A message from your AMD President and President-elect
Hello and kia ora,
Welcome to our third edition of the AMD eBulletin. AMD Council and the AMD Executive Committee continue to progress with our 2026 activities. Please find relevant updates below.
WA Perth Convocation Ceremony
The Perth Convocation Ceremony was held on Saturday, 1 August and we would like to warmly acknowledge the outstanding achievement of those who have recently completed their specialist training and been awarded Fellowship. Completing specialist training is a long journey, and we welcome our new Fellows to the next stage of their professional life and wish them every success for their future.
We would like to specially congratulate Dr Anna Kelly, who has been awarded the Bryan Hudson Medal. This distinguished medal is awarded to the trainee with the highest aggregate combined percentage in the RACP written and clinical examinations in adult medicine. This is a remarkable achievement, well done Dr Kelly.
Save the date: AMD Leadership Workshop
We are delighted to announce the 2027 AMD Leadership Workshop will be held at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre on 27 and 28 February 2027. Now entering its fourth year, the small-group workshop program remains committed to building leadership skills for early to mid-career Fellows, with speakers including Dr Christian Rowan MP (Queensland Parliament Leader of the House), Professor Elizabeth Whiting (Senior Medical Officer, The Prince Charles Hospital), and Professor Ranjeny Thomas (UQ Professor of Rheumatology and NHMRC Research Fellow).
We would like to extend our appreciation to the Program Group and Program Lead, Dr Fahid Hasem, for his outstanding efforts in developing the 2027 program. Registrations will be launching in the coming weeks. We encourage you to save the date and hope to see you there.
Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologists (RANZCR) Meeting
In August, we met with RANZCR President Dr Rajiv Rattan, alongside Australian and New Zealand Association of Neurologists (ANZAN) President Dr Michelle Kiley, to discuss RANZCR’s work towards the recognition of Interventional Radiology (IR) and Interventional Neuroradiology (INR) as independent fields of specialty practice.
We raised concerns that the INR pathway would compete with, and detract from, the existing tri-College training program between RACP, RACS and RANZCR that has been in place for 10 years. It may exclude physician and surgical craft groups from this field of practice in future as an unintended outcome. In terms of the IR pathway, we provided some input about key elements for RANZCR to consider, such as the potential for disparity for rural and remote communities without access to sub-specialists.
As RANZCR further develops this proposal, we will seek wider feedback from AMD members; however, we welcome your feedback at any time in relation to this matter. As this may represent a significant change to our members who interact frequently with these specialties, we strongly encourage you to provide feedback via the secretariat at adult.med@racp.edu.au. Ultimately this is a decision for RANZCR and the AMC, however we have the opportunity to provide feedback directly to RANZCR prior to their submission.
AMD Policy and Advocacy
Every week, RACP receives multiple requests to provide consultation, comment or input on a wide range of policy and advocacy activities. Many of these relevant to adult medicine are referred to the AMD Council, specialty societies, or the wider membership for comment depending on the topic, significance and timeline constraints. Current member consultations can be found here.
As these engagement requests continue to grow, the College’s Policy & Advocacy (P&A) team is refining its triage process for policy and advocacy activities. Internal and external requests are assessed against factors including strategic alignment, member impact and priority, timeliness, available evidence, risk and resource requirements. This approach helps ensure that College advocacy efforts remain focused on issues of greatest importance to physicians, patients and the healthcare system, while supporting a coordinated and effective response to emerging matters.
AMD has the opportunity to highlight issues of importance to P&A, Dr Anthony Deacon (AMD President-elect) met with their team and highlighted a number of high-priority issues. This included the need for advocacy surrounding the potential unintended consequences to patients and physicians which may result from the Commonwealth’s updated Assignment of Medicare Benefits (AoB) requirements for bulk billing.
P&A staff recently convened the inaugural meeting of the Adult Medicine Specialty Society Policy and Advocacy Network, bringing together staff representatives from AMD-affiliated specialty societies to strengthen engagement with the College, so there is less overlap and speciality societies can leverage the RACP’s resources for important issues. The newly formed Network stemmed from a proposed idea at the RACP and Specialty Society Presidents’ Forum held earlier this year. The Network will provide a forum for sharing emerging issues, discussing advocacy opportunities, and improving collaboration between College and specialty society staff on matters affecting physicians and the communities we serve.
