Forum gets to the heart of matters

Stephanie Moss

Medtronic, a global leader in medical technology, recently staged its first Knowledge Exchange Forum for medical practitioners and allied partners. The forum took place from 30 June - 1 July 2007 at the Kievits Kroon Country Estate & Spa, east of Pretoria.

The subject matter of the first South African Knowledge Exchange Forum concentrated on cardiovascular matters. In addition to talks by a panel of eminently qualified speakers, it also included an interactive workshop, the demonstration of selected Medtronic products and an address by Medtronic International marketing manager, Justin Roberts of Medtronic UK.

Medtronic is a leading producer of pacing technology and developed the world's first wearable external cardiac pacemaker in 1957. Today, the company is focused on providing therapeutic, diagnostic, and monitoring systems for cardiovascular, neurological, diabetes, spinal, and ear, nose and throat markets, and is headquartered in the USA, in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

The event organiser was organised by the team at Stephanie Moss Solutions. According to Stephanie Moss, managing director of the company, close on 200 doctors, clinical technologists, radiologists and nursing sisters attended the CPD-accredited forum – almost double the number originally anticipated.

On the Friday evening, after a hard day's work, the delegates enjoyed an informal dinner at Kievits Kroon with comedian Trevor Noah providing raucous entertainment, and another festive, though more formal evening was enjoyed on the Saturday.

Moss says, “The event was really very successful and I'm pleased to say that everyone we spoke to enjoyed it thoroughly. We are in fact already working on next year's ‘Rapid Exchange Forum' and look forward to the challenge of creating an entertainment programme to counterbalance the intense work programme that Medtronic is developing.”