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Welcome message from the Organising Committee

 

Dear friends,

17th CAST, a premier biannual transplant congress in Asia is only a few months away. This highly anticipated and previously well attended scientific event, has been changed into a fully virtual congress format. The inability to be physically present in the charming Pearl of the Orient, Penang, and the lost chance to catch up with close colleagues and subject matter experts in person during the Congress, will be difficult to replace, but the organizer of this year’s congress has put up their best efforts to prepare for a successful and useful meeting. We want to get as many transplant professionals as possible to register as delegates and share their important work and research findings by submitting abstract papers online.  

We have now confirmed commitment by 108 speakers from Asia Pacific, North America, and Europe to deliver various lectures in the Plenary and Symposia sessions. We have included the Pre-Congress Courses in the registration fee for the main Congress to enable delegates to gain the maximum benefit from the rich scientific program, which had been meticulously prepared by the Scientific Committee. New sessions have been added to cater for important sections in transplantation especially for the Asia Pacific region. These include dedicated sessions on Women in Transplantation, Vitallink and the Asian Transplant Registry, ASTREG.

To make up for the lost opportunity to travel, we have decided to issue 10 complimentary registrations to delegates from Low Income Countries whose submitted abstracts are shortlisted and accepted by the Congress. In addition, cash prizes will be awarded to the three best abstracts each, for the categories Basic Science and Clinical + Others. Please check the details of this information in the Awards section that can be found under the Abstract tab. We encourage every one of you to not miss these opportunities.  

To date, 12 International and Regional Professional Organizations have endorsed the Congress and it is our hope that members of these organizations will also participate as delegates.

For those who had completed their registration process, the access to the online congress media and materials will begin when the event officially starts on 25th July 2021. The lectures which will be uploaded in sequence, as the congress progresses from the Pre-Congress Courses to the last day of the congress, will be kept online for at least three months after the conclusion of the event. This will give plenty of time for each registered delegate to go through all lectures if they are missed during the congress proper. 

We are excited and determined to make this first fully virtual CAST event an enriching and truly educational experience for everyone. Please do join us soon.

- 17th March 2021 -

Warmest regards

Dr Ghazali Ahmad
Organising Committee Chairman

Dr Hooi Lai Seong
Chairman of the Scientific Committee

Dr Hirman Ismail
Secretary