International Symposium: Liver Transplantation & Liver Research in Birmingham

In the early 1980s attempts to launch a pioneering liver transplant programme in Birmingham were met with hostility and disbelief- liver transplants had only been performed in a few centres throughout the world and results were poor- fewer than one in three patients lived beyond a year. The vision and courage of the early pioneers helped to sustain the pressures and overcome the challenges that lay ahead them.
Move forward thirty- five years and the Birmingham programme has grown from strength to strength, contributing through innovation and science to the current successful outcomes in liver transplantation. Birmingham now has one of the largest liver transplant programmes in Europe performing in excess of 250 adult and paediatric transplants per calendar year.

This year, the Liver Units in Birmingham will celebrate two milestones:
1) 5000 liver transplants performed either at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham or Birmingham Children’s Hospital
2) Thirty years since the Centre for Liver Research was established at the University of Birmingham.

These clinical and academic achievements will be celebrated in a scientific conference to be held in Birmingham on 5th and 6th September 2017.

Keynote speakers will include internationally renowned pioneers of liver transplantation and experts in liver disease. There will be parallel specialist sessions for basic scientists, nursing staff and allied health professionals.

We would like to invite all trainees, international fellows, researchers and all other colleagues who have contributed to this success, to get together, share our experiences and discuss the future of liver transplantation and liver research in a scientific forum.