Winter Meeting 2025
Date: 5th December 2025
Location: the Studio, Hope Street, Glasgow
We got together for an excellent conference in December and rang in the festive season with a fantastic varied day of learning, inspiration and networking. Topics included:
- Anaesthetising the cardiac patient outside the GJNH – Dr Rachel Fraser.
- Airway trauma and management – outside and inside hospital – Dr Gary Rodgers.
- Paediatric cardiac anaesthesia made easy – Dr Grace Foggo.
- Doing better for our geriatric patients – Dr James Hicks.
- AI apps to help expand pre-habilitation services – Dr Sam Fosker.
- International anaesthesia partnerships and ethical global health – Dr Hannah Phelan.
Please see below for some photos of the meeting. For details of older winter meetings, please check the meetings archive.
For details of prize winners at GARC, please see the grants & awards page.
Winter Meeting 2025 Summary
We were delighted to welcome a near‑capacity audience to The Studio in central Glasgow for this year’s GWSSA Winter Meeting. It was brilliant to see such a diverse mix of colleagues—from fresh‑faced trainees to the sages of the specialty—all gathered for a packed and lively programme.
We began with a perioperative double‑header. Dr Sam Fosker (Royal London) opened the day by sharing his work from the Topol Fellowship, exploring how AI can support and empower patients throughout their perioperative journey. Following this, Dr James Hicks provided a geriatrician’s perspective on caring for vascular patients—an insightful reminder of the value of interdisciplinary collaboration.
Our next pair of talks took us outside the walls of the operating theatre. Dr Gary Rodgers guided us through the management of airway trauma both in and out of hospital, accompanied by a selection of images perhaps best viewed after breakfast. He was followed by Dr Hannah Phelan, whose inspiring presentation on her work in Zambia highlighted the importance of forming ethical, sustainable global health partnerships.
We rounded off the morning with a cardiac‑themed finale. Dr Grace Foggo demystified paediatric cardiac anaesthesia—concluding with the memorable assurance that “it’s simple really, if you just think of it as fluid mechanics.” Dr Rachal Fraser then seamlessly took us into the world of adult cardiac anaesthesia and imaging, completing a highly engaging trilogy of heart‑focused talks.
Lunch & Posters
Lunch featured a busy poster session and judging, complemented by pensions update from Wesleyan—helping our trainees (and some consultants…) take the first steps toward planning their financial futures.
Afternoon Session: GARC Showcase
The afternoon belonged to the Glasgow Anaesthetic Research Club (GARC).
Highlights included presentations on:
- GLP‑1 agonists and aspiration risk
- Streamlining day‑case surgery using regional anaesthesia
- Using psoas muscle thickness as a prognostic tool
- The impact of benzodiazepines on post–cardiac surgery extubation
We closed the session by hearing from this year’s GWSSA travel‑grant recipients, whose projects showcased the breadth and ambition of research across our region.
Closing
The day ended with well‑earned refreshments in the nearby champagne bar, where discussions continued in suitably sparkling fashion
Winter Meeting 2025 Gallery
Click an image below to view it in full size.
