Acquittal Report – Alfred ICU Foundation Conference Support
Asia-Pacific Extracorporeal Life Support Organization (AP-ELSO) Conference 2026, Tokyo, Japan
I would like to sincerely thank The Alfred ICU Foundation for supporting my attendance at the AP-ELSO Conference 2026 in Tokyo, Japan. The funding enabled me to attend one of the leading international conferences in extracorporeal life support, bringing together clinicians, researchers, and educators from across the Asia-Pacific region to share advances in ECMO practice, education and research.
Attendance at the conference provided an invaluable opportunity to engage with international experts, learn about emerging evidence and innovative models of ECMO care, and participate in discussions around workforce sustainability, education, quality improvement and future directions for extracorporeal support. The knowledge and insights gained will directly inform clinical practice, education, and service development within The Alfred ICU.
The conference also featured the presentation of our abstract, "A Sustainable Nurse-Led Single-Caregiver ECMO Model." This work was initially presented by me at the ELSO Conference in Washington, DC, in 2025 and was subsequently published in the ASAIO Journal conference proceedings (Abstract 239). At the AP-ELSO Conference in Tokyo, the abstract was presented by a collaborating member of our research team while I attended the conference and participated in scientific discussions surrounding the work. As a major contributor to this project, I continue to lead its ongoing development.
This project represents an important area of future research for The Alfred ICU. Building on our established single-caregiver ECMO model, I intend to undertake further research evaluating its feasibility, sustainability, workforce implications and impact on patient care. Discussions with international experts at AP-ELSO reinforced the importance of sustainable nursing models for high-acuity services and provided valuable insights that will help shape the next phase of this research.
Beyond the scientific program, the conference offered valuable opportunities to network with ECMO clinicians, educators, and researchers from leading international centres. These interactions facilitated the exchange of ideas regarding nursing workforce models, competency frameworks, education strategies and collaborative research opportunities, which I hope to translate into future initiatives within our ICU.
I am sincerely grateful to The Alfred ICU Foundation for investing in staff development and supporting participation in international scientific meetings. The experience has strengthened my clinical knowledge, expanded my professional network, and enhanced my research capability. The knowledge gained will contribute to ongoing improvements in ECMO nursing practice, education, and future research at The Alfred ICU.
Related Publication
Sheldrake J, Sivaprasad S, et al. A Sustainable Nurse-Led Single-Caregiver Model for ECMO Nursing: Advancing Clinical Excellence, Workforce Integration, and System Innovation at The Alfred ICU. ASAIO Journal. 2025;71(Suppl 4) 239.
Publication available at: https://journals.lww.com/asaiojournal/fulltext/2025/09004/239__a_sustainable_nurse_led_single_caregiver.145.aspx?WT.mc_id=EMxALLx20100222xxFRIEND