The bulk of the academic content consists of leading Australian Doctors presenting on their area of expertise. Our academic agendas often include (but are not limited to) speakers from the following disciplines: General Surgery, General Practice, Emergency Medicine, Orthopaedics, Radiology, Psychiatry, the Internal Medicines and Opthalmology . We also have speakers covering topics on innovation in medicine and public health. This is complemented by expert Solicitors, Barristers and Judges who present on Medico-legal issues pertinent to the Medical practitioner.

Our unique ethos has meant engagement with some of the world’s great institutions of public health. In Paris (2015), we heard from the President of the French section of Médecins Sans Frontierès (Doctors Without Borders) and a policy chief for UN Peacekeeping Operations in New York (2015). As part of our field trips we have visited a medical centre at the coalface in the township of Langa in Capetown (2018), an old operating theatre with the College of Surgeons in London (2015), heard from public health and Aboriginal health experts in the Kimberley (2016), and visited the Kirby Psychiatric Centre led by a local consultant Psychiatrist in New York (2017).

Our academic content also covers controversial issues in medicine which are often managed and perceived differently to Australia. We heard from a board member of Dignitas in St Moritz (2017) and in Amsterdam (2017) we heard from the Director of Exit International (Associations which advocate for choice in end of life care and euthanasia).

We often arrange a visit and discussion with the Australian Ambassadors (or other diplomats) to the hosting country (Havana 2015, Buenos Aires 2015, Santiago 2017, Rome 2017). During these discussions the academic focus is on the current political climate and an analysis of the legal and medical context of the country of their posting and how that differs from Australia.

We hear from Professors of local Universities such as University College London, University College Dublin, University of Buenos Aires, University of British Columbia and University of Milano-Bicocca.

Another aspect of our agendas includes presentations and Field Trips to other important institutions that do not fit a conventional academic agenda but nonetheless appeal to the worldly lifelong learner. In Stockholm (2016), we visited the Nobel Museum and arranged a private workshop entitled ‘Spark of Creativity’ and in Amsterdam we visited the Hague (the International Criminal Court) and heard from a defence lawyer (2017) and visited a New York Jury Selection (2016) and heard about the role of Foreign Policy in the 2016 Presidential Election -from members of the International Law Committee of the New York City Bar Association & Foreign Policy Association. In Rome (2017) we visited Italian Parliament and heard from a Senator.

Many of our conference destinations take people off the beaten track, and our academic agendas reflect that from an intellectual standpoint. This unique approach has been appreciated by delegates over the decades as it has provided access to academic experiences that they would not have otherwise had in a standard conference environment.

To provide such diversity in our academic agendas, and particularly to enable us to provide unique local experiences, we do not publish the academic agenda in advance. Often local presenters are unable to commit to a specific session time months in advance. We believe (and indeed our feedback reflects) that the local presenters and field trips add immeasurable value to the academic experience and as such we want to preserve our ability to include the local experts. The academic agenda is released on the day of Welcome Drinks, the day before the first academic sessions