Surgical and Perioperative Innovation Collaborative—Australasia
- Conference on 6 and 7 March 2025—Brisbane City Hall
- National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) collaborative on 5 March 2025—Herston
On behalf of the Clinical Organising Committee and your conference hosts, we are delighted to invite you to the first Surgical and Perioperative Innovation Collaborative—Australasia (SPICA 2025).
The event focus is in the name—innovation and collaboration.
This conference aims to create a cooperative space where clinicians, administrators and researchers from across Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand can bridge the gap between quality assurance and quality improvement. It will also develop action-oriented outcomes through interactive learning and exchange in the surgical and perioperative space.
You will have the opportunity to learn from and collaborate with various local and international speakers from around the world and enhance your expertise in the latest improvement-science methodologies.
The program features an interactive mix of plenaries, workshops, panels and breakout sessions designed for collaborative learning and exchange.
The conference is being jointly hosted by Queensland Health, The Australia and New Zealand Chapter of the American College of Surgeons (ACS), and Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS).
The membership of the Clinical Organising Committee for the conference is:
- Prof. Chris Pyke (Convenor chair, QLD)
- Prof. Arthur Richardson (NSW)
- Prof. Andrew Hill (New Zealand)
- Dr Bhavesh Patel (QLD)
- Dr Sanjeev Naidu (QLD)
- Prof. Sean McManus (QLD)
- Dr Stuart Bade (QLD)
Speakers and representatives
International and Australian surgical representatives will be presenting and leading discussions at the conference.
Keynote speakers
Dr Clifford Ko is the Director of the American College of Surgeons Division of Research and Optimal Patient Care, overseeing the college’s quality improvement programs, including the NSQIP.
His work focuses on surgical quality of care, including quality measurement, process improvement, value-based care, and achieving high reliability in surgical care.
Dr Ko has served in advisory roles for national and international efforts dedicated to achieving higher quality and safety, including the World Health Organization, Institute of Medicine, National Quality Forum, and Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute.
Dr. Ko is a double board-certified surgeon with a practice currently focusing on patients with colorectal cancer at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where he is the Robert and Kelly Day Professor of Surgery. He also is a professor of health services at the UCLA School of Public Health.
Professor Tim Briggs CBE is a consultant orthopaedic surgeon and was appointed National Director for Clinical Improvement and Elective Recovery for National Health Service (NHS) England in November 2022.
He is chair of the Get It Right First Time (GIRFT) programme and leads the roll out of GIRFT methodology across all surgical and medical specialties.
He is also chair and national lead of the Veterans Covenant Healthcare Alliance (VCHA) and Honorary Colonel of 202 (Midlands) Field Hospital RAMC.
Professor Briggs was appointed to the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital (RNOH) as a consultant in 1992. His specialist interests are in orthopaedic oncology and surgery to the hip and knee.
He was medical director at the RNOH for 15 years and was president of the British Orthopaedic Association in 2014.
Professor Briggs has been invited to engage on how the NHS is using data to drive quality improvement, joined by the Queensland GIRFT Clinical Lead, Dr Michael Thomas (Gold Coast University Hospital).
Chief surgical representatives
A panel of surgical representatives from across Australia and New Zealand will present and discuss local initiatives and opportunities for interjurisdictional collaboration. Attendance to date includes these representatives.
Doctor Cath McDougall
(Queensland)
Professor Ben Thomson
(Victoria)
Doctor Kristin Bell
(Tasmania)
Professor Neil Merrett
(New South Wales)
Doctor Phil Worley
(South Australia)
Professor
Fiona Wood AO
(Western Australia)
Invited speakers
More speakers from across Australia, New Zealand and the international surgical, anaesthesia and perioperative improvement community to be added to the program.
Alaina Matthews
Angela Goodrich
Professor Arthur Richardson
A/Professor Bhavesh Patel
Doctor Helen Brown
Professor Jeff Braithwaite
Doctor Kim Sutherland
Kirstine Sketcher-Baker
Professor Robert Padbury
Doctor Sanjeev Naidu
Doctor Sean McManus
A/Professor Stuart Bade
Program summary
The program will feature an interactive mix of plenaries, workshops, panels and breakout sessions designed for collaborative learning and exchange, with a focus on the journey from quality assurance to quality improvement.
The full agenda for SPICA 2025 is still under development. The program summary below represents the current agenda, which may change.
-
Time
Session
Conference Day 1
0800–0830
Registration and coffee
Opening Day 1
0830–0845
Welcome to Country (traditional owners welcome)
0845–0900
Conference welcome
Keynote address
0900–1000
Nationals Surgical Quality Improvement Project
Dr Clifford Ko
Session 1: The journey from data to difference—How measuring data can improve patient care
1000–1045
- The quality of health care in a data rich world
- Building improvement capability in a world of complexity
- The future of clinical registries in Australia
1045–1115
Morning tea
Session 2: Current Australian quality improvement initiatives—Integration into real-world practice
1115–1245
- Victoria
- Tasmania
- New Sout Wales
- South Australia
- Western Australia
- Queensland
- New Zealand (TBC)
- Commonwealth of Australia (TBC)
1245–1330
Lunch
Room 1—Ithaca Auditorium
Room 2—Kedron Room
1330–1420
Collaborative learning—Turning QA into QI
Multidisciplinary approach to quality improvement—Perioperative medicine and engaging support service
1420–1510
Baselines and borderlines—Choosing what to measure for improvement
Improving care in emergency surgery—Can we improve?
