A message from your AMD President
Hello and kia ora,
Welcome to our final eBulletin for the year. Please find below updates and upcoming events.
2027 AMD Leadership Workshop
Registrations are now open for the 2027 AMD Leadership Workshop, designed for current and aspiring leaders. Taking place at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre on 27 and 28 February 2027, the workshop will provide valuable insights from experienced leaders and subject matter experts, including: Dr Susan O’Dwyer (Chair, Medical Board of Australia), and Dr Christian Rowan MP (Leader of the House, Queensland Parliament). View the full speaker lineup and program here.
We are pleased to advise that the early bird registration deadline has been extended to 1 December 2026.
We encourage all AMD members to take advantage of this opportunity as places are limited. We hope to see you there.
PET Certificate
The Australasian Association of Nuclear Medicine Specialists (AANMS) has raised concerns with us and the College Dean about RANZCR’s proposed PET Certificate. This matter is currently being progressed, with support provided to AANMS to ensure appropriate communication and escalation processes are in place. As our understanding of the issue continue to develop, we welcome feedback from members at any time in relation to this or similar matters. We encourage you to provide any comments or feedback via the secretariat at adult.med@racp.edu.au.
Korean Association of Internal Medicine
In October 2026, while attending a conference in Seoul, I had a chance to visit the Korean Association of Internal Medicine (KAIM) and met with the Chairman of the Board, Professor Hyun Jae Kang and the Director of the External Affairs Board, Professor Dong-Jun Lim. This introductory meeting provided a valuable opportunity to explore the shared challenges facing physicians across all three countries, including workforce sustainability, staff wellbeing, regional health service delivery, and generational shifts in training and expectations. While each nation operates within a unique healthcare context, the discussion highlighted the common issues impacting the medical workforce globally. The meeting also identified opportunities for future collaboration, networking, and the ongoing exchange of ideas and experiences.
Health Workforce
On behalf of AMD Council, the AMD President-elect, Dr Anthony Deacon, has been working closely with the College’s Policy and Advocacy and Office of the Dean team on several issues affecting physicians.
A particular focus has been the upcoming changes to Medicare’s assignment of benefit requirements in Australia. While recognising the importance of informed patient consent, there are member concerns about the administrative burden and potential unintended consequences of these reforms, scheduled to take full effect from 1 July 2027. We have been supporting the College’s advocacy to government and identifying practical alternatives that better reflect how physicians deliver care. The College is also seeking input from specialty societies to inform its advocacy here.
Anthony has also been exploring how the College can better utilise its existing workforce data to support members. We know that strong data can ensure that conversations about workforce pressures are supported by evidence, rather than anecdotes alone.
AMD Council
The second AMD Council meeting was held virtually on 12 November, with productive discussions on a range of strategic priorities. Members received updates across education, specialty societies, trainee matters, jurisdictional activities, and developments in Aotearoa New Zealand. AMD Council also reviewed its 2027 work plan and discussed the development of a remit matrix to provide members with greater clarity of the roles, responsibilities, and functions of AMD Council. The document will be shared with members once finalised.
Primarily, AMD Council is an advocacy body within the College, to represent everyday members voices to guide the College's advocacy activities - when we have these discussions on your behalf, doctors’ wellbeing is always a guiding light alongside patient outcomes. More broadly, the AMD Council sees its role as providing a physician perspective and sense check on any College positions affecting adult medicine members, while serving as an avenue through which specialty societies can engage with the College.
The AMD Council hopes to progressively strengthen how the experiences and perspectives of physicians and specialty societies inform the College’s priorities, activities and advocacy. Ultimately, if physicians do not contribute to shaping the College’s positions, we risk having decisions made about us, without us.
AMD Council – Meet the Members
Dr Adrian Chee, AU Elected Fellow
Adrian is a general physician, the Clinical Director of Medicine and Community Services at Mildura Base Public Hospital, and the virtual ward lead for the Virtual Emergency Department. He is involved in both undergraduate and postgraduate medical education and holds a Senior Lecturer position with Monash University. He is passionate about regional healthcare and equitable access to quality care for regional patients. His reason for joining the AMD Council for 2026-2029 was to represent the clinicians who work and live regionally and bring to view the unique challenges they face.
Dr Jay Mifsud, Basic Trainee representative
Jay is a Brisbane-based physician trainee originally from rural Victoria. He is completing basic physician training at the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital in 2026 and will commence gastroenterology advanced training at Gold Coast University Hospital in 2027. He hopes to pursue hepatology, drawn to its combination of clinical reasoning, academic medicine and realities of life.
Jay joined AMD Council as a trainee representative in 2026 after experiencing firsthand how supervision and training opportunities vary between hospitals and regions. He is particularly interested in improving clinical exposure for trainees and ensuring supervisors have sufficient time to provide high-quality teaching and support. His broader involvement in medical education includes specialty society activities, accreditation assessments, and examination preparation initiatives.
Associate Professor Amany Zekry, Gastroenterological Society of Australia (GESA) representative
Associate Professor Amany Zekry is a gastroenterologist and hepatologist and Head of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at St George Hospital, Sydney. She is an Associate Professor of Medicine at UNSW Sydney and President-elect of GESA.
Amany has a strong track record in clinical leadership, medical education and championing initiatives that support physician wellbeing and improve patient care. She is committed to health equity, developing innovative models of care that reach disadvantaged and underserved populations, and strengthening partnerships between metropolitan and regional health services.
As GESA representative on the AMD Council, Amany is passionate about advocacy and ensuring physicians' voices are heard on issues affecting their profession and the communities they serve. She is keen to foster meaningful dialogue across specialties on issues affecting the profession, workforce sustainability and equitable access to care, translating shared priorities into effective action.
Vacancies on AMD Council
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