Originally, medical conferences were designed as academic platforms, where doctors could go to hear experts talk about the latest medical advances and their clinical experience. However, thanks to pharma funding, most of them have become holiday jaunts, where the purpose seems to be to have a good time and socialise, rather than to learn anything. Continuing medical education is a great justification for these conferences, many of which seem to have become circuses, where doctors invite their friends to speak, so that they will then invite them as guest speakers to their own conferences.
Speakers are chosen for political reasons, rather than for their oratorial skills or clinical excellence, and we see the same old tried faces at each coference, spouting the same old stuff. Sadly, the conferences don't seem to respect the delegates, who often get quite a raw deal, and then have to take…