In addition, Anthony sits on the College Policy and Advocacy Council (CPAC) as the AMD representative. CPAC is the peak strategic planning body for College policy and advocacy. CPAC recently met in August and was Chaired by the College President-elect, Dr Julian Kelly, who is taking over the leadership of this body. This meeting provided members with an update on the work of P&A and its strategic direction.
Time to train
Protected supervision time and time for training remain key workforce advocacy priorities for AMD Council. As supervision becomes more complex with requirements for frequent documented learning activities, it is important that the time required to complete these by both trainees and supervisors is recognised. As RACP continues to navigate these challenges and concerns, the AMD Council remains committed to amplifying voices advocating for adequate time for training, particularly during internal decision-making and advocacy activities. We encourage members to continue raising your concerns and challenges with us and with the Training Program Committees.
2026 Guidelines for the Early Detection of Prostate Cancer in Australia
We have been advised that the 2026 Guidelines for the Early Detection of Prostate Cancer in Australia have now been released. We are sharing these guidelines for your awareness.
Other College Updates
Specialist Training Program (STP) Update
The College is pleased to share an update from the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing regarding the Specialist Training Program (STP).
The Department has confirmed that current STP grant agreements will be extended for a further 12 months from February 2027. Existing STP-funded training arrangements will therefore continue through 2027 under current funding and program settings.
More information can be found here.
Medical Treatment Overseas Program (MTOP)
The Department of Health, Disability and Ageing has requested we share recent updates to the guidelines and application forms for the MTOP. Details can be found here.
College Meritorious Awards and Prizes
We draw your attention to the College meritorious awards and prizes that are open for nominations until 31 August 2026. These awards and prizes acknowledge the outstanding contributions and achievements of our Fellows and trainees. For more information click here.
AMD Council: Meet the members
We would like to continue introducing you to some of our current members of AMD Council.
Dr Spencer Toombes, Adult Medicine Division representative on the College Education Committee, and AMDEX member
Spencer is a middle-aged staff specialist general physician based in Toowoomba, Queensland. He graduated from the University of Queensland last century, working in Rockhampton, Nambour, and at the Royal Brisbane prior to completing advanced training in general medicine (before it became fashionable), in Townsville and Cairns. His interests include endoscopy, stroke medicine, rural health, and medical education and he enjoys scuba diving, science fiction, computer games, and is physically dependent on caffeine.
Spencer is the DPE at Toowoomba Hospital, and a Medical Director for Queensland Health’s Physician Training pathways. For the RACP, Spencer is a National Examiner, and a familiar face on a number of adult medicine education committees. In his current role with the Adult Medicine Division Council and College Education Committee, his focus is on curriculum implementation as well as trainee and supervisor wellbeing.
Professor Tina Noutsos, Australian & New Zealand Society of Blood Transfusion (ANZSBT) representative
Professor Tina Noutsos is a senior staff specialist clinical and laboratory haematologist at Royal Darwin Hospital, with dual fellowships with the RACP and RCPA. She has lived and worked on Larrakia Country (Darwin) for over 25 years. She is a Principal Research Fellow at the Menzies School of Health Research and Professor of Pathology at Charles Darwin University. She is passionate about her clinical, educational and research interests, which include blood transfusion in First Nations populations and rural and remote Australia, and the haematological complications of snakebite. She is an avid nature photographer and sometimes-cyclist. Tina was recently appointed to the Editorial Board of the Internal Medicine Journal as its haematology (general) specialty editor. She is an NHMRC Emerging Leader Fellow, and Vice President of the ANZSBT. Notable recent activities of ANZSBT include its recent position statement on the prevention of transfusion transmitted CMV. ANZSBT, the Haematology Society of Australia and New Zealand and Thrombosis and Haemostasis Society of Australia and New Zealand, are holding their combined ASM, Blood, in Auckland in October 2026, and she looks forward to catching many of her colleagues there.
Vacancies on AMD Council
Additionally, in line with the College’s strategic priority to improve the capacity of the College to respond to adult medical workforce needs and in alignment with the College Constitution and its Indigenous objects, an expression of interest is open for an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander representative on AMD Council. If you are interested in this role, or if you are interested in other vacancies on AMD Council, please reach out to the secretariat team via adult.med@racp.edu.au.
For more information on the AMD Council and its membership, visit the RACP website.
If you have any topics that you would like our Council to consider, or any topic you would like to be included in our quarterly eBulletin, we encourage you to contact us via the secretariat at adult.med@racp.edu.au.
Professor Brian Wood
President, Adult Medicine Division
Dr Anthony Deacon
President-elect, Adult Medicine Division