MEDIA/PHOTO CALL: MORE THAN 2,000 DIGESTIVE HEALTH EXPERTS CONVERGE ON PERTH AS NEW INNOVATIONS PROMISE TO TRANSFORM PATIENT CARE
PERTH, WESTERN AUSTRALIA, 26 AUGUST 2026: More than 2,000 clinicians, scientists, educators and industry leaders are expected to converge on Perth this week for Australian Gastroenterology Week (AGW), bringing many of the nation’s most prominent digestive health experts together to explore the innovations transforming patient care.
Held at the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre from 28 to 31 August, this year’s conference is themed “Integrate, Innovate & Collaborate”. Its scientific program will examine how advances in therapeutics, devices, diagnostics and models of care can be translated into meaningful improvements in patient outcomes.
The conference offers access to a rare concentration of leading gastroenterologists, researchers and Crohn’s & Colitis Australia (CCA) leadership in one location. Experts will be available to discuss the science being presented and debated across the program, including next-generation therapeutics, emerging diagnostic approaches, new devices and models of care designed to deliver better outcomes for patients.
As an additional media and vision opportunity, CCA’s leaders and leading inflammatory bowel disease specialists will step outside the conference on Sunday morning for a group walk launching CCA’s 2026 Live Fearless Challenge. The walk will encourage Australians to complete at least 30 minutes of movement each day throughout September while raising awareness and funds for the more than 180,000 Australians living with Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.
WHEN:
Sunday 30 August 2026
6:00am – Media arrival
6:15am – Live Fearless Challenge launch walk commences
7:00am – Australian Gastroenterology Week sessions commence
8:30am – Young Investigator Awards
Media access and conference filming are subject to organiser approval and can be coordinated by arrangement.
WHERE:
Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre
Perth, Western Australia
PHOTO / VISION OPPORTUNITIES:
- Australian Gastroenterology Week conference activity, innovation displays and delegates at the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre
- Interviews with leading gastroenterologists, researchers and CCA leadership gathered from across Australia
- CCA leaders and gastroenterologists gathering for the Live Fearless Challenge launch walk
- Participants setting off together from the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre
- Walking vision, group photos and interviews with CCA representatives and IBD specialists
SPOKESPEOPLE AVAILABLE FOR INTERVIEW:
- Leanne Raven – Chief Executive Officer, Crohn’s & Colitis Australia
- Wayne Massuger – Head, Research, Quality & Support Programs, Crohn’s & Colitis Australia
- Associate Professor Réme Mountifield – gastroenterologist, Clinical and Research Lead for the Inflammatory Bowel Diseases Service at Flinders Medical Centre and CCA Director
- Associate Professor John Nik Ding – gastroenterologist, Head of the IBD Clinical Trials Unit at St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne, medical spokesperson for Bowel Cancer Australia and member of CCA’s Scientific, Medical & Quality of Care Advisory Committee
Spokespeople are available to discuss the most promising innovations in digestive health, how advances in therapeutics, diagnostics, devices and models of care can improve patient outcomes, emerging IBD research, the impact of Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, and the role of the Live Fearless Challenge in raising funds and awareness.
ABOUT CROHN’S & COLITIS AUSTRALIA:
For 40 years, Crohn’s & Colitis Australia has been supporting and empowering Australians affected by Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis through support services, advocacy, education and investment in research.
For more information or to register for the Live Fearless Challenge, visit:
https://www.livefearlesschallenge.com.au/
MEDIA CONTACT:
Sophie Muir | Maven PR | [email protected] | 0400 111 390