Update in medicine – Belfast 2026

AstraZeneca has provided a sponsorship towards this independent programme. AstraZeneca has had no editorial input into or control over the agenda, content development, or choice of speakers.

We look forward to welcoming delegates to this one-day Update in medicine conference taking place on Wednesday 4 November 2026.

This is a full-day conference. Refreshments and lunch are provided. Please note we require a minimum of 48 hours' notice to cater for specific dietary requirements.

Topics will include:

• haematology emergencies
• obstetric medicine
• challenges of dignity in care
• acute kidney injury
• update on heart failure care

As well as hearing from leading physicians across the medical specialties, you can participate in Q&A sessions and enjoy the opportunity to network with senior RCP officers and with your peers.

Please note, this is a face-to-face event. We do not provide online access for this series of events.

Download the programme

'Diverse and relevant programme, excellent for general physicians.’

Update in medicine – Belfast 2024 delegate

RCP Update in medicine conferences are held across the UK and are delivered by the RCP regional team. These events are designed to provide high-quality education and allow attendees to stay abreast of clinical advancements in medicine, develop professional skills and network with colleagues.

Please note, this is a face-to-face event. We do not provide online access for this series of events.

Physicians and allied health professionals at all levels and across all medical specialties are welcome and encouraged to attend.

You do not have to be an RCP subscribing member to attend this event, but you may wish to consider becoming a member and benefiting from discounted registration fees. Become a member today and join our community of over 40,000 physicians around the world.

Discounts are available for those working less than full time or on maternity/paternity/adoption leave. Please contact the regional services team for more information and to apply: regionalservicesteam@rcp.ac.uk

Doctors in non-resident doctor posts (equivalent to FY, IMT or STR) who are RCP subscribing members can benefit from the resident doctor rate for this event. However, this discount may not automatically apply during your booking. Please contact us for support.

Belfast Crowne Plaza is located off the M1 on the A55. There are over 300 complementary car parking spaces.

For more information please see the venue webpage.

Crowne Plaza Belfast, 117 Milltown Road, Shaw’s Bridge, Belfast, BT8 7XP.

Registered delegates will have access to the presentations we are given permission to share. Please log in and click on the 'attendee info' tab to view them.

Dr Michael Hunter FRCP

Dr Michael Hunter is an infectious diseases physician in Belfast, collectively managing a wide range of bacterial, tropical, viral, fungal and mycobacterial infections.

FRCP

Dr Aaron Niblock FRCP

Dr Aaron Niblock graduated Medicine from Queens University Belfast in 2008, subsequently achieved membership to the Royal College of Physicians and was later awarded FRCP. He gained his FRCPath in haematology, thereafter, completing an MSC with distinction in cancer and molecular pathology and genomics at Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry. He has also completed the European haematology exam. Currently, Aaron is working as a consultant haematologist and senior clinical lecturer in the Ulster University, School of Medicine. In his medical career he has published in numerous peer-reviewed journals and presented nationally and internationally. He continues his academia along with his clinical practice.

FRCP

Dr Nazia Chaudhuri FRCP

Dr Nazia Chaudhuri is a respiratory physician with a specialist interest in interstitial lung disease (ILD). She is senior clinical lecturer at Ulster University and lead of the Northern Ireland ILD Network. Nazia is also chair of the British Thoracic Society (BTS) ILD Registry Working Group and was chair of the BTS Interstitial and Rare Lung Disease Specialist Advisory Group from November 2020–23. She is a member of the European Respiratory Society (ERS) ILD Long Range Planning Committee, an ERS ILD mentor and secretary of the ERS idiopathic interstitial pneumonia ILD assembly. Nazia is also on the secretary of the Irish Thoracic Society and is a trustee of the patient charity Pulmonary Fibrosis Northern Ireland (PFNI) and the NI rare disease partnership.

FRCP

Dr Ellen Campbell

Dr Ellen Campbell has been a consultant neurologist with a specialist interest in epilepsy in the Belfast Trust since 2015. During her training, she did research on the risks of anti-seizure medications during pregnancy, using data from the UK Epilepsy Pregnancy Register under the supervision of Dr Jim Morrow. She has published multiple articles in peer reviewed journals on this topic and has run the neurology part of the regional Joint Epilepsy Obstetric Clinic in the Royal Jubilee Maternity Service since 2015.

Dr Melanie Nana

Dr Melanie Nana is a locum consultant in obstetric medicine at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust and research fellow at King’s College London. Her clinical work involves the management of acute and chronic medical problems in pregnancy. She authored the BMJ ‘State of the art’ review on COVID-19 in pregnancy, the Lancet review on hyperemesis gravidarum and has published chapters on endocrine problems in pregnancy in the Oxford Handbook of Clinical Medicine and other textbooks. Melanie is a co-author of the European guideline for liver disease in pregnancy, the RCOG national guidance on hyperemesis gravidarum, three international guidelines on cancer and pregnancy, and is the lead author on the international guideline for liver disease in pregnancy. She is passionate about improving access to care for pregnant women and her policy work has included co-chairing the NHS England maternal care bundle on epilepsy and pregnancy and working for the Department of Health to improve the care of women with hyperemesis gravidarum across the UK.

Dr Jason McMinn

Dr Jason McMinn is a consultant nephrologist in Antrim Area Hospital. After training in Northern Ireland, Manchester, Auckland and Glasgow, he returned to take up a post as a consultant in acute medicine in Antrim, where he set up a dedicated acute kidney injury clinic. Jason moved back to nephrology at the start of 2025 and is the lead for the Peritoneal Dialysis Service in NHSCT.

Dr Karen Darragh

Dr Karen Darragh completed her undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in Queen’s University, Belfast. She carried out her fellowship in advanced heart failure and devices at the Royal Brompton in London. She has been a consultant cardiologist in Causeway Hospital since 2012 and is the lead for heart failure services in NHSCT. Karen has a special interest in service development and collaborative working.

Wesleyan

AstraZeneca

AstraZeneca has provided a sponsorship towards this independent programme. AstraZeneca has had no editorial input into or control over the agenda, content development, or choice of speakers.

Representatives from the RCP’s Resident Doctor Committee and Student and Foundation Doctor Network will be hosting a special breakfast on the morning of the conference.

This networking session is a great way to meet your representatives and peers and to share your thoughts about training, recruitment, and other issues that may impact you in Northern Ireland.

This session is free, but registration is required to confirm your attendance.

8 - 8.50am