Education through professional learning makes up a large part of what we do here at Wounds Australia. From July to November, expert presenters shared their extensive knowledge with thousands of clinicians in nine in-person education days and eight livestreams, encouraging better practice and improved health outcomes for people living with wounds.

Thanks to everyone who attended for their commitment to continuous improvement, and to our generous trade partners for supporting our work. Where sessions were recorded, they can be found in the Member's Area of the Wounds Australia website.

July

We began preparations for Wound Awareness Week (WAW) with a free lunchtime update, where we introduced new resources clinicians and consumers could download from the Be Wound Aware website.

Wounds Australia CEO Jeff Antcliff hosted the event and was delighted by the level of engagement it received.

"It was so heartening to see the passion of our highly engaged members in raising awareness of Australia's hidden chronic wound epidemic," Mr Antcliff said. "These clinicians see the immense impact of wounds in their everyday practice, and they are the true driving force behind Wound Awareness Week's growing impact each year."

August

On the 20th, we collaborated with valued Gold Partner Priceline Pharmacy on an exclusive webinar about skin tear prevention. Life Member Dr Jenny Prentice PhD RN presented the session to more than 250 pharmacists. The webinar supported the group's preparation for participating in WAW 2025 and demonstrated the tailored learning opportunities Wounds Australia can provide its partners.

Later in the month, 65 clinicians attended a full-day event in Highfields, Queensland, on 23 August. Presenters included long-time Wounds Australia member and Clinical Nurse Catherine Kindness, Podiatrist Sharon Ritchey and other experts who shared their insights on venous leg ulcers (VLUs), skin tears, diabetic foot and more.

A participant said in our post-event survey: "It was wonderful having inclusive hands-on activities. Seeing the trade tables, learning about or more about all the products was so beneficial."

September

Activity peaked in September, with three WAW webinars between 1–7 September and five in-person events across four states and territories.

Our WAW sessions attracted around 1000 participants across the week and looked at Charcot foot, collaborate strategies to prevent chronic wounds and early intervention and recurrence prevention in diabetic foot ulcers. All recordings are available on-demand at woundaware.org.

'It's a Knockout' at the Glenelg Golf Course in South Australia on the 5th (pictured) explored wound bacterial burden, infection and healing with a range of expert presenters including wound expert Sue Templeton NP.

Liberation Holistic Health's Director and Accredited Lymphoedema Practitioner Cynthia Williams and Wound Care Nurse Specialist Sam Arnold delivered practical and engaging sessions on basic to complex wound care, compression therapy and pressure injury prevention in Ballarat on 15 September. Pictured are attendees enjoying their presentations and meeting trade.

We ran two events on 16 September – one in Canberra and another in Melbourne. A twilight symposium event at the Hellenic Club in Canberra explored moisture-associated skin damage with Tissue Viability Unit CNC Ann Marie Dunk, Stoma CNC Olivia Dyriw and Renee Back RN, while Wounds Australia's Victorian Committee Chair Jaymie Wade led hands-on education and real-world case studies in a full-day workshop at Melbourne's Moonee Valley Racecourse.

In our Victorian post-event survey, a participant said: "I appreciate the opportunity to learn and to speak with trade representatives. It's also good to speak with peers to learn what is working for them." 

Caption: Victorian State Committee Chair Jaymie Wade presenting, the trade set up at the Moonee Valley Racecourse, and a speech by Wounds Australia CEO Jeff Antcliff.

The month ended with an education night at the Gosford RSL (pictured) in New South Wales on the 17th, where attendees learned about diabetic foot ulcer management from presenters Vascular Registrar Dr Hugh Elbourne, Staff Specialist Endocrinologist Dr Lili Yuen and Podiatrist/Associate Lecturer in the Discipline of Podiatry Dr Sarah Casey.

October

An exclusive livestream for Wounds Australia and Australian Lymphoedema Association members saw Occupational Therapist and Accredited Lymphoedema Training Provider Stacey Bradshaw provide an update on the European Wound Management Association-led compression therapy campaign. Mrs Bradshaw represents Wounds Australia on the committee guiding the campaign.

November

STOP PI Day is a worldwide event held on the third Thursday of every November designed to raise awareness of pressure injury prevention and care, and we marked the occasion with a range of events.

Professor Keryln Carville, a driving force behind The International Guideline, led a fascinating event on pressure injuries at Murdoch University in Perth on 1 November, while Orthopaedic Surgeon Dr Chris Brown and Operational Wound Care Specialist Damien Ley presented 'The Big "O"' education evening on the 19th in Adelaide, covering pin-site care, acute and chronic osteomyelitis, and surgical considerations.

Attendees to the Victorian Committee dinner at the Alphington Golf Club in Melbourne on 20 November enjoyed a session with Executive Officer for PI Prevention at Alfred Health Kathy Puk CNC. A national STOP PI Day livestream facilitated by Professor Christina Parker RN and featuring Senior Podiatrist Danielle Veldhoen was a Wounds Australia member exclusive and drew hundreds of attendees from around the country. 

We closed the year with a livestream on treatment options for people living with obesity and chronic wounds. The session was presented by Bariatric and Perioperative Nurse Practitioner Catherine Smith and attracted almost 300 attendees.

Become a Wounds Australia member

Wounds Australia members are passionate about learning more about wound care and improving health outcomes for patients. One of the benefits of membership includes discounts to Wounds Australia events and free webinars throughout the year. Find out more about the many benefits of membership to Australia's only national peak body for chronic wounds.