University of Limerick
Limerick, V94 T9PX
Dr Nyamateja Kaare - SHO
The 20th anniversary meeting of the Head & Neck section of the annual Sylvester O Halloran Peri-operative Symposium was held on 1 March 2025 at the University of Limerick Medical School.
An attending 'Brains Trust' of John Fenton, David Smyth, Ivan Keogh and Clifton Wijaya assessing my poster prior to the arrival of the Judges.
The meeting was organised and hosted as in previous years by Professor John Fenton. The session was co-chaired by Professor Helena Rowley and Colleen Heffernan from RCSI and CHI Temple Street University Hospital Dublin, both of whom held the responsibility of judging the oral and poster presentations.
In keeping with the traditional ethos, there was a strong multidisciplinary component to the morning contributions from many of the most important national institutions. This was apparent not only in the presented topics – spanning the realms of ENT from paediatrics to menopause – but also in the presenter cohort compiled of students and professionals at various stages in their careers. This greatly enriched the experience engaging both those fresh and those familiar with the specialty.
Increases in ENT participants compared to previous years brought a wonderful atmosphere to the morning, with initial strangers sharing poster conclusions, surgical techniques as well as fond memories of shared colleagues. All whilst displaying a mutual appreciation for the discipline.
Oral prize-winner Dr Amy Copperthwaite being presented with her medal by Professor Colleen Heffernan.
Highlights from the oral presentations included FAQs to ENT about menopause, retractions in ORL-HNS publications, and a review of BCC management experience in the Mid-West. The winner was a paper on experience in otologic emergencies by Dr Amy Copperthwaite from Professor Seng-Guan Khoo’s ORL-HNS service at St. Vincent’s University Hospital Dublin.
The winner of the poster prize was an audit of maxillofacial trauma assessments, with the introduction of a maxillofacial proforma from the National Trauma Centre at Mater Misericordiae University Hospital Dublin. There was a commendation from the judges for a case report from the local department on sleep-related laryngospasm in a paediatric patient, which was imaginatively entitled ‘Bluelight and Potato Crisps’.
The conclave was particularly memorable as for the first time at this meeting – and possibly a unique sorority achievement in ENT conferences – three sisters were first authors in five separate contributions. All abstracts are published by the online journal Mesentery and Peritoneum (MAP).
The Kaare Family: three sisters as first authors in five contributions!
From left to right: Myself - Nyamateja Kaare, Our Mother - Florence Kaare, My sister - Nyabwire Kaare, our Father - Mr Majura Kaare and my sister - Nyamata Kaare.
The meeting as always provided an eclectic learning experience for all disciplines involved in head and neck medicine or surgery, with specific attention to the most junior presenters, often experiencing their first exposure to national scientific or clinical research oratory.
Undoubtedly, it was a symposium I won’t forget in a hurry. I’ll have plenty of reminders.
Addendum from Professor John Fenton:
My ENT University Tutor during the past decade, Dr Majura Kaare, sadly passed away after a short illness this morning, 11 August 2025. He was an ENT Tutor at the University of Limerick Medical School, Ireland. He was known as a kind, caring and competent doctor who always had a smile with a hint of mischief and a great friend. Originally from Tanzania, he was deeply religious and his belief carried him through many hurdles in life, never losing the sense that his Christianity would guide and protect.
