EINZ Conference 2026
What is
EINZ
,
and why A New Hope?
EINZ started in Queenstown in 2022 with a simple idea: what if a conference about critical care was actually enjoyable? Not just the evenings — the whole thing. Talks you want to stay awake for, speakers who stick around to argue at the bar and a crowd of people who genuinely care about the same problems you do.
Through its early conferences, EINZ contributed to the development of a national collaborative network that has enabled on-site ECMO capability across all cardiac centers in New Zealand — a tangible, concrete outcome that came directly from the kind of conversations this conference makes possible.
Despite rapid global expansion of MCS, patient outcomes have changed little over the past decade. EINZ exists to challenge that trajectory — through innovative, unconventional, evidence-informed approaches to research, governance and training and by actively reducing bias in decision-making by bringing together expertise from genuinely diverse high-performance fields. Not just medicine.
"A New Hope" reflects exactly this ambition: redefining what success looks like, exploring technologies and systems of care that most conferences would not yet touch and building the kind of global collaborations that outlast any single event. This edition will include the international showcase of a technology that we believe will fundamentally change what is possible in cardiac transplantation. We are not ready to say more just yet. But you will want to be in the room.
Three days in Queenstown. World-class faculty. Real conversations. And yes — a lakeside dinner, some memorable social events and the kind of connections that keep showing up in your working life for years.
"This is consistently the coolest conference I go to and every year it gets cooler and you raise the bar."
"This has been the absolute best experience. The friendships, the collaboration, the professional fulfillment have been beyond outstanding."
"Love it — thanks so much for organizing another awesome event!!!"
"Thank you Suraj and Stefan for such an amazing conference and for allowing me to be part of it."
"The talks and the openness of presenters to answer questions and chat to attendees was awesome."
EINZ 2026 at a Glance
Including High Fidelity Simulation, Team Exercises, Live Presentations of Yet To Be Published Innovation and TTTs (Think Tank Teaching)
Speakers drawn from government, academia, NGOs and the private sector across Aotearoa and beyond.
A deliberately intimate scale — large enough for breadth, small enough for real conversation.
Faculty coming from Cardiac Centers, including Mayo Clinic, Duke University, Helios, Alfred Health, Hospital San Juan de Dios and more.
Think Tank Teaching Sessions — practice oriented, open discussions, concrete solutions you can apply the week you return to work.
Because some of the best ideas come from seeing how others act when facing similar challenges.
Informal settings designed to spark conversations, strengthen relationships and inspire new collaborations.
Better systems. Better decisions. Better outcomes.
Who Should Attend
Intensivists, cardiologists, cardiac surgeons, emergency physicians, anesthesiologists — and trainees in all of the above. EINZ is built around real clinical problems. Speakers stay to argue, questions get honest answers and the program does not waste your time.
Bedside nurses managing MCS patients are central to what EINZ does — not an add-on. Previous nurse attendees have called it the most clinically relevant and practically useful CPD they have experienced. You will be treated as the decision-maker you are.
Physiotherapists, respiratory therapists, pharmacists, social workers, dietitians: critical care is a team sport and EINZ reflects that. AHPs who have attended previous editions consistently describe it as unlike anything else they have been to.
If you run ECMO circuits, you belong in this room. Perfusionists are not an afterthought at EINZ — they are faculty, they present and the sessions speak directly to the technical and clinical realities of the role.
Some of our most memorable contributions have come from outside medicine entirely. EINZ 2026 will include perspectives from high-performance fields far beyond the ICU. If that resonates, you are welcome here.
Three Days,
One Conversation
Two academic blocks each day built around six themed sessions, wrapped by facilitated small-group learning at the start and end of every day — the peer-to-peer rhythm that makes EINZ distinctive. Chairs and faculty are confirmed; talk-level running order is provisional and subject to change.
Pickup 08:00 sharp from QT Hotel Queenstown (back around 15:00). Day 1 runs away from the hotel — please bring solid footwear and a jacket.
Opening and announcements: Suraj Yalamuri, Brooke Riley, Julia Coull & Stefan Wiebe.
Prehospital ECPR: A New Hope?
- › Prehospital cannulation: evidence, systems and the reality on the ground
- › Team training and human factors in the field
- › Data, outcomes and where the science is pointing next
MCS & ECMO Governance
- › Building sustainable ECMO networks — the New Zealand national collaborative as a case study
- › National policy, funding and quality registries
- › Global collaboration — learning across borders and health systems
A patient's voice — Jessica's Journey · Location TBA.
Chef Paul Froggatt, Director of Culinary, ROKI Collection Queenstown — excellence under pressure: from the pass to the bedside. Over breakfast.
Extending the Focus: NRP, Ethics & Rehab
- › Normothermic Regional Perfusion (NRP): technique and the ethical debate
- › Ethical frameworks for MCS decision-making and withdrawal
- › Pediatric NRP
- › The survivor's journey: life after MCS
- › Healing the healer
Everything Transplant
- › DCD heart and machine perfusion, state of the art
- › Robotic lung transplant
- › Blood management
- › MCS bridging
- › Rehabilitation technology
The HeartWorks innovation model and 900 District, followed by moderated Q&A.
Think tanks on transplant pathways and the technology showcase debrief.
Lex Albrecht, former World Tour professional cyclist — high-stakes decisions under exhaustion. Over breakfast.
What's the Latest Tech, and What's Still Missing
- › AI and decision support at the bedside: signal, noise and situational awareness
- › AR ultrasound and next-generation POCUS in cannulation
- › Real-time procedural support and automated documentation
- › Regenerative approaches and the gaps technology has not yet closed
How Did You Solve That? Universal ECMO Challenges
- › Rapid-fire real cases from the faculty's own units
- › Collaborative, cross-disciplinary problem solving
- › Nursing, perfusion and allied-health perspectives on shared challenges
- › Concrete take-home solutions to apply the week you return
Brooke Riley, Julia Coull, Suraj Yalamuri & Stefan Wiebe.
Speaker Spotlight
Further speakers to be announced.
Outside Medicine Voices
Perspective from beyond critical care — on craft, performance and resilience under pressure.
Secure Your Place
at EINZ 2026
Registration is open now through 10 November 2026. Places are limited and previous editions sold out — register early to secure your seat. All prices exclude GST.
Places are limited and previous editions sold out. Secure your seat now for EINZ 2026 in Queenstown. Group discounts are available for 3+ registrations from the same organization — contact us to enquire.
Support EINZ 2026
EINZ 2026 brings together over 100 international clinicians, researchers and decision-makers at the forefront of advanced critical care. Sponsorship packages offer direct visibility with this audience across three days of intensive programming.
Disclosure: Hemovent (A MicroPort Innovation Lab) has provided €10,000, CytoSorbents €5,000, Lifemotion €5,000, OHM Healthcare €5,000, Eurosets €5,000, BTC Health €5,000 and HeartWorks USD 10,000 (approximately €8,800) in sponsorship toward EINZ 2026. Sponsors have no influence over the scientific program, faculty selection or session content.
In-kind support: HeliOtago (helicopter and staff for simulation), New Zealand Sotheby's International Realty (discounted faculty accommodation), ROKI Collection (speaker) and The Remarkables / NZSki (discounted venue) have provided in-kind support toward EINZ 2026. Partners have no influence over the scientific program, faculty selection or session content.
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Conference Updates
Speaker announcements, program drops, sponsorship opportunities and behind-the-scenes coverage — all on our channels.