October

The joint WorkSafeBC/UBC Annual Physician Education Conference, What’s Up, Doc?, will be held on Saturday, 8 December 2007, at the Vancouver Marriott Pinnacle Downtown Hotel. It will offer a variety of plenary sessions and small group workshops, as well as practice-based small group learning, a physical examination skills review for the office setting, and a worksite assessment tour. This year, the conference will include Mainpro-C workshops developed by the Foundation for Medical Practice (other credits to be advised). A complete spousal/family program will also be available.

It has been a busy few months since the June annual general meeting and the release by the BCMA of two important papers—our submission to the Conversation on Health and the prescription drug policy paper A Prescription for Quality. Each garnered a lot of media and member response. Following this was the CMA’s annual meeting in Vancouver and the installation of our own Dr Brian Day as its president. He gave an excellent inaugural speech richly deserving of the standing ovation he received. I look forward to working with Brian over the next year on our common goals.

The history of medicine is an epic catastrophe, Dr Ross argued in his Listerian Oration to the Victoria Medical Society in April 2006. Dr Ross suggested five reasons why bad medicine—like bloodletting, practised for 2000 years—is so resilient, and how we can use this knowledge to improve our own practice. Here is an edited version of his talk.

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Dr Kenneth Cambon, born in Quebec City, died in February in Vancouver following a 7-year struggle with dementia. Ken is survived by his wife of 57 years, Dr Eileen Nason Cambon, sisters Noreen and Margaret (Bunny), brother Austen, daughters Noreen and Marie, and grandchildren Sybrand and Harrison.