A locally conceived idea is becoming an international medical gathering as Cairns prepares to host the inaugural Australasian Dermoscopy Meeting from 8 to 11 October 2026.
Endorsed by the International Dermoscopy Society, the meeting will welcome clinicians from Australia, New Zealand, Europe, South America and the United States. Its scientific programme is aimed at professionals across the dermoscopy field, from general practitioners and nurses to dermatologists, registrars and skin cancer specialists.
The event originated with Cairns doctor Vin Rajeswaran, who approached Tourism Tropical North Queensland with the ambition of creating a national medical conference using local expertise. TTNQ connected him with Cairns-based organiser TPM Events, which developed the meeting alongside the Pullman Cairns International.
“This conference is a great example of what can happen when a strong local idea is matched with local business events expertise,” said Andrea Wicking, Senior Event Manager at TPM Events. She added that the aim was to create a professionally delivered meeting capable of standing confidently on a national and international stage.
The destination itself forms part of that proposition. The final day will take participants to the Great Barrier Reef, supporting Rajeswaran’s wider ambition to encourage more doctors and nurses to consider living and working in Cairns.
The inaugural event is already being treated as the beginning of a longer series. A second Australasian Dermoscopy Meeting is planned for Cairns in October 2027, alongside a separate surgical conference in April.