1510–1530
Afternoon tea
Room 1—Ithaca Auditorium
Room 2—Kedron Room
1530–1615
Adapting to surgical advancement and technology in quality improvement
Consumer relationships and co-design workshop
1615–1620
Rooms rejoin
1620–1640
Quality improvement under fire—Lesson from Ukraine
1630–1645
Closing remarks
1700–2000
Conference reception (3-hour cocktail event)
Hamilton Room, Brisbane City Hall
-
Time
Activity
Conference Day 2
0730–0845
Breakfast masterclass/panel—Health Services Research—Kedron Room
(Optional—additional fee to attend)
0830–0900
Coffee—Ithaca Foyer
Opening Day 2
0900–0920
Welcome to Day 2
Acknowledgement of Country (Torres Strait Island representatives)
Keynote address
0920–1020
Getting it Right First Time
Professor Tim Briggs
1020–1050
Morning tea
Session 5
1100–1230
- Practical lessons in implementation science
- Risk and change
- Ideas collaborative
1230–1330
Lunch
Session 6: In conversation
1330–1415
Panel discussion
- Dr Clifford Ko
- Prof Tim Briggs
1415–1435
Afternoon tea
Session 7
1435–1530
The Great Debate—A light-hearted discussion on serious topics
1530–1600
SPICA priorities—Top 3 outcomes for us individually and collaboratively to achieve
1600–1615
Closing remarks and conference wrap up
Optional and related events
-
- Added cost: $50
- Time: 7:00am - 8:45am, Friday 7 March 2025
- Location: Kedron Room, Brisbane City Hall
An optional morning masterclass will be held prior to the commencement of day 2 of SPICA 2025.
The masterclass is for clinicians and project managers starting their health research journey, but all SPICA attendees are welcome to join and share their experiences. Using real-world examples, the discussion will focus on undertaking health research in public hospital systems, with guidance on:
- applying for grants
- finding collaboration partners
- gaining ethics and governance approvals
- writing and getting your health research papers published.
A hearty sit-down breakfast will be provided. As the Kedron Room is smaller than the adjacent Ithaca Auditorium, ticket numbers are restricted to 120.
-
Clinical Excellence Queensland will host the interjurisdictional NSQIP Collaborative at 15 Butterfield Street, Herston on Wednesday 5 March 2025.
Attendance at the collaborative is separate to the SPICA conference, and you will need to register separately for both events.
More details will be sent to members of the NSQIP projects via different channels.
Conference registration
Registrations are now open and tickets will be on-sale until Friday, 14 February 2025 or earlier if tickets sell out.
The venue holds a maximum of 200 guests so ticket numbers are capped—please purchase your registration as soon as possible to avoid disappointment. As an in-person collaborative event, online attendance is unfortunately not being offered.
The registration page is managed by the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons using the EventsAir platform, with secure payment options via Stripe or PayPal. Your details (including payment information) will only be used for the planning and management of this event, and not shared with third parties.
Attendance cost
Registration | Cost |
|---|---|
Delegate registration 2-Day conference + reception: 6 and 7 March 2025 | AUD $695 |
NSQIP Surgical Clinical Reviewer registration 2-Day conference + reception: 6 and 7 March 2025 (Confirmation of SCR role may be required) | AUD $295 |
(Optional) Breakfast masterclass - Commencing the health researcher journey 7:00am–8:45am, 7 March 2025 | AUD $50 |
Reception-only registration For partners of attendees: 6 March 2025 (Must be purchased in conjunction with a conference registration) | AUD $100 |
All registration fees include GST and vendor fees.
Getting to the conference
These are the SCIPA locations:
- Conference venue—Ithaca Auditorium, Level 3, Ann Street entrance, Brisbane City Hall, Brisbane
- Reception venue—Hamilton Lounge, Ground Floor, Adelaide Street entrance, Brisbane City Hall, Brisbane
Accommodation
The conference venue is centrally located, with multiple accommodation options within walking distance—either in the city, or across the river at South Bank.
There are no accommodation partners for this conference. You are encouraged to use a booking website or your travel agent for what suits you.
Transport links
The venue is on top of the underground King George Square bus station—the majority of city buses pass through this station or on nearby streets.
Central train station, with AirTrain links to Brisbane domestic and international airport, is approximately 500m from the venue.
A taxi rank is located across Ann Street on Roma Street, adjacent to the Pullman Mercure Brisbane King George Square hotel.
Contact us
Email us at SPICA@health.qld.gov.au if you have any questions.
