SAGES Magazine

THE SOUTH AFRICAN GASTROENTEROLOGY REVIEW 2022 | VOLUME 20 | ISSUE 2 | 28 GASTRO FOUNDATION MEETINGS INTRODUCTION Over the weekend of the 25th to the 27th of March 2022, the gastroenterology fellows, medical and surgical alike, were all welcomed to the beautiful Mother city once again for the 13th annual fellow’s weekend. This was my second opportunity to attend this much anticipated event on any gastro fellow’s calendar. I had some idea of what to expect and relished the opportunity to take it all in and get the most out of the experience. This time, however, a new venue awaited our arrival. After thirteen years at the Spier Estate, it was time for the fellow’s weekend to say farewell and move on to a new temporary home. And so, while some may always refer to it as the Spier weekend, we disembarked various flights from all corners of the country and sub - continent and beyond our borders and were escorted to the beautiful Vineyard Hotel in Newlands. This is where the Gastroenterology Foundation of Sub- Saharan Africa hosted 40 local fellows, 10 sub-Saharan fellows, and 35 virtual attendees along with faculty and trustees. Set in beautiful lush green surroundings of Cape Town’s southern suburbs, with Table Mountain a picturesque background for the weekend, the new venue provided the ideal setting for learning, collaboration and networking, not to mention the perfect photo opportunity. DAY 1 Day one got off to a great start after lunch with a warm welcome from Professors Watermeyer and Jonas. Friday afternoon saw colorectal surgical fellows and medical fellows join together in sessions dealing with drug-induced liver injury, new therapies to take note of in inflammatory bowel disease, H. Pylori and Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis. This was clearly, creatively, and concisely covered by Professors Sonderup, Watermeyer, Dr Levin - displaying his daughters great artistic skill- and Dr Bobat. Meanwhile, hepato-biliary fellows broke away along with upper gastrointestinal fellows to enjoy an update on chronic pancreatitis by Dr Hofmeyr, a review of submucosal tumours of the upper gastro-intestinal tract by Dr Chinnery, cystic lesions of the pancreas by Professor Jonas and new issues important in intra-hepatic cholangiocarcinomas by Professor Ramos. The final academic session of the first day saw colorectal fellows a lot more at ease with excellent insights around colorectal cancer screening and an approach to stomas by Dr Boutall and Dr Surridge respectively, while Dr Chinnery and Dr Kloppers reminded others about UGIT polyps and managing cystic tumors of the liver. With the serious issues out the way and everyone finding their way to their 13th Gastro Foundation Weekend for Fellows 2022 Megan Peffer (author) Report 25-27 March 2022 Vineyard Hotel, Colinton Road, Newlands, Cape Town