As part of our ongoing commitment to improve wound care for more people by sharing knowledge, creating awareness and driving research, Wounds Australia attended two high profile conferences in recent months. Here we report on those activities. 

Wounds Australia at EWMA

Wounds Australia has long enjoyed a close working relationship with our affiliate, the European Wound Management Association (EWMA). Following the signing of a memorandum of understanding in late 2024, the relationship looks set to continue to grow in scale and scope. 

CEO Jeff Antcliff and Board Chair Kerry May represented Wounds Australia at the EWMA Conference 2025 in Barcelona in April, to support our attending members and corporate partners, to strengthen links with wound associations around the globe, and to hear from some incredible speakers. 

"It was a genuine pleasure to reconnect with our friends at EWMA, and to return the support they showed for the Wounds Australia 2024 Conference," Ms May said. "Our increased contact/collaboration is bearing fruit in more research, better information-sharing and improved economies of scale – all of which will bring real impact to people living with wounds." 

Ms May and Mr Antcliff met with the EWMA Executive during the Conference and discussed: 

• The progress of a current research project on standardising wound care terminology, and potential future joint research projects 
• Formalising processes to appoint Wounds Australia members to those projects, and to other research-related opportunities 
• Ways to enhance collaboration in other areas, such as working groups – including the Compression Therapy working group 
• The findings of Wounds Australia's recent research into consumer attitudes to wound care. 

Forging international affiliations

Mr Antcliff and Ms May also met with leaders of several organisations with an interest in advancing wound care, including: 

• Kara Couch, President of the Association of Advancement of Wound Care (AAWC) in the US, pictured above with AAWC Immediate Past President Barbara Bates-Jensen [left], and Wounds Australia's Kerry May and Jeff Antcliff. The result is the recent signing of an MoU that sees the associations pledge to more closely collaborate in the future.
• Georgina Krehbiel, CEO of the American Limb Preservation Society (ALPS), with ongoing discussions around future initiatives that will benefit our members and the people they care for, in particular consumer education outreach and international research projects.
• Lifetime President of the Lindsay Leg Club Ellie Lindsay OBE, with whom plans for a formal affiliation are under discussion. Thank you to A/Professor Christina Parker, Chair of the Wounds Australia Research Committee, for this introduction. 

Supporting Wounds Australia members

Mr Antcliff represented Wounds Australia at events hosted by our valued Gold Partners Mölnlyckeand Smith+Nephew, and engaged with international representatives of several other corporate members. 

Mr Antcliff and Ms May also attended the presentations of Wounds Australia members included in the packed program, and supported the launch of a new multi-agency publication, Palliative Wound Care, to which Wounds Australia contributed. 

Finally, they met international suppliers seeking to engage in the Australian market. 

Mr Antcliff said the trip was a very positive experience that would bring benefits to Wounds Australia members and to people living with wounds. 

"We're committed to improving worldwide wound care standards through closer collaboration with organisations and individuals who share our purpose, and international conferences like this are an ideal place to forge new connections and strengthen existing relationships," Mr Antcliff said. "It was a privilege to represent Wounds Australia members on a global stage." 

APP Conference

Representing Wounds Australia at the Australian Pharmacy Professional Conference 2025 on the Gold Coast in March was Melissa Freeman: longtime member, APNA 2024 Nurse of the Year and Chair of the Clinical Expert Advisory Panel providing guidance on our consumer wound awareness campaign. 

The Pharmacy Guild of Australia's flagship annual event is the largest of its kind in the southern hemisphere, attracting around 7000 attendees. As well as attending the opening ceremony and keynote presentations, Ms Freeman engaged deeply with industry representatives at the conference, starting conversations about her professional experience with the products and services they offer and sparking interest in corporate membership to our organisation. 

Pictured clockwise from top left -Melissa Freeman with: Professor Trent Twomey; the EGO Pharmaceuticals team; the Medstock team; a Priceline Pharmacy representative; Monique Mackrill of The Pharmacy Guild; clinicians at The Guild Clinic; Smith+Nephew's ALLEVYN mascot; and Professor Geoff Sussman and pharmacist Lusi Sheehan.

Ms Freeman accepted The Pharmacy Guild's thanks for Wounds Australia's support for recent campaigns, such as the expanded scope of practice pilot and, in particular, Affordable Medicines Now – a campaign in early 2025 that resulted in reduced prescription costs for more Australians. 

"It was an honour to hear such incredible speakers share their wisdom and experience," Ms Freeman said. "My personal highlights were a powerful opening ceremony in which the Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's declared the PBS 'not for sale', and pharmacist-educator Lusi Sheehan's session on Master Acute Wound Management in Pharmacy for Smith+Nephew. 

"And it was a genuine pleasure to meet so many passionate and knowledgeable industry representatives and to talk with them about how their work can help busy clinicians heal more people – their real commitment to healing is so evident." 

Wounds Australia membership

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