2026 Program

Program Updates

Please note the program, speaker and session details are subject to change. Please check this page regularly

Program Time Zone

The sessions are shown in Australian Central Standard Time (ACST) UTC +9.30

Use a time zone converter to check your time: timeanddate.com

Tuesday, 27 October 2026

08:30 – 17:00

Pre-Conference Skill Stations & Workshop Day
NCCTRC & RFDS Base Darwin

Wednesday, 28 October 2026

11:00	Registration Desk Open
12:30 – 13:20	Welcome to Country Larrakia Nation
	Conference Opening Auditorium 2 Welcome, Introduction & Housekeeping Doug Kamo, MC Official Opening Hon. Steven Edgington MLA, Minister for Health ASA & FNA Welcome Cameron Edgar & Jessica Tillett
	Conference Partner Address Royal Flying Doctor Service
	Session One: Our Exposures and Toxinology Auditorium 2
13:20 – 14:20	Invited Speaker Macro and micro-pathogens of the tropical north: why work anywhere else Encounters for the health professional working in the tropical north of Australia; From crocodiles, snakes, jellyfish and dropbears to melioidosis, leptospirosis, scrub typhus, Murray Valley encephalitis, Japanese encephalitis, alien sightings and much more. Professor Bart Currie Tropical and Emerging Infectious Diseases Lead, Menzies School of Health Research
14:20- 15:00	Afternoon Tea – Posters, Exhibition \| Hall 2
15:00 – 15:30	Mick Wilson Oration, Cameron Edgar When the Rains Come: Aeromedical Retrieval Challenges During the Wet Season in Australia’s Top End Dr Sarah Mackney, CareFlight
15:30 – 15:50	Evaluating Thermal and Vibrational Impacts of Extrication Tools in Large Object Impalement Rescue Dr Úna Nic Ionmhain, CareFlight Download Presentation Slides
15:50 – 16:00	Group Q&A
16:00 – 16:20	Can drones support aeromedical services in remote Australia? Insights from a real-world trial Prof. Hamish Campbell, Charles Darwin University Download Presentation Slides
16:20 – 16:40	Eyes in the Dark: Drone-Enabled Rescue in the NSW Blue Mountains (Toll) Gabe Mihalas, Toll Uncrewed Systems Brett Eichorn, NSW Ambulance
16:40 – 16:50	Group Q&A
16:50 – 17:00	Welcome Reception Sponsor Address
17:00 – 19:00	Welcome Reception \| Hall 1

Thursday, 29 October 2026

07:30	Registration Desk Open
08:30 – 08:40	Welcome to Day Two Doug Kamo, MC
08:40 – 08:50	Sponsor Address
	Session Two: Our Research Auditorium 2
08:50 – 09:50	Invited Speaker Building High Performance Teams Abigail Trewin AM CEO, St John NT
09:50 – 10:10	Influences on aeromedical retrieval system performance in remote Australia: Stakeholders’ perspectives Dr Benxiang Zeng, Menzies School of Health Research Download Presentation Slides
10:10 – 10:20	Co-Learning in Action: Multi-Agency Simulation Exercises in Remote Aeromedical Retrievals Dr David Samson, CareFlight
10:20 – 10:30	Group Q&A
	Rapid Fire Presentations
10:30 – 10:35	High-acuity aeromedical retrievals in low-resource countries: A systematic scoping review Mrs Ruth Hitchins, Menzies School Of Health Research Download Presentation Slides
10:35 – 10:40	One-year retrospective evaluation of blood administration practices within LifeFlight Medicine. Dr Bradley Richardson, Lifeflight Medicine Download Presentation Slides
10:40 – 10:45	Flight deck’ – Enhancing aeromedical safety through opportunistic in-flight simulation Dr Andrew Armson, CareFlight, NT
10:45 – 10:50	iTRACC – does a geospatial database make a difference in aeromedical operations? Mr Jon Newman, Institute Of Trauma And Injury Management
10:50 – 10:55	Aeromedical retrieval by LifeFlight Tara Pidgeon – LifeFlight Ben Aston – LifeFlight
10:55 – 11:00	Aeromedical retrieval of obstetric emergencies in remote resource settings, Papua New Guinea. Dr Vivienne Apa, Santos, Papua New Guinea Download Presentation Slides
11:10 – 11:40	Morning Tea – Posters, Exhibition \| Hall 2
11:40 – 12:00	Every Hoist Tells a Story: A Systematic Review into global hoist rescue operations Mr Ryan Hurrell, Babcock Download Presentation Slides
12:00 – 12:10	[Study Protocol] Patient outcomes comparing Emergency Rescue Helicopter Service interprofessional with uniprofessional crewing model. Ms Ace Choo, WA country Health Service Download Presentation Slides
12:10 – 12:20	Retrieval Services Queensland: Moving from Immature to Advanced Maturity with a Workstream-Based Action Plan Dr Lynsey Brown, Retrieval Services Queensland
12:20 – 12:30	Fibrinogen Deficiency in Trama: A Retrospective Review of Patients Retrieved by CareFlight Rapid Response Helicopter Dr. Lawrence Lanesman, CareFlight Download Presentation Slides
12:30 – 12:35	Prehospital Calcium Administration During Blood Product Resuscitation in Retrieval Medicine. Dr Graeme Wertheimer, CareFlight Download Presentation Slides
12:35 – 12:40	Aeromedical Brain Scanning for Stroke: Prehospital Feasibility Trial Outcomes Dr Fay Balian, CareFlight NSW Download Presentation Slides
12:40 – 12:45	Using an Ancient Greek Oracle to Organise Research Ideas: Overview of a Modified Delphi Process Ms Jemma King, Retrieval Services Queensland
12:45 – 13:00	Group Q&A
13:00 – 13:50	Lunch – Posters, Exhibition \| Hall 2
	Session Three: Our Populations Auditorium 2
13:50 – 14:20	Kaye Melmeth Oration, Jerry Langford Paediatric Fulminant Sepsis in NZ: Epidemiology, Retrieval Challenges & the Role of Methylene Blue Ms Di Fuller, Starship Child Health and Dr Alex Hussey, Starship Child Health
14:20 – 14:40	Rheumatic Fever in the NT Professor Anna Ralph, Menzies School of Health Research
14:40 – 15:00	Distance, Decisions, and Delivery: High-Risk Obstetric Retrieval in the Top End Dr Sarah Mackney, CareFlight
15:00 – 15:10	Group Q&A
15:10 – 15:40	Afternoon Tea – Posters, Exhibition \| Hall 2
	Session Four: Our Geography Auditorium 2
15:40 – 16:00	Could Rotary Wing Retrieval Improve Timeliness and Outcomes of Pre-Hospital Critical Care in Central Australia? Dr Daniel Adams, NT Health
16:00 – 16:20	Too Remote for Subspecialists, Too Important to Ignore: Unique Neonatal Retrieval Service in Central Australia Dr Mardi Steere, RFDS SA/NT
16:20 – 16:25	Group Q&A
16:25 – 17:10	Invited Speaker Emergency Last Aid: When there is nothing more to do, there is always more to be A/Prof Matt Hooper Emergency Last Aid
17:15 – 17:45	Aeromedical Society Australasia AGM Auditorium 2

Friday, 30 October 2026

07:30	Registration Desk Open
07:30 – 08:15	Flight Nurses Australia AGM Breakfast Bundirrik 4
08:30 – 08:35	Welcome to Day Three Doug Kamo, MC
	Session Five: International Auditorium 2
08:35 – 09:35	Invited Speaker You have skills, you can adapt, you can deviate from the norm, and you can give so much to others Dr Anil Joshi Emergency Medical Physician, Prehospital & Retrieval Medicine Specialist
09:35 – 09:55	Closing the Loop: A Culturally Informed Continuous Quality Improvement for Aeromedical Retreivals in Timor-Leste Mrs Ruth Hitchins, Menzies School of Health Research Download Presentation Slides
09:55 – 10:15	75 Years or Humanitarian Aeromedical Retrievals Across Asia-Pacific: The Mission Aviation Fellowship Model Mr Nick Hitchins, Mission Aviation Fellowship International Download Presentation Slides
10:15 – 10:35	Conjoined Twins Tom and Sawong’s relentless journey without referral pathway from rural PNG to Sydney Mr Jurgen Ruh, Manolos Aviation Download Presentation Slides
10:35 – 10:55	Evolving Doctrine in Austere Aeromedicine: A two-year operational review of resuscitative evacuation in Israel Dr Nathan Argaman, Royal Melbourne Hospital
10:55 – 11:05	Group Q&A
11:05 – 11:30	Morning Tea – Posters, Exhibition \| Hall 2
	Session Six: Our Innovation Auditorium 2
11:30 – 11:50	Where we have come from with aircraft and where can or should we get to. Mr Philip Hogan, Onyx Aeronautics Download Presentation Slides
11:50 – 12:10	Generative AI in the Aeromedical Environment: A Pilot Study Dr Mardi Steere, RFDS SA/NT
12:10 – 12:30	AI Architecture and the Safe, Ethical and Equitable Implementation of AI in Aeromedical Care Mr Paul Bell, Charles Darwin University
12:30 – 12:50	Integration vs Modularity Mr Mark Buick, Total Aerospace Solutions
12:50 – 13:10	When Paramedics become Designers for Helicopter Emergency Medical Services Mr Jon Kerr, Flight Structures Download Presentation Slides
13:10 – 13:20	Group Q&A
13:20 – 14:00	Lunch – Posters, Exhibition \| Hall 2
14:00	Session Seven: Our Innovation Auditorium 2
14:00 – 14:20	Accuracy of prehospital Extended Focused Assessment with Sonography for Trauma (eFAST): a retrospective review Dr Jake Andrews, Hunter Retrieval Service Download Presentation Slides
14:20 – 14:40	Queensland Retrieval, Emergency Systems and Care: Urgent Evaluation of acute Traumatic Brain Injuries (Q-RESCUE-TBI) Dr Lauren Bosley, James Cook University
14:40 – 14:50	Aeromedical Brain Imaging for Stroke: Prehospital Validation Trial Outcomes Fay Hunter, RFDS and Karl Pecchman, EM Vision
14:50 – 15:00	The Central Australian Blended T-piece (CAB) Circuit for Remote Primary Neonatal Life Support. Dr David Marcelline, Central Australian Retrieval Service Download Presentation Slides
15:00 – 15:10	Group Q&A
15:10 – 15:40	Afternoon Tea Posters, Exhibition \| Hall 2
15:40 – 16:40	Invited Speaker Heat stress management for patient and responders’ Matt Brearley PhD Thermal physiologist, Thermal Hyperformance
16:45 – 17:00	Conference Close
18:30 – 22:30	Conference Dinner Waterfront Rooms 1-3, Darwin Convention Centre Life Members and Fellowship Awards