AVAS Conferences

The Australian Vascular Access Society (AVAS) 2025 Scientific Meeting was held at the Novotel Wollongong Northbeach, New South Wales from 20 – 22 July 2025. The theme “The community of vascular access: Best Practice through evidence”. The meeting  attracted 180 attendees including delegates, sponsors, exhibitors, speakers, and AVAS staff.

Held over three days in Wollongong, the event combined hands-on workshops, keynote presentations, concurrent sessions, and networking opportunities in a coastal setting that inspired both reflection and connection.

The meeting commenced with three pre-conference workshops, developed by the Scientific Program Committee to enhance the educational experience:

• Workshop 1: Planning the Exit Site for Optimal Dressing and Securement (Cadaveric Workshop) – Sponsored by Solventum
• Workshop 2: Principles and Practice for Difficult Venous Access – Sponsored by BD
• Workshop 3: The Future is Here: Virtual Reality and More in Vascular Access Education – Sponsored by ICU Medical

Workshops were held at the University of Wollongong and were open to both registered and non-registered delegates.

The two-day scientific program featured a comprehensive agenda. A total of 54 abstracts were submitted, with 37 oral presentations and 16 poster presentations featured.

Day one opened with a plenary session featuring:

• Welcome remarks by The Hon. Paul Scully, Member for Wollongong and Minister for Planning and Public Spaces
• A Welcome to Country by Aunty Joyce Donovan
• A keynote address by Associate Professor Fredrik Hammarskjöld

Day two included keynote presentations from Victoria Armenteros-Yeguas and Professor Diana Egerton-Warburton OAM, alongside dynamic panel discussions and concurrent sessions covering a wide range of topics including acute care, paediatrics, cancer, sustainability, and infection control.

Poster Alley, proudly sponsored by BBraun Australia, was a central feature of the exhibition area. Poster sessions were held during lunch breaks, allowing delegates to engage directly with presenters. Posters were reviewed by a judging panel, and the Best Abstract Award was announced during the closing session.

Thank you to the event sponsors.

Platinum Sponsor – Medical Specialities Australasia

Gold Sponsors – BBraun, ICU Medical

Silver Sponsors – Teleflex, Veintech

View the program in our Resource Library

The Australian Vascular Access Society (AVAS) 2019 Scientific Meeting was held at Park Royal Parramatta from 12-14 May in Sydney. The theme of the Scientific Meeting was “Walk the Line” and focused on bringing together a multidisciplinary cohort of doctors, nurses, and scientists from a range of fields and settings, all with a passion for improving vascular access care.
Over 225 delegates descended on Paramatta to attend pre-meeting workshops, listen to invited national and international plenary speakers and participate in a two-day meeting program.

Organising Committee: Samantha Keogh (AVAS President) Queensland University of Technology, Anthony Marshall (Co-Chair) Westmead Hospital, Therese Hallett (Co-Chair) Gosford Hospital, Evan Alexandrou Western Sydney University and Liverpool Hospital, Nic Yacopetti BD, Nicholas Mifflin Liverpool Hospital, Emily Larsen Griffith University, Tanya Flynn St George Hospital

Keynote speakers: 

• Dr. Vineet Chopra, (Associate Professor of Medicine, Chief of the Division of Hospital Medicine and Research Scientist at the University)
• Michael Crossland (Bestselling Author – Kids Don’t Get Cancer)
• Dr. Nancy Moureau (CEO PICC Excellence Inc)
• Dr. Jack LeDonne (Medical Director, Chesapeake Vascular Access)
• Evangelos Konstantinou RN, MSc, PhD (Professor of Nurse Anesthesiology and Vascular Access. National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. Dept. of Nursing)

Thank you to our sponsors:

• Medical Specialties Australasia Pty Ltd
• Thermo Fisher Scientific
• Teleflex Medical Australia
• BD
• 3M

View the program in our Resource Library

The Australian Vascular Access Society’s (AVAS) 2017 Scientific Meeting, which incorporated the World Congress of Vascular Access (WoCoVA) Special Event, was held at the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre, 10-12 May 2017.

This Vascular Access Meeting was a relatively new and exciting addition to the Scientific Meeting schedule in Australia, and brought together a multidisciplinary cohort of doctors, nurses, and scientists from a range of fields and settings, all with a passion for improving Vascular Access care. The ‘House of Cannulas’ Scientific Meeting included the latest of all devices and technology. The theme of the meeting “Excellence in Vascular Access: Making Healthcare Work” will focused on promoting uptake of evidence and implementation of best practice as well as exploring innovative and challenging advances for the future that puts the patient at the forefront of our speciality.

Keynote speakers:

• Dr Naomi O’Grady
• Dr Cathryn Murphy
• Dr Vineet Chopra

View the program in our Resource Library