Emma Stapleton, Consultant ENT Surgeon, Manchester, UK.
The second ENT Masterclass Central Asia took place in late September 2023, following a highly successful first event in 2019. A strong UK faculty were joined by several prominent local faculty to deliver two days of world-class ENT education.
The organisation and set-up of the event was superb, with headsets available for each delegate, offering the option to hear live translations of lectures into Uzbek, Russian and English. The work of Professor Shahed Quraishi, supported by Mr Fazliddin Muradov and Professor Khalida Shaykhova, meant another fantastic ENT Masterclass was delivered to international colleagues, including over 100 delegates from Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan and Russia.
Day one kicked off with a warm welcome from Prof Shaykhova, President of the Uzbekistan ORL Society, and an introduction to ENT Masterclass from Prof Quraishi. This set the scene for the outstanding lectures that followed, from eminent faculty including Mr Michaek Kuo (Birmingham), Mr Richard Irving (Birmingham), Miss Emma Stapleton (Manchester) and Emeritus Professor Shak Saeed (London). Following a spectacular four-course lunch, delegates enjoyed lectures from Mr Asad Qayyum (Peterborough), Professor Gavkhar (Tashkent), and Mr Fazliddin Muradov, a UK colleague with Uzbekistan roots. The day finished with a stimulating otology panel discussion.
On day two, Professor Hesham Saleh (London) and Mr Shahz Ahmed (Birmingham) were joined by local colleagues Prof Shaykhova, Dr Erian Tulebaev and Professor M Makhmadamin, for a morning of rhinology. This was followed by an afternoon of head and neck surgery education, with lectures from Mr Farhan Ahsan (Telford), Professor Shyan Ansari (Dubai), Mr Richard Oakley (London) and Mr Peter Clarke (London) as well as Dr Turaeva Ganievna and Professor Nasrov Murad.
As well as cutting-edge ENT education, the event was a great opportunity for faculty and delegates to share culture and make friendships. It was followed by a short cultural excursion to Samarkand and Bukhara, where faculty enjoyed learning about the fascinating history of Uzbekistan, including its beautiful architecture, and a trip to the museum of Abu Ali Ibn Sina (Avicenna), the preeminent philosopher and physician of the Islamic world, and one of the fathers of medicine.
