. The 47th edition of their conference was held on March 3rd, 2023, and it was a hybrid event that combined virtual and in-person attendance. ASiT utilised all of MedAll's platform features, including registration, a digital poster hall, sponsors, breakout sessions, and certificates and feedback forms. Additionally, they were one of the first organisations to use MedAll's scheduling tool, which allowed them to display their conference schedule and speakers on their event homepage. They also offered virtual participation free of charge to colleagues from Low or Middle income countries through our Fair Medical Education ticket, demonstrating their commitment to promoting inclusivity in healthcare.
Why ASiT choose MedAll
ASiT and MedAll have fostered a strong partnership over the past few years, sharing a common goal of promoting accessible medical education. As a team, we take pride in our commitment to ensuring ASiT's events and conferences are high quality from both an organisation, and delegate perspective.
In addition to their mission to promote equity in medical education, ASiT is notable for its outstanding leadership, including outgoing president Martin King and incoming president Srinivas Cheruvu. Their leadership has been instrumental in guiding ASiT towards new and innovative directions, including the embrace of new technologies such as MedAll.
Conference Success
The 2023 ASiT Conference was a huge success, with 970 delegates attending in person over three days in Liverpool, and an additional 300 colleagues from Low or Middle income countries participating virtually. What made this event truly remarkable was ASiT’s commitment to ensuring that the conference was accessible to everyone, regardless of their location or financial circumstances. ASiT invested heavily in making this possible, going as far to prioritise virtual participation for colleagues from LMICs, rather than members only.
One of the many impactful stories from the Conference was that of a presenting delegate from Libya who was unable to secure a visa to attend in person, and would have lost the opportunity to present their research at an international conference. However, ASiT's dedication to inclusivity and representation ensured that they were able to present their work virtually. On this, the delegate said:
“I wanted to express my sincerest gratitude for your invaluable help and support during my oral presentation at the ASiT Conference 2023. Your guidance and efforts were instrumental in ensuring that my presentation was delivered smoothly and confidently. I am truly thankful for the time and effort you both invested in this event. Once again, thank you both from the bottom of my heart for your exceptional help and support. And I look forward to the future ASiT 2024 Conference.”
ASiT's investment in accessibility and inclusivity, and their commitment to promoting equity in medical education, is a testament to their outstanding leadership, wider team, and vision. We are proud to have been their partner in delivering such an exceptional event, and we look forward to continuing our partnership in the future.
What the ASiT Team had to say about using MedAll:
"I am delighted to say that our recent conference, hosted on MedAll's platform, was a huge success in achieving our goal of running an accessible, inclusive event that welcomed delegates from all parts of the globe, including low and middle income countries (LMICs). The platform's hybrid capabilities allowed us to seamlessly connect both in-person and virtual attendees from LMICs and provide them with a unified experience. MedAll's platform provided us with the tools to create an inclusive and equitable conference, with features such as Fair Medical Education tickets, real-time chat interactions, and a digital poster hall, which ensured that everyone had equal access to the event. We are proud to have partnered with MedAll and look forward to working with them on future events." — Srinivas Cheruvu, President 2023
What Delegates had to say about ASiT:
“ASiT 2023 is an impressive international conference with excellent organisation and multiple simultaneous workshops and lectures. The quality of the poster submissions was outstanding. Kudos to the organising team for an exceptional job.”
“As a doctor living in Erbil, Kurdistan Region of Iraq we usually have bare exposure to international events due to long working hours and lack of permits. We usually go through a lot of hardships obtaining support letters and visa allowance to travel and see the international schemes of our future considering specialties. These kinds of schemes are definitely very important because they provide ample opportunities for medics to learn about current medical scenarios all around the globe and get updated about recent advances in medicine including medical techniques so that they can adopt such knowledge and techniques in their daily clinical practice as well.”
“A very successful first ASiT conference!! Brilliant weekend of learning, networking and catching up with old friends. Feeling inspired and reconnected. Can’t wait for next year”
To find out more about the Association of Surgeons in Training, and to get involved in their upcoming events, check out their organisation on MedAll.